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Latifa Jbabdi

Middle East and North Africa Political and Public Leadership
Global Leadership Awards

For 35 years, Latifa Jbabdi has fought for equality and women’s rights in Morocco. Widely regarded as one of the mothers of Morocco’s women’s movement, Dr. 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 as member of two investigative commissions for Morocco’s government.

She currently serves as president of the Women’s Action Union (UAF), which has worked to change Morocco’s family code, the Moudawana, since 1987. Dr. Jbabdi led a national campaign to gather one million signatures as a petition to reform the Moudawana and was instrumental in the landmark changes made to the Moudawana, including the right of women to divorce their husbands and the right to petition for custody of their children. Dr. Jbabdi also sits on Morrocco’s Equity and Reconciliation Authority, which investigates cases of politically motivated imprisonment and torture.