Afaf Jabiri is regional coordinator of Karama ('dignity' in Arabic) - a network of women activists working to end violence against women in the Middle East and North Africa. Groups in Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan and Lebanon work together to develop country specific strategies for ending violence against women on their own terms.

Karama's approach to tackling violence against women goes beyond drawing attention to the impact it has on women physically and emotionally. The network takes into account the root causes and social consequences of the violence by highlighting the impact it has on different sectors of society - political, economic, health, education, religious and media.

This podcast is part of openDemocracy's '16 days' series covering the annual 16 days against gender violence. Related podcasts include the UN's John Holmes on confronting sexual violence worldwide, Faustina Fynn Nyame on halting the 'preventable pandemic' in Ghana and Takyiwaa Manuh on domestic violence in Africa.

Download or listen now to all the podcasts here.