{"id":377,"date":"2020-08-30T20:06:45","date_gmt":"2020-08-30T20:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/lessonsfrompeacebuilders\/?p=377"},"modified":"2020-08-30T20:06:47","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T20:06:47","slug":"lessons-from-2003-nobel-peace-prize-winner-shirin-ebadi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bbforpeace.org\/lessonsfrompeacebuilders\/2020\/08\/30\/lessons-from-2003-nobel-peace-prize-winner-shirin-ebadi\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessons From 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Winner: Shirin Ebadi"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“Human right is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirin\nEbadi, Iranian social justice champion made the above statement in a speech to\nmillions of women at the inauguration of the Nobel Women Initiative in Canada in\n2006.  That statement embodies the\nessence of Shirin\u2019s life and work contributing to peace in Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shirin\nis an Iranian political and human rights activist and lawyer as well as the\nFounder of Defenders of Human Rights Center in 2001 in Iran who was awarded the\nNobel Peace Prize in 2003 in recognition of her outstanding work fighting\ninequalities and social deprivation in Iran. It was a long walk to recognition\nfor her as the first Muslim woman to win the prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born\non June 21, 1947 to the family of Professor of Law, Prof Mohammed Ali Ebadi in\nthe northwestern state of Hamedan in Iran. Shirin\u2019s family soon moved to the\ncapital city, Tehran, in search of greener pastures. She had her education in\nthe capital city and graduated from the Department of Law, University of Tehran\nin 1969. She quickly followed up with an internship at the Ministry of Justice\nthat lasted six months and became the first female Judge in Iran. Achieving\nsuch a feat at a tender age inspired her to pursue her doctorate and become a Chief\nMagistrate in 1975 breaking records as both the youngest person and the first\nwoman to attain such a height. However, the 1979 Islamic Revolution led to\ndemotion from that coveted position to that of a clerk in the same court she\npresided over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Undeterred by this major setback, she applied to practice law privately which was rejected severally keeping her out of practice for over a decade. She devoted this period to writing books and advocating for human rights which unfortunately led to her incarceration for 4 weeks and subsequent imprisonment of 18 months. Shirin has been a champion for human rights especially of women and children. She founded the Society for Protecting the Rights of Child in 1995 and the Human Rights Defender Centre in 2001 to cater for the most vulnerable populations in Iran.\u00a0 Shirin\u2019s advocacy for human rights, child rights and democracy drew admiration from Iranian citizens and the international community leading to her award of the distinguished Nobel Peace Prize.\u00a0 In the aftermath of the award, she scaled up her impact and founded the Nobel Women Initiatives to promote human rights with a focus on women and children rights as well as democracy across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\nlessons can we draw from Shirin\u2019s work as youth peacebuilders?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfollowing come easily to my mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.\u00a0 Youth as the centerpiece of Human right Advocacy<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From\nmy experience promoting peace at Building Blocks for Peace Foundation, young\npeople have been determined to be creative and determined enough to make\nsufficient impact in their societies. Shirin\u2019s story reminds us of the glass\nceilings she broke in her career and advocacy for the vulnerable section of the\nsociety as a young woman. She rose up to the limiting factors in the Iranian\nsociety and triumphed against all odds. As a young person, face your fears with\ncourage just as Shirin did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \nAdopt non-violent methods to create lasting change in your local\ncommunity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young\npeople do not need to counter violence with force. Mahatma Gandhi said that \u2018An\neye for an eye makes the whole world blind\u2019. It is possible to make changes by\ndifferent non-violent means. Non-violence is at the heart of BB4PEACE\u2019s\nstrategy through peace education campaigns for young people. Shirin chose to\nuse the law to fight for the oppressed rather than break the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Be a Peace Ambassador always<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis not enough for you to be propagating peace and security within your\ncommunity or society while your actions speak otherwise. Imagine if Shirin\nstood aloof when it was time to defend those in need, that will surely have\nbrought no change and her desire to make a change would have been a mere wish.\nStand for what you believe in and make sure your actions reflect what your\nwords convey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare no excuses to give for not getting involved in changing your society.\nShirin grew up in a very conservative environment that did not give her room to\nharness her abilities freely. The volatility of the region towards women\nrights, the frustration of demotion in her chosen career, the imprisonment was\nwhat defined her early life, yet she forged ahead purposefully. So, shelve that\nexcuse and get to work and make that change that your society needs. There is\nthat one person somewhere waiting to be rescued by you, but here you are, still\ncontemplating. Show up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written\nBy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ismail Amodu
Member of Media Unit,
Building Blocks for Peace Foundation<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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