Khadija Arby

A Mauritanian human rights activist who combatted slavery and advanced women's education in West Africa

Khadija Arby (born 1975) is a courageous human rights defender from Mauritania, a country where slavery persists despite legal abolition. As founder of E-Reform in 2003, she pioneered legal strategies to free enslaved individuals and provide them with education. Her organization has secured over 2,000 freedom judgments and established 15 literacy centers for former slaves. Arby's work intersects with gender equality, creating women-led cooperatives that produce traditional crafts for global markets.

Her 2012 initiative Child Freedom Network focuses on ending child slavery through community education. Arby's advocacy led to Mauritania's 2015 UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review report, which pressured the government to strengthen anti-slavery enforcement. Despite death threats, she continues working across the Sahara region through partnerships with Antislavery International.

Arby's 2021 memoir Unshackled: A Freedom Fighter's Journey Through the Mauritanian Desert details her dangerous missions. She also co-founded the West African Women's Education Network, which has trained 3,000+ teachers. Her work was featured in the BBC documentary "Slavery's Last Stronghold" (2018).