Newswise — Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, will speak at 7 p.m., Monday, May 2, in Dever Auditorium at Westfield State College. The lawyer, judge and human rights activist from Iran will speak about her work for women and children's rights and freedom of speech. The presentation is part of the college's Guest Lecture Series, which is free and open to the public.
Her appearance is also a follow up to the college's Global Women's History Project conference, April 14-17, featuring women prominent in the human rights movements in Iraq and Iran. Ebadi's talk will reflect the conference theme, "Women of Iraq and Iran: Visionaries for Peace in the 21st Century."
Ebadi is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran. She has written a number of academic books and articles focused on human rights. Among her books translated into English are, "The Rights of the Child. A Study of Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran," published with support from UNICEF, and "History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran."
"Shirin Ebadi has a transformative vision critical to our goal of world peace," said by Elise G. Young, professor of history and director of the Global Women's History Project. "She notes that linking educational institutions across nationalist boundaries is a key to world peace. We are honored to help her to realize that vision by bringing her here to educate our college community and to educate the general public about the lives, experiences, and visions of Iranian women, and about Iranian women's profound impact on the history and politics of their region."
She served as president of the city court of Tehran, one the first female judges in Iran. After the revolution in 1979 she was forced to resign. She now works as a lawyer and also teaches at the University of Tehran.
She has led efforts to change Iran's discriminatory laws against women, to provide more protection for street children, and to free those detained for expressing their opposition to the government. She has continued her advocacy despite detention, suspension from legal practice and repeated threats to her security.
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