Raqiya Haji Dualeh Abdalla
Raqiya Haji Dualeh Abdalla | |
|---|---|
| Born | Somalia |
| Occupation(s) | Sociologist, political figure |
| Years active | 1977–present |
| Known for | Vice Minister of Health of Somalia; founding member and Acting Chairperson and Vice President of the Somali Women's Democratic Organization; president of the Somali Family Care Network |
Raqiya Haji Dualeh Abdalla (, ) is a Somali sociologist and political figure. She has occupied high-level policy positions within government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and international bodies, including the role of Somalia's Vice Minister of Health. Raqiya played a key role as a founding member and served as Acting Chairperson and Vice President of the Somali Women's Democratic Organization (SWDO). Additionally, she established and currently leads the Somali Family Care Network as its president.
Personal life
Originating from Somalia, Raqiya completed her Bachelor of Arts in Social Sciences at the College of Education in Mogadishu (Lafoole University). She further obtained a master's degree in Public Policy and Women in Development from the Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Career
With formal training in sociology, Raqiya has held influential policy roles across diverse sectors. In 1977, she co-founded the SWDO—the first women's parliamentary caucus in Somalia—where she took on responsibilities as Acting Chairperson and Vice President. The organization was instrumental in enforcing the Supreme Revolutionary Council's legislation prohibiting female genital mutilation (FGM), with Raqiya spearheading Somalia’s inaugural anti-FGM initiative. In 1979, she represented Somalia at the World Health Organization’s global seminar in Khartoum and was appointed to a five-member Sub-Committee focused on FGM resolutions.
During her tenure at the Ministry of Culture, she authored Sisters in Affliction (1982), recognized as the first publication on infibulation authored by a Somali woman. The book was subsequently translated into Somali, broadening its reach and influence.
Between 1983 and 1986, Raqiya held the position of Assistant/Vice Minister of Health for Somalia. She also contributed her expertise as an advisor to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sudan for a five-year period. Later, working as a consultant with Immigrant and Refugee Services of America, she facilitated national workshops addressing reproductive rights for immigrant women from Somalia and Iraq.
In 2001, she established the Somali Family Care Network (SFCN) based in Washington, D.C., where she continues to serve as president. The SFCN offers technical assistance to ethnic Somali organizations throughout the United States and supports women immigrants from the Horn of Africa by providing access to healthcare services.