Safiyah has been volunteering with Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) since the age of 10, but her journey into rights work began when she was 8 years old. She has shown a passion for human rights, inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people, Young Carers issues and climate change.

Safiyah was initially involved in Rights Right Now! – exploring how children and young people could influence government at the highest level as Scotland prepared for the incorporation of United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law.   When the project finished, Safiyah became one of Together’s first ever Rights Detectives, contributing to the development of a new Human Rights Bill for Scotland. Through this, Safiyah personally carried out investigations with over 100 children in East Lothian to find out about their experiences of their human rights. 

Safiyah brings huge creativity to her role, including building a Minecraft world to show concerns about the impact of climate change. She also worked with another Rights Detective to develop a ‘spider’s web’ analogy for use by Together’s Director in an evidence session at Scottish Parliament, which is now widely referred to in government and policy thinking in Scotland, the UK and beyond.

Safiyah is continuing as a Rights Detective to help to develop a new human rights project investigating how babies, early years children and their grown-ups can raise worries about their human rights.  This will influence work in Scotland as well as informing new guidance on access to justice at a UN-level. 

In 2022 she became a Young Carer, due to her dad having a brain injury. Safiyah has become an active member of the Young Carers network through East Lothian Council and uses her lived experience to help shape policy and practice for young carers in Scotland. 

Safiyah is also a member of Children in Scotland’s ‘Changing our World’ advisory group who offer their perspectives and experiences to Children in Scotland to make their work more relevant to children’s lives.