Robina Niaz is Executive Director of Turning Point for Women and Families, a community based, non-profit organization founded in 2005 to address the needs of Muslim women and children through crisis intervention, individual and group counseling, advocacy, outreach, education and training. Robina's efforts to found this important resource have been recognized by several awards, including a current Soros Fellowship and the Union Square Awards in November 2005.

Turning Point

Responding to the wide gap between needs and services available to the Muslim community, Turning Point offers culturally competent services, especially in the area of domestic violence. In a safe and nurturing environment, Turning Point helps women empower themselves and transform their own lives as well as those of their families and children. In partnership with public, private and religious institutions, Turning Point also aims at mentoring a new generation of social workers trained to address the unique needs of the Muslim community. See; www.turningpoint-ny.org. Also see:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...3-6-2005_pg7_37
 

Biography:

Before she founded Turning Point, Robina Niaz worked as Social Services Manager at the Consortium of Worker Education's Satellite Child Care Program. She has over ten years of experience in advocacy/counseling and has worked primarily with victims of domestic violence and other crimes, public assistance recipients, immigrants and low-income families. In the past, Robina has been the Coordinator of two victim services programs at CAMBA (Church Avenue Merchants' Block Association) in Brooklyn and served as the Community Office Director in Washington Heights for Safe Horizon. Also at Safe Horizon, Robina provided crime victims' counseling, advocacy and immigrants' issues/rights.
 

Training and Community Partnership

At Safe Horizon, Robina conducted regular weekly trainings aimed at sensitizing staff, police and hospital personnel to domestic violence issues, cultural diversity and immigrants' needs. In the Muslim community, Robina has been instrumental in training members of the Domestic Harmony Committee at the Long Island Islamic Center. She has also spoken at numerous events and conferences locally and nationally.
 
Robina Niaz has served as a member of the Board of Directors, Queens Women's Network and the Advisory Board of the Interfaith Council of New York and is a member of Women for Afghan Women Collective. She has also served on the Board of Directors for SAKHI for South Asian Women and continues to be an active volunteer with them. She is a former president of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Battered Women's Advocates and a trained Rape Crisis Advocate having volunteered with Mount Sinai Hospital's Rape Crisis Program. She has volunteered with the Justice for Detainees Coalition and has been an organizer with Not In Our Name-NY.
 
Robina has a Masters in Applied Psychology from Pakistan and a Masters in Social Work from Hunter College, New York. She is the recipient of the Rose Mary Gunning Award (2001) from the Queens Borough President for her work against domestic violence and her commitment to the South Asian community. Robina is currently Soros Fellow 2005-6.