Hafza Girdap

Hafza Girdap is the Executive Director and Spokesperson of Advocates of Silenced Turkey (AST). AST is a non-profit organization based in the United States committed to bring to public attention human rights violations in Turkey. A founding member of Set Them Free platform, which covers crimes against women particularly in Turkey, Girdap is also a volunteer for Amnesty International. As an activist, she spoke at various occasions, including the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), UN CSW, and World Affairs Council Peace Conference, where she detailed the ongoing tragedy in Turkey, mostly focusing on women’s experiences and enforced migration.

Girdap is currently pursuing a PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies at Stony Brook University, New York. Her research area is human and women’s rights in Muslim contexts, integration and adaptation of Muslim immigrant women along with the issue of redefinition of their cultural identities. Previously, she taught “Sufism” and “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights” courses at Emory University Continuous Education, in Atlanta, GA. Girdap is active on social media where she runs global book clubs and conducts live interviews on women and youth empowerment.