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Karama: Uniting to be each other's voice

After three years of constant debate, the Karama movement is finding a common language with which to speak, and a ‘voice' on international platforms. Jane Gabriel spoke to Hibaaq Osman, Karama's founder. Listen now.

After three years of constant debate, the Karama movement is finding a common language with which to speak and a ‘voice' on international platforms. Working to end violence against women across the Arab region, Karama is based in nine countries and has grown to collaborate with more than ninety different women's groups. Finding a way to make grassroots issues and priorities link to the agendas set by international organisations such as the United Nations and the World Bank remains a key challenge.

Jane Gabriel met up with Karama's founder, Hibaaq Osman, at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York where Hibaaq told her, "We've almost arrived, at least we know the way....our business now is making as many friends as we can". Listen now.

For an earlier podcast with Hibaaq Osman, see also  Empowering women in the Middle East

openDemocracy Author

Jane Gabriel

Jane Gabriel founded and edited the openDemocracy project 50.50 in 2006, publishing critical perspectives on social justice, gender and pluralism. She retired in 2016.

Prior to joining openDemocracy, Jane produced and directed more than 30 documentaries for Channel 4 Television and the BBC international current affairs series 'Correspondent', winning the Royal Television Society and One World Media awards for documentaries filmed in Greece and India. In 1980s she was a member of the UK's first all-women television production company, Broadside. In the 1970s she worked at Granada TV in the UK, and at Pacifica radio KPFA in the US. She is a qualified advocate for children in care and a trustee of the IF Project.

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