Nimco Ali

Nimco Ali
Born 1982/1983 (age 35–36)
Somaliland Somalia
Alma mater University of the West of England
Occupation social activist, independent training consultant
Title Co-founder and Director of Daughters of Eve

Nimco Ali (Somali: Nimco Cali) is a Somali social activist and independent training consultant. She is a co-founder and the Director of the Daughters of Eve non-profit organization.

Personal life

Ali was born between 1982 and 1983 in Somalia. When she was four, her family moved to Manchester, England, where she was raised.[1][2] She has four brothers, one of whom, Mohamed, is chair of the Somali Conservatives.[3]

For her post-secondary education, Ali attended the University of the West of England, Bristol.[4]

Career

Ali previously worked as a civil servant. She also served as a women's rights activist and an independent training consultant for a number of years.[4]

In 2010, Ali along with psychotherapist Leyla Hussein founded Daughters of Eve.[1][5] The non-profit organization was established to help young women and girls, with a focus on providing education and raising awareness on female genital mutilation (FGM).[6] Ali underwent the procedure at age seven at a hospital in Djibouti while on vacation with her family.[1][7] She later suffered health complications and had to undergo reconstructive surgery.[8] The experience and meeting other females who had been incised inspired her to assist at risk girls and to call for the practice's eradication.[1][2]

Additionally, Ali served as a Network Coordinator for the End FGM/C Social Change Campaign. She has also written extensively on national gender rights.[4]

On 18 April 2015, Ali spoke at one of the early meetings of a new political party, the Women's Equality Party.[9]

Awards

In 2014, Ali and Hussein received a community/charity award at the 2014 Red Magazine Woman of the Year awards for their work with Daughters of Eve.[6] They also placed sixth in the Woman's Hour Power List 2014.[5]

Political activity

Ali has said that she stopped supporting the Labour Party after Jeremy Corbyn became leader and now considers herself a centrist.[10] At the 2017 general election, Ali contested the seat of Hornsey and Wood Green[11] in North London for the Women's Equality Party. Nimco polled 551 votes (0.9%),[12] finishing in 5th place out of the 8 candidates that stood and losing her deposit.[13]

In summer 2018, she applied to be the Conservative Party candidate for the 2020 London Mayoral election,[14] but she was not shortlisted.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Onyanga-Omara, Jane (29 July 2011). "Men 'must help stop female genital mutilation'". BBC. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  2. 1 2 Poon, Linda (5 August 2014). "Fighting Genital Cutting Of British Girls: A Survivor Speaks Out". NPR. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  3. ↑ Collier, Hatty (16 May 2017). "Bizarre row erupts in north London election race as Women's Equality candidate labelled 'anti-feminist'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 "6. Leyla Hussein and Nimco Ali". BBC. 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (May 2014). "Towards ending female genital mutilation" (PDF). CBT Today. 42 (2): 16–17. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  6. 1 2 Powell, Emma (4 September 2014). "Lauren Laverne, Sadie Frost and Olivia Inge attend the Red Woman of the Year Awards". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  7. ↑ Bentham, Martin (18 February 2013). "Met will prosecute parents who send their girls abroad to be 'cut'". London Evening Standard. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  8. ↑ Banneman, Lucy (13 January 2014). "'It's child abuse that has gone mainstream'". The Times. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Milligan, Becky (23 April 2015). "The brand new Women's Equality Party: 'not standing in this election'". PM. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Ali, Nimco [@NimkoAli] (10 October 2018). "Let's be clear, I stopped supporting Labour after Corbyn. I don't like him or his cabinet. I am a centrist and right now if I seems to find more of what I believe in within the Tory Party that is how it is. I am not owned by the left and have my own mind" (Tweet). Retrieved 10 October 2018 – via Twitter.
  11. ↑ Topping, Alexandra (7 June 2017). "Women's Equality party candidate receives death threat signed 'Jo Cox'". the Guardian.
  12. ↑ "Women's Equality Party defeat follows weeks of horrific abuse". 9 June 2017.
  13. ↑ "General Election 2017 - Haringey votes". voting.haringey.gov.uk.
  14. ↑ "The Londoner: Mercer takes aim at 'Private Pike'". Evening Standard.
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