Zainab Salbi (Arabic: زينب سلبي; born 1969) is a humanitarian, media host, author, and founder and former CEO (1993-2011) of Washington-based Women for Women International.
Like life, peace begins with women. We are the first to forge lines of alliance and collaboration across conflict divides.
Long-term trauma for women who have survived armed conflict is a haunting reminder that health issues and depression can follow decades after the end of war, but women who hope for healing can and do move forward.
Only 8 percent of peace talks have included women at any level.
Since a very young age, my mother made sure to tell me about the plight of women. As she raised my awareness about women's issues, she also made sure to ingrain in me the importance of being strong and independent and not to let anybody define me by their images of what women should be.
Working with women survivors of war has taught me that we need to listen to women's perspectives on war in order to understand how to effectively rebuild a country, a community and a family.
Historically speaking, religious and conservative groups always wanted the control over the private sphere that impacts women most, as reflected by family law and women's access to resources and mobility. And often secular groups traded this for economic incentives and trade.
War is nothing but a microcosm of peace. . . it shows you life in a more intense way and that's how I continue to live it. . . for good or bad reasons.
I firmly believe today that the only way to stop violence against women is to speak out and refused to be silenced.