Zoroastrians Abroad
On the Legacy Wall
Binaifer Nowrojee joins the illustrious company of 151 individuals and organizations from around the world who will be featured on the Gender Justice Legacy Wall to be erected in 2018 at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands. As announced at the United Nations (UN) Assembly of State Parties meeting in New York, the Wall will dedicate a brick to each of those who have labored to find justice for women who have suffered conflict related sexual violence crimes. Featuring on the Wall will be judges, prosecutors, advocates, victims, witnesses, diplomats, academics, grassroots and international organizations and UN personnel. Nowrojee’s name is seen on a brick in the seventh row, 10th column from the left.
The Wall is "an enduring tribute to the expertise, vision and inspired action of the people… who have transformed our world for the better by advocating for the protection of the weakest amongst us,” as notes the website 4genderjustice.org
Currently based in New York but traveling extensively as regional director for the Asia Pacific with the Open Society Foundations that promote human rights and governance,Nowrojee was recognized for her career long commitment to seek justice for female victims of sexual violence during war and genocide. For over two decades the intrepid Nowrojee has championed the cause of rape victims at the international level. She has served as a member of the International Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Armed Conflict, worked in an advisory capacity with the Prosecutor’s Office at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the Sierra Leone Special Court (SLSC), assisting their sexual violence investigations and prosecutions. Her expertise has been sought to train international judicial staff at the ICC, and the ICTR where she had served as an expert witness on sexual violence, and the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission before which she had testified in 2003 on the widespread sexual violence, as notes her life profile.
The Wall is "an enduring tribute to the expertise, vision and inspired action of the people… who have transformed our world for the better by advocating for the protection of the weakest amongst us,” as notes the website 4genderjustice.orgCurrently based in New York but traveling extensively as regional director for the Asia Pacific with the Open Society Foundations that promote human rights and governance,Nowrojee was recognized for her career long commitment to seek justice for female victims of sexual violence during war and genocide. For over two decades the intrepid Nowrojee has championed the cause of rape victims at the international level. She has served as a member of the International Coalition for Women’s Human Rights in Armed Conflict, worked in an advisory capacity with the Prosecutor’s Office at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the Sierra Leone Special Court (SLSC), assisting their sexual violence investigations and prosecutions. Her expertise has been sought to train international judicial staff at the ICC, and the ICTR where she had served as an expert witness on sexual violence, and the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission before which she had testified in 2003 on the widespread sexual violence, as notes her life profile.
Binaifer Nowrojee (top) will feature on the United Nations’ Gender Justice Legacy Wall (circled above)
The gutsy lady’s contributions to the first international trial that convicted rape as a war crime and an act of genocide are featured in the 2016 documentary film The Uncondemned.
Daughter of Villoo, and Pheroze Nowrojee, a senior counselor who fights for civil rights in Africa, Binaifer was born in London. After completing her secondary schooling in Nairobi, she did her BA from Bryn Mawr College, juris doctor from the Columbia Law School and LLM from Harvard Law School where she later served as lecturer and clinical instructor. For over a decade when she was associated with Human Rights Watch, she served as legal counsel and senior researcher in its Africa Division and Women’s Rights Project. A citizen of Kenya, the US and an Overseas Indian Citizen, the 54-year-old’s commitment to gender equality extends to her community. She believes that children who are half Parsi should be recognized by the community, not only when the father is Parsi but also when the mother is Parsi.
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