Amplifying Women's Voices
Features
Abductees’ Mothers Association: On the Front Lines of Yemen’s Prisoner Swap
On the morning of Friday 16th October, the Abductees’ Mothers Association celebrated a major victory when Yemen’s warring parties completed the largest prisoner exchange in the history of the five-and-a-half-year long conflict. In a two-day process, 1,056 individuals held by both the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government were released and transferred home, facilitated by the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC). The Abductees’ Mothers Association has been the most prominent voice in calling for the release of abductees and has been instrumental in facilitating talks on the issue. For many years, this coalition of mothers has been the only hope for Yemen’s forcibly disappeared.
Despite Tragedy, Peacebuilder Khedija Arfaoui Remains Resilient
On September 7, 2020, a Turkish court sentenced a man to life in prison for carrying out the Istanbul nightclub attack on New Years Day in 2017. 39 people lost their lives in the early hours of that day—including Dr. Khedijah Arfaoui’s son and daughter-in-law, Mohamed and Senda. Debates surrounding a moratorium on the death penalty have re-surfaced in Tunisia but Arfaoui continues to advocate for non-violence and remains opposed to the death penalty. Read the full story.
Freeing the Kidnapped in Yemen’s War
How Yemeni Mothers Succeeded Where Everyone Else Failed.
Thousands of young men are being forcibly disappeared in Yemen, and mediation efforts by the United Nations envoys, the Red Cross, and many other international organizations have not been successful. The only successful group so far is a coalition of Yemeni mothers, the Abductees’ Mothers’ Association.
Libyan Women at the Frontline of War, but with No Seat at the Peacetable
“Families would call us [CSOs] and we inform paramedics”
From the frontlines of a conflict that has long been forgotten by global powers, Libyan women continue to provide support and promote peace, and remain excluded from peace talks.
“You Cannot Just Quit!” Fatima Al Bahadly Speaks in the US
ICAN was delighted to host Ms. Fatima Al Bahadly, Director of Al Firdaws Society, Iraq, and member of the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership in New York City and Washington, D.C. last month.
ICAN’s Pilot Seminar on Gendered Mediation Got off to a Flying Start
Mediating a Better Peace:
ICAN’s Pilot Executive Seminar on the ‘how to’ of Gendered and Inclusive Peace Processes Got off to a Flying Start.
Tunisian activist & WASL partner Ahlem Nasraoui named ‘One Young World Peace Ambassador’
For her persistence in fighting against the rise of violent extremism and radicalization of young people, Tunisian advocate and entrepreneur Ahlem Nasraoui has been selected as one of forty Peace Ambassadors to attend the One Young World Summit 2018.
In Hodeidah, Yemeni Women Saving Lives at the Frontlines of a Devastating War
As the Saudi-led coalition storms the airport compound of Yemen’s main port Hodiedah, in attempts to recapture the city which is considered the lifeline for food and medicine imports into Yemen, fears mount for the safety of its 400,000 residents. “Now we focus on Hodeidah,” says Muna Luqman, founder and director of Food4Humanity which has been providing humanitarian aid to conflict-affected Yemenis.
Women Peace Activists Offering Governments a Helping Hand
From our WASL partners, the success stories of two women, one from Uganda and one from Syria, prove that with persistence and resilience, obstacles can be removed.
Reviewing Amel Grami’s recent book: Women and Terrorism: A Gendered Study
Can Gender explain women’s involvement in terrorism? A review of Amel Grami’s recent book, Women and Terrorism: A Gendered Study by journalist Sawssan Abou-Zahr.
Radicalizing Basra: Fatima Al-Bahadly’s Celebrations of a New Dawn on Valentine’s Day
With Nowruz dawning and people across the region celebrating the spring equinox and the start of a new year, Fatima Al-Bahadly’s vision and mission remain ever more urgent. The Valentine’s Day celebrations were a clear reminder that the power of love, is indeed, a serious thing.
The Maldives: Hell Breaking Loose in Paradise
The Maldives Constitutional Crisis: A Power Struggle Between the Supreme Court and the Government.
What’s been going on? What can the world do?
Mossarat Qadeem and Tolana Mothers: Cutting off Extremists’ Resources—One Thread at a Time
Mossarat Qadeem and the Tolana Mothers convince a dozen women to stop stitching suicide jackets for extremist groups.
Pakistani peacebuilder, Bushra Hyder, fighting off call for jihad for Rohingya
As news and images of the Burmese military’s attacks on the minority Muslim Rohingya community spread around the world, partner, Bushra Qadeem Hyder, a school principal and long time educationalist in Pakistan was among the first to see the impact on the students...
In the Face of Extremism: the SuperHeroines Behind ICAN
On a daily basis, women come face to face with violence and extremism, and bear the efforts to change an ever-conflicted world. Who are these women, and what do they do?