16 Women who are standing up to violence

Posted on February 25, 2016 0 Comments114

Violence takes many forms. The pernicious abuses behind closed doors,
hidden by family members in the name of honor. Structural and economic
violence that disadvantages particular groups, condemning them to
lifelong marginalization and insecurity. The encompassing devastation
wrought by war. Whatever the cause, cycles of violence require tenacity,
courage, and understanding to break.

The 16 women profiled here—who recently came together at Inclusive Security’s annual colloquium—are
standing up to violence, in all its myriad forms. From Mexico to
Myanmar, Sudan to South Sudan, Iraq to Ukraine, they are defying the
notion that violence is inevitable, or that injustice should be
tolerated.

Khadija Al-Jabiry Na’ama has sown the
seeds—literally—for peace and reconciliation in Iraq. As owner of a
plant nursery, she hosted an informal outdoor “salon” where women met to
discuss their daily security issues. “It was like a space of freedom,”
she says now. Khadija emerged from these meetings with an understanding
of women’s needs and priorities. Over two terms on Baghdad’s provincial
council, she fought for schools, hospitals, sewers, clean water, and
other basic services for her constituents. “If the government fails to
provide for urgent needs,” she explains, “people will be less invested
in their communities…which offers an opening for extremists.” Nowadays,
Khadija’s specialty is bridging the gap between the country’s highest
decision makers—the prime minister, parliament, and ministries—and its
citizens.

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