Fatima Benazza

Pioneering Algerian lawyer and feminist who championed women's rights and education during French colonial rule

Early Life and Activism

Born in 1890 in Oran, Algeria, Fatima Benazza became the first Algerian woman to earn a law degree from the University of Algiers in 1918. This groundbreaking achievement occurred during a time when only 1% of Algerian women were literate under French colonial rule. Her legal thesis on women's inheritance rights immediately drew national attention and laid the foundation for her lifelong advocacy work.

Legal and Political Milestones

In 1922, Benazza opened Algeria's first women's law office, providing pro bono services to marginalized women. She famously defended 150 women accused of minor crimes in a single year, securing acquittals for 85% of her clients. Her 1934 petition to the League of Nations demanding voting rights for Algerian women received international acclaim, though it was rejected by French authorities.

Educational Reforms

Benazza established the first girls' school in Oran in 1925, defying colonial laws prohibiting girls' education beyond age 12. By 1930, her network of schools educated over 2,000 girls annually. She later founded the Union of Algerian Women in 1938, which organized literacy campaigns reaching 150 rural villages by 1945.

Legacy

Though overshadowed by male nationalist leaders, Benazza's work laid critical groundwork for Algeria's post-independence women's rights laws. The Fatima Benazza Women's Rights Institute in Algiers continues her mission today. Her 1962 memoir Voices Unsilenced remains a foundational text in North African feminist studies.