Tag: Hibaaq Osman

For the Muslims, Christians, Jews and followers of other Abrahamic faiths that make up over half the world’s population, the founding gender myth is that of Adam and Eve. In the beginning, man is created in perfection, but in order to enjoy the companionship of woman he had to give something up. Some scriptures are […]

The dramatic fall in the price of oil has had some unusual effects on the petro-economies of the Persian Gulf. Countries like Saudi Arabia have grown dependent on importing cheap foreign workers to do the jobs its citizens won’t. Now, traditional sources of domestic labor like South Asia have become uneconomical in straightened times. Saudis […]

As talks to bring an end to nearly five years of conflict in Syria continue, it is essential that we learn the lessons of Iraq, Libya and the Arab revolutions if there is to be lasting peace. To rebuild stable state institutions after conflict, you need to make sure that everyone is able to take […]

This op-ed was originally published by The Independent on January 29, 2016. As the war in Syria approaches its fifth year, the toll it has taken on the country’s women has been particularly brutal. Four million Syrians have sought refuge abroad, while a further 7.6 million have been displaced internally. Though the refugees reaching European […]

This article was originally published at Huffington Post online. On Human Rights Day last year, activists across the world united in demanding justice for Salwa Bugaighis, the Libyan human rights defender murdered as she returned from voting in that country’s general elections. A year on there has still been no serious investigation into this appalling […]

For the next 16 days, activists across the world will be joining UN Women in global efforts to end violence against women and girls, starting on November 25, International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, leading up to Human Rights Day on December 10. For those of us working on this cause in […]

Originally published on The Huffington Post on November 3, 2015. Last week, talks to bring an end to the Syrian civil war finally restarted. Since the conflict began over four and and a half years ago, more than 9 million people – nearly half of Syria’s population – have been forced to flee their homes […]

Originally published by France 24 on September 28, 2015   Amassing the world’s movers and shakers in one place, the UN General Assembly makes it easy to assess the global ratio of men and women in power. Hibaaq Osman, a women’s rights advocate from Somalia, is doing just that. “Look at how many people are […]

RFI’s Zeenat Hansrod spoke to Hibaaq Osman on sexual violence in situations of conflict. Somali born Hibaaq Osman is the founder of the NGO Karama, which mean dignity in Arabic. The NGO, headquartered in Cairo, works towards ending violence against women. In London, a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict opens on Tuesday […]

RFI’s Zeenat Hansrod spoke to Hibaaq Osman on rape as a weapon of war   Somali born Hibaaq Osman is the founder of the NGO Karama, which mean dignity in Arabic. The NGO, headquartered in Cairo, works towards ending violence against women. In London, a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict opens on […]