National Union of Sahrawi Women

A new HIC Member, the National Union of Sahrawi Women (NUSW) was founded in 1974 and, more recently, guided by the work of Aminatou Haidar, the renowned Sahrawi human rights defender. In 2024, NUSW is celebrating a half century of human rights and development work.

NUSW is a coalition of female activists that monitors human rights abuses against the Sahrawi people. Most have endured imprisonment, beatings, and torture, yet they persist in expanding their struggle both locally in the refugee camps around Tindouf, Algeria, in the occupied and liberated territories of Western Sahara, and internationally. The organization spotlights the indispensable role that women play in the development of society and aims to increase women’s involvement in decision-making processes concerning the Sahrawi people, their refugees and liberation. NUSW believes that liberation has been necessitated by fate, while developing free and dignified human beings is a supreme objective of the Sahrawi revolution.

The NUSW general principles of operation and objectives include to:

• Actively participate in the battles for liberation and building the Sahrawi state (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic—SADR);
• Expand NUSW relations with international organizations and associations to contribute to bring international support and solidarity to the cause of the Sahrawi people;
• Create complementarity between NUSW and relevant state agencies to merge national energies in the battle for women`s liberation, construction and advancement to contribute to improving overall labor productivity;
• Contribute to the formulation of future plans and programs, based on objectivity and realism, and to contribute to the struggle for freedom, independence and building the Saharawi State;
• Coordinate and merge all efforts and energies with POLISARIO to choose the best and most-effective appropriate forms and formulas that align with the general national orientation.

NUSW maintains an archive of documents, field studies and research as a fixed asset for knowledge and reference, and promotes women`s role in institutions through their scientific and professional capacities. NUSW pays special attention to local and basic learning programs, incorporating youth into its structures, while also supporting schools for women leaders, seeking and providing training women leaders and deepening their participation in decision making. By doing so, NUSW continues to honor Sahrawi women who have contributed to the national cause and benefit from their experiences.

Among the vehicles for this work, NUSW issues a periodical publication Revista 8 de marzo, maintains a blog on Sahrawi women’s issues, organizes seminars and reflection meetings on women`s issues and new academic studies, and coordinates with local media to shed light on NUSW programs.

NUSW sponsors public activities to sensitize women to their social role by:

• Organizing seminars and conferences in the local regional and national spheres;
• Hosting meetings, gatherings and cultural evenings;
• Distributing the organization`s documents dealing with women`s political, educational, professional and cultural situation;
• Commemorating occasions for motivation (e.g., national holidays, International Women`s Day, children`s, health days, etc.);
• Exhibiting films, photographs and arts and crafts.

The Union is directed by a National Committee comprising 66 members elected by the NUSW Congress, which takes place every five                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         years. The National Committee includes an Executive Committee, chaired by the Secretary General, who is also elected by the Congress. At the same time she is member of the National Committee of the POLISARIO Front.
The National Committee is subdivided into specialized departments:

• Department of External Relations,
• Department of Information, Culture and Orientation,
• Department of Occupied Towns and Emigration,
• Department of Social Affairs,
• Four branch offices in the main regions of the country (Aioun, Dakhla, Smara and Aousserd).

In addition to its new affiliation with HIC, NUSW has been a member of the Women`s International Democratic Federation (WIDF) since 1977,  the General Federation of Arab Women since 1977 and of the Pan-African Women`s Organization (PAWO) since 1980.

Contact:

NUSW General Secretariat: unmsfatma@yahoo.es

saharawiwomen@yahoo.es

mujeressaharauis@gmail.com

NUSW website