Amal Azzudin
| Amal Azzudin | |
|---|---|
| Born |
January 1990 (age 28) Somalia |
| Residence | Glasgow, Scotland |
| Nationality | Somali-Scottish[1] |
| Education | Drumchapel High School |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow[2] |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Known for | Co-founder of the Glasgow Girls |
Amal Azzudin (born 1990) is a Somali-born Scottish refugee and activist who co-founded the Glasgow Girls (activists), a group of seven young women who campaigned against the harsh treatment of asylum-seekers in response to the detention of one of their friends. The group's efforts raised public awareness, won the support of the Scottish Parliament and influenced the government's decision to change immigration laws.[3][4]
Early life
Azzudin was born in Somalia and came to Glasgow, Scotland, with her pregnant mother, as refugees escaping from the Somali civil war in 2000. Four years later the Home Office granted the family leave to remain.
She is one of the founders of The Glasgow Girls – a group of Drumchapel High School students who, from 2005, campaigned against dawn raids and the deportation of refugee families. The other girls were Roza Salih, Ewelina Siwak, Toni-Lee Henderson, Jennifer McCarron and Emma Clifford. The group was formed after the home of one of their school friends, Agnesa Murselaj, a Roma from Kosovo, was dawn-raided one Sunday morning by 14 bullet-proof vested officers from the UK Border Force. After several weeks the family had not been released. “Even though I had my leave to remain, I couldn’t just sit there. I had to do something. That could have been my family,” Azzudin says.[5]
The Glasgow Girls campaign
The Glasgow Girls, encouraged by supply teacher Euan Girvan, formed a strategy to campaign on behalf of the family. Their online petitions to the Home Office went viral, and the then First Minister of Scotland, Jack McConnell agreed to meet them. The Glasgow Girls not only successfully prevented the deportation of the Murselaj family, but also forced a change in the asylum protocols.[6]
Career and later life
Since leaving University, Amal Azzudin has worked for the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland as Equality and Human Rights Officer. Her main role is to manage the refugee programme, including the Sawti project. Sawti, which means “my voice” in Arabic, aims to raise awareness of mental health and wellbeing and has developed a mentoring scheme for refugees and asylum seekers in Scotland.[7]
In 2015 Azzudin went with two other activists, Margaret Woods and Pinar Aksu to Lesvos, where as many as 3000 refugees per day were arriving from Turkey. She wrote a diary of her experiences for The Herald Scotland.[8]
Amal is an ambassador for the Scottish Refugee Council.
Awards
References
- ↑ "15 Year old Mal Azzudin formed the Glasgow Girls". The Herald. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- 1 2 Marsh, Stephanie. "Activist Amal Azzudin: 'As long as there is passion and courage, anything is possible'". The Guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ↑ Leadbetter, Russell. "Man Behind the Glasgow Girls". Evening Times of Glasgow. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- ↑ Ross, Peter. "'They said they felt sorry for us because Glasgow was a terrible place. I wish I could tell them how wrong they were'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ↑ Marsh, Stefanie (2017-03-08). "Activist Amal Azzudin: 'As long as there is passion and courage, anything is possible'". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ↑ "Long Read: Interview with Amal Azzudin". 2017-01-03. Retrieved 2018-05-19.
- ↑ "Amal Azzudin". Mental Health Foundation. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ↑ "Former Glasgow Girl Amal Azzudin's heartfelt diary of working on the frontline with refugees in Greece". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
- ↑ "Amal Azzudin". Saltire Society.org. Retrieved 5 March 2018.