Mukhtar Mai is a Pakistani author and women’s rights activist. She is a victim of “honor revenge” and was gang raped by members of a neighboring clan in 2002.
Although it is customary for Pakistani women to commit suicide after such atrocities, Mai fought back by taking her assailants to court. Six were found guilty and sentenced to death, though five were later acquitted by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.
Mai is also President of the Mukhtar Mai Women’s Welfare Organization, which works to end rape, educate young girls, and raise awareness of the importance of women’s rights.
Her memoir, In the Name of Honor, was published in 2006 and has been translated into 23 languages.
Mai received the Council of Europe’s North-South Prize in 2007.
