Biography of Latifa JBABDI

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Latifa Jbabdi (b.January 26, 1955), is a Moroccan human rights activist.

Dr. Latifa Jbabdi has endured detention as a political prisoner, run for office, edited one of the country’s most progressive magazines, co-founded numerous human rights organizations, and served on several governmental commissions in more than 35 years as a fighter for equality and women’s rights in Morocco. Currently, Dr. Jbabdi is President of the Women’s Action Union (UAF), which has worked since 1987 to modernize Morocco’s family code, the Moudawana. She was instrumental in the landmark changes made to the Moudawana in 2004, including women’s right to divorce their husbands and petition for custody of their children. Dr. Jbabdi also sits on Morocco’s Equity and Reconciliation Authority, which investigates cases of politically-motivated imprisonment and torture.
In 2005, Vital Voices honored Latifa for her tremendous work at the Global Leadership Awards. She currently serves as a member of the Vital Voices Global Advisory Council and was elected to serve in Morocco's Parliament in September of 2007.