Fatimata M'Baye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fatimata M'baye
فاطيماتا مباي
Born	1957
Nationality	Mauritania
Education	University of Nouakchott
Occupation	Lawyer
Children	three Oumaima Salamata Toure, Cheikh Abdallahi Cherif, Osmane Cherif Toure

Fatimata M'baye (born in 1957) is a brave lawyer from the country of Mauritania in Africa. She is famous for her work fighting for human rights and fairness for all people in her nation. Because of her courage, she received the International Women of Courage Award in 2016 from the United States government.

A Life of Courage and Justice

Fatimata M'baye was born in Mauritania in 1957. When she was only 12, her family arranged for her to marry a much older man. However, Fatimata was determined to get an education and fought for her right to go to school.

Her hard work paid off. From 1981 to 1985, she studied law and economics at the University of Nouakchott. When she graduated, she became the very first woman to work as a lawyer in Mauritania.

Fighting for Human Rights

In 1991, M'baye helped start the Mauritanian Human Rights Association (AMDH), an important group that works to protect people's rights. She later became the president of this organization in 2006.

Her work was not easy. She spoke out against slavery, a practice that was still happening in her country. Because of her activism, she was arrested in 1987 and again in 1998. She was even sentenced to prison for being part of a group the government did not approve of. However, people around the world supported her, and the president of Mauritania eventually pardoned her.

M'baye's work gained worldwide attention after a BBC documentary featured her efforts to help women who were treated unfairly.

Working with the United Nations

In 2013, the United Nations (UN) asked M'baye to join a special team to investigate serious problems in the Central African Republic. The team, which included M'baye and two other experts, had to work in a very dangerous environment.

In 2015, they presented a report to the UN Security Council. The report explained that all groups involved in the country's civil war had committed terrible acts against civilians.

Awards and Recognition

Fatimata M'baye's bravery has been honored with many awards.

• In 1999, she received the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award for her fight against slavery and unfair treatment of people based on their race or background.
• In 2012, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called her a hero in the Trafficking in Persons Report.
• In 2016, she received the International Women of Courage Award.

During the 2016 award ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry praised her work.

Fatimata M'Baye has long been a voice of reason and of tolerance in a country plagued by ethnic tensions. As Mauritania's first woman attorney, Fatimata has taken on some very tough cases... She helped draft a law criminalizing slavery. And she represents the "committee of widows", a group seeking justice for the murder of their husbands... Asked about her role, she says, "I could be born white, yellow, Mongolian, or Kurdish, and I would have recognized myself in each of these. For me the value of the human being is above everything."

Fatimata M'baye has three children and continues to be an inspiration to many people around the world.

See also

In Spanish: Fatimata Mbaye para niños

• First women lawyers around the world