Roqia Samim

Roqia Samim is a human rights lawyer from Afghanistan with a diverse background in human rights, women’s rights, and gender equality. She obtained her law degree from the Law and Political Science School of Herat University, Afghanistan, in 2014. She also holds an LL.M. degree in international human rights law from Notre Dame Law School.

In 2014, during her time in law school, Roqia participated in the Global Rights Young Lawyers-in-Training Program, where she gained valuable experience and insights into human rights investigation and advocacy. After graduation, she demonstrated her commitment to community service by leading a volunteer group as part of the Women Leadership Development (WLD) program. Together, they provided essential health services to many schools in remote areas of Herat Province, Afghanistan.

Roqia served as Human Rights Advocate at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC), where she contributed to promotion of the human rights and advocated for victims and survivors of human rights violations in Herat Province. In 2018, she worked as the Provincial Coordinator for the Women Leadership Development (WLD) program with USAID where she worked with over 1,000 young women enhancing their leadership skills and facilitating their active engagement in the community.

Samim served as a United Nations Young Volunteer in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). As an Associate Political Affairs Officer in the UNAMA Herat Field Office, she supported Sustainable Development Goals for Gender Equality and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions in the western region of Afghanistan.

In her subsequent role in the Human Rights Services of UNAMA, Roqia contributed to promotion of human rights in the western region of Afghanistan. Her responsibilities included monitoring, fact-finding, investigation, and reporting on human rights and international humanitarian law violations.

Most recently, Roqia worked as a Research Associate and Research Fellow for Notre Dame Law School's LL.M. Program in International Human Rights Law. In this capacity, she authored a policy brief titled “The State of Women’s Rights and Freedoms after the Taliban Take-Over: Afghan Women Face the Worst Human and Women’s Rights Crisis in the World.” Also, she co-authored the article “Afghan Women’s Rights as Taliban’s Bargaining Tool for International Recognition” that details the current violation of women’s human rights in Afghanistan and calls for the United Nations to take urgent action. This article was featured by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders.

In addition, Roqia collaborates with the Afghan Peace and Development Program at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies as an advisor in the program. She also has served as a volunteer with United Religious Community (URC), and Attorneys for Afghan Resettlement Project (AARP) assisting in refugee resettlement in South Bend, IN.