Rashida Manjoo

She learned of injustices towards women from a young age, raised by her grandmother and mother in times of poverty in Apartheid South Africa.

[3] Living in apartheid South Africa allowed Manjoo to view the violence against women and lack of accountability from a young age.

[6] She previously served as the Parliamentary Commissioner on South Africa's Commission on Gender Equality, and the Des Lee Distinguished Visiting Professor at Webster University.

[citation needed] Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, Manjoo and many other feminist activists added focus to the intersectional perspective, by including race and gender in the discussion of inequality and discrimination.

[11] Manjoo worked as a human rights lawyer throughout her career, including for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to create shadow reports— which are disclosed reports that can be submitted by Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to articulate and advocate for certain needs of citizens which are currently being unsupported or mismanaged by national governments.

Manjoo spent time with CEDAW and other activists, drafting a submission on violence against women in both local and global communities, in theory, and practice.

[11] This position gave Manjoo the ability to work within a state structure while emphasizing the national need for support of women in the discussion of human rights.

[5] Manjoo’s dedication to action on issues of social justice within her many capacities, compounded with her strife for personal and community education and equal opportunities, made widely known within the international women’s movement.

[4] This call for accountability is clear in Manjoo’s final two thematic reports which claimed, under international law, there are no provisions that impose legally binding obligations on member states to eliminate violence against women.