Fatimata M'baye (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: فاطيماتا مباي; born 1957) is a

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

n lawyer. She has campaigned for human rights in her country. In 2016, she was given an

International Women of Courage Award The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

by the U.S. Secretary of State.

Life

M'Baye was born in 1957 in Mauritania. At age 12 she was forcibly married to a 45-year-old man, but fought her family for the chance to attend school. From 1981 to 1985 she studied law and economics at the

University of Nouakchott The University of Nouakchott Al Aasriya (, ) is a university in the city of Nouakchott, capital of Mauritania. History The university was created in July 2016 from the merger of the University of Science, Technology and Medicine and the Uni ...

, becoming the first female lawyer in her home country. In 1991, Fatimata Mbaye helped to found the Mauritanian Human Rights Association, or AMDH, and became the Association's president in 2006. In 1998, a report on the still-extant and widespread practice of slavery in Mauritania aired on French television, she and the organization's then president, Cheikh Saad Bouh Kamara, were arrested without warrant. She was charged with the crime of being a member of a non-government approved association, sentenced to 13 months in prison, and a large fine. M'Baye is Chair of the Committee for Women's Rights and founder and leader of the Social Commission of the AMDH. She is a consulting lawyer of various organizations and in 1997 she was an observer in the presidential elections in Mauritania. Her commitment to oppression and slavery in Mauritania brought her in 1987, a prison sentence of six months. In 1998, she was sentenced to another prison term of thirteen months for belonging to an unapproved union, yet under the pressure of an international campaign she was pardoned by the country's President. Mbaye began to receive international attention after her work and life was included in "Mauritania: A Question of Rape," a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

documentary on the convictions of female rape survivors with the crime of

zina ''Zināʾ'' () or ''zinā'' ( or ) is an Islamic legal term referring to unlawful sexual intercourse. According to traditional jurisprudence, ''zina'' can include adultery, fornication, prostitution, sodomy, incest, and bestiality. ''Zi ...

. In 2013, Mbaye joined a three-person UNbr>commission of inquiry
in the

Central African Republic The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to Central African Republic–Chad border, the north, Sudan to Central African Republic–Sudan border, the northeast, South Sudan to Central ...

with

Bernard Muna Bernard Muna (27 May 1940 – 6 October 2019) was a Cameroonian lawyer, magistrate and politician. He served as Deputy Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda from 1997 to 2002. He was a candidate for the 2011 Presidential ele ...

and

Philip Alston Philip Geoffrey Alston is an Australian international law scholar and human rights practitioner. He is John Norton Pomeroy Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, and co-chair of the law school's Center for Human Rights and Globa ...

. This commission worked in a hostile and violent atmosphere and in a constrained manner, but in 2015 released a final report to the

Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

accusing all belligerent parties in the CAR Civil War of

crimes against humanity Crimes against humanity are certain serious crimes committed as part of a large-scale attack against civilians. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity can be committed during both peace and war and against a state's own nationals as well as ...

Awards

Fatimata Mbaye received the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award for her fight against slavery in Mauritania and racial/ethnic discrimination in 1999. In 2012,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

honored Mbaye as a Hero in the

Trafficking in Persons Report The Trafficking in Persons Report, or the TIP Report, is an annual report issued since 2001 by the U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. It ranks governments based on their perceived efforts to acknowledge a ...

. On March 28, 2016,

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the Presidency of Barack Obama#Administration, administration of Barac ...

, as Secretary of State, recognized Fatimata Mbaye during the 2016

International Women of Courage The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...

Awards for her contributions to the legal protection of human rights in Mauritania and her commitment to human dignity, stating: M'Baye has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:M'baye, Fatimata 1957 births Living people 21st-century Mauritanian women 20th-century Mauritanian lawyers 20th-century Mauritanian women 21st-century Mauritanian lawyers Mauritanian women lawyers Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award 20th-century women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers

Life

Awards

See also

References