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UWinnipeg’s Marilou McPhedran speaks at Brandon University

Marilou McPhedran, photo courtesy of UWinnipeg

Marilou McPhedran, photo courtesy of UWinnipeg

UWinnipeg’s Marilou McPhedran, renowned advocate for human rights, will be speaking at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Shilo and at Brandon University (BU) on Tuesday, March 8, 2016, to mark International Women’s Day. She will be joined by fellow advocate Dr. Sima Samar, who served as a vice-president under Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan .

The women will be speaking about Canadian and International Gender Equality. The talk is the result of a partnership between BU, the Shilo Military Family Resource Centre and Canadian Forces Base Shilo.

The two women are well-acquainted and longtime friends who look forward to presenting together on International Women’s Day.

“When I first met Sima Samar and Marilou McPhedran in Afghanistan in 2004 I was deeply impressed. These women are world renowned for their advocacy for women’s rights and I knew they would offer something of immense value to our community. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring them to Shilo and Brandon.” said CFB Shilo Base Commander, Lieutenant-Colonel John Cochrane.”

All are invited to the free BU event, which will take place at 7:00 pm in the gathering space of the university library.

Marilou McPhedran is a human rights lawyer who founded the International Women’s Rights Projectat York University. She was the only Canadian to be invited by the High Commissioner for Human Rights to present in the 23rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council. McPhedran currently is UWinnipeg’s Director of the Institute for International Women’s Rights and teaches human rights courses at Global College.

Dr. Sima Samar is an international advocate for human and women’s rights. Born in Afghanistan, she is currently the Chairwoman of the Independent Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, the first Human Rights Commission in Afghanistan’s history. She has been recognized for her leadership and courage by dozens of human and women’s rights organizations globally, and continues her work in Afghanistan. She also served as the First Vice-President in the transitional Afghanistan government under Hamid Karzai.