The order was issued against El-Moctar because she publicly defending a blogger who was accused by "Ahbab Errassoul" of apostasy. The fatwa called for the killing and gouging out of El-Moctar's eye, simply because she demanded a fair trial for the blogger. On 17 April 1999, El-Moctar founded The Association of Women Heads of Households (AFCF, ), which she chairs. From its outset, the AFCF has been designed to reflect the diversity of Mauritania, including Arab, Berber, Haratin, Pulaar, Soninke and Wolof women. The AFCF has 12,000 members, six rescue centres for victims, 168 social workers, four lawyers and a contact person in every city in Mauritania. In 2019, the AFCF proposed new legislation to the Mauritanian government to defend women rights, in particular to introduce harsher sentences for rape. The proposal was rejected by the Mauritanian government as it did not comply with Sharia law. El-Moctar was awarded the Human Rights Prize of the French Republic in 2006. In 2010 she was awarded the Legion d'Honneur for her work in defending human rights in Mauritania. In 2015, El-Moctar was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, along with other anti-slavery campaigners Biram Dah Abeid and . Other recognition includes: