Khaterah Parwani

Khaterah Parwani came to Denmark with her parents as resettlement refugees in 1986. The family fled from Afghanistan, and through UNHCR’s resettlement system they reached safety in Denmark. Parwani is a trained lawyer, attaining her degrees from the University of Copenhagen and is the vice chairwomen of the organisation ‘Exitcirklen’: an organisation which aims to create a space for women who has experienced psychological violence, social control or religious social control. In 2015, she was awarded with the ‘Suzanne Gieses Mindelegat’ for her effort in advocating for gender equality in society.

She has also been a strong voice in the public debate about radicalization, which was sparked after Danish media reported on Danish citizens who went to Syria to fight for organisations such as Daesh. Parwani has discussed radicalization in both Danish and international news, including doing an interview with BBC on this issue.

She also lectures for the Danish Institute for International Studies on how young people become attracted to radical environments.