Hiljmnijeta Apuk (born 1956) is a Kosovar campaigner for the rights of people of short stature. In 2013, she was a recipient of the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights.
Hiljmnijeta Apuk | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956 Mitrovica, Kosovo, Yugoslavia |
| Nationality | Kosovar |
| Education | Economics, Law |
| Occupation(s) | Activist, Director of Little People of Kosovo, Artist |
| Known for | Campaigning for the rights of people of short stature and people with disabilities |
| Awards | United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights (2013) |
Biography
editHiljmnijeta Apuk was born in 1956 in the city of Mitrovica, Kosovo, in what was then Yugoslavia. Her family is Bosniak.[1][2] Apuk was born with disproportionately low growth.[1] Her parents were supportive of her efforts to gain independence, for example through helping to adapt her car so she would be able to reach the pedals, and she obtained a driver's license at age 18. This opened the door for her to pursue education, and she went on to study economics and law.[3]
Apuk has been an activist for the rights of people with disabilities, particularly those with muscular dystrophy and dwarfism, since the 1980s.[4][5] She is the founding director of the non-governmental organization Little People of Kosovo.[4][5][6] The organization was founded after the end of the Kosovo War in 1999, inspired by the U.S. organization Little People of America.[3]
Through the organization and other volunteer work, she fights for employment opportunities for people with disabilities.[4][5] She is also active in campaigning for women and girls with disabilities, who face an intersection of discrimination.[3]
Apuk served as a member of the United Nations General Assembly's ad hoc committee on drafting the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.[1][5] She is also an artist, whose work aims to center what she calls the "authentic culture" of people with disabilities[4][7]
In 2013, she received the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights for her activist work.[1][4]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Loxha, Amra Zejneli (2013-12-14). "Priznanje UN uklesalo Kosovo među svetske borce za ljudska prava". Radio Slobodna Evropa (in Serbo-Croatian). Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ "Droits de l'homme : 4 activistes majeurs dont on parle peu". Toneo First (in French). 2019-12-09. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ a b c "Gender equality reduces poverty". Source. November 2015. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ a b c d e "Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai among winners of 2013 UN human rights prize". UN News. 2013-12-05. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ a b c d "Winners of the United Nations Human Rights Prize for 2013 announced". OHCR. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ "Apuk: Položaj osoba sa invaliditetom je loš u svim oblastima života". KIM radio (in Bosnian). 2020-12-03. Archived from the original on 2021-04-30. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
- ^ Rethinking disability: world perspectives in culture and society. Patrick Devlieger (Second ed.). Antwerp. 2016. ISBN 978-90-441-3417-9. OCLC 952790140.
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