Author: Lina Abirafeh

I am a gender & development practitioner and researcher with 12 years of experience in some incredibly interesting countries like Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Morocco, Bangladesh, Papua New Guinea--and now Haiti. I focus mostly on gender-based violence but have worked on a broad range of gender issues including HIV&AIDS, political participation, etc.--whatever is needed to promote gender equality wherever I might be! For instance, in Papua New Guinea I worked on gender issues through an HIV&AIDS program, addressing sexual violence as both a cause and consequence of HIV status. In Sierra Leone, I worked with sexual assault referral centers to address the needs of women survivors of violence. In Afghanistan, I set up an international NGO to provide basic services, rights training, and skills training for Afghan women. These experiences led to my PhD--researching the effects of gender-focused international aid in conflict and post-conflict contexts, with a specific focus on gender-based violence. My book, “Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention”, was released late last year. And now I’m in Haiti – working as the Gender-Based Violence Coordinator with the UN Humanitarian Response.