Meet five incredible refugee women – from Syrian activist Waad Al-Kateab to actress and singer Marlene Dietrich – who have used their power to make a difference.
When war and conflict take hold, women bear the heaviest burden. And as violence and armed conflicts continue around the world, this burden only continues to grow.
Today, around 50 percent of the world's 100 million refugees are women and girls. Women refugees and internally displaced women in particular face incredible challenges: discrimination, inequality, physical harm, and injury, and risks of exploitation and gender-based violence. These harms threaten their rights and their lives.
Yet with the right tools and support, they can overcome these challenges, realize their power, and rebuild their lives and communities. To create a better world for us all.
As we celebrate World Refugee Week, meet five incredible refugee women you need to know about.
Waad Al-Kateab
SYRIAN ACTIVIST AND AWARD-WINNING FILMMAKER
Waad al-Kateab is a Syrian activist and award-winning filmmaker whose debut feature film, For Sama, won a BAFTA for Best Documentary and received a nomination at the Academy Awards 2020.
Waad, who lives in London with her family, works as a filmmaker/reporter for Channel 4 News and a mentor for female journalists, and dedicates time to her advocacy campaign, Action For Sama, which was set up to turn the worldwide reaction to For Sama into positive action for Syrians.
Ilhan Omar
US CONGRESSWOMAN
Ilhan Abdullahi Omar is an American politician serving as the US representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019.
When she was still a child, Omar and her family fled Somalia to escape the Somali Civil War and spent four years in a refugee camp near the Somali border. Her family secured asylum in the US and arrived in 1995.
Having been born in Somalia, she is the first Somali American and the first naturalized citizen of African birth in the United States Congress. She is also the first woman of color to represent Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress.
Nadia Murad
HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST AND 2018 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER
Nadia Murad is an Iraqi Yazidi human rights activist who lives in Germany.
In 2014, she was kidnapped from her home in Iraq by the Islamic State and held captive for three months. Since her escape, she has become a powerful advocate for women in conflict settings and survivors of sexual violence and has been awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for her work. She is the first Iraqi and Yazidi to be awarded a Nobel Prize.
She is also the founder of Nadia's Initiative, an organization dedicated to providing advocacy and assistance to victims of genocide.
Afraa Hashem
HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER AND POLITICAL ACTIVIST
Motivated by her beliefs in the principles of freedom, dignity, and social justice, Afraa chose to remain in Aleppo with her family during the war to help those around her. She opened several schools and worked both as a school director and a supervisor in psychological support centers. She now dedicates her time to advocacy campaigns that raise awareness of the situation in Syria, one of which is Action For Sama.
Afraa moved to London in 2020 to work for the campaign and advance her studies. Later that year, she was reunited with her husband and children when they were finally granted asylum in the UK.
Marlene Dietrich
GERMAN-BORN AMERICAN ACTRESS AND SINGER
Marie Magdalene “Marlene” Dietrich was a German-born American actress and singer, known as one of the most popular films and music stars of the 1930s and 1940s. In 1930, her performance in the film The Blue Angel brought her international acclaim, after which she moved to Hollywood and became a popular actress.
During the Second World War, she became an American citizen and dedicated herself fully to the war effort, performing for the allied troops, helping to raise war bonds and volunteering at canteens. For her work improving morale during the war, she received several honors from the United States, France, Belgium and Israel.
