Zainab's Op-Ed from the San Francisco Chronicle
Zainab's Thoughts on Saddam's Trial
Zainab on BBC Radio, November 2005
"Rwandan Women Offer Blueprint"
The genocide in Rwanda literally left the women behind to pick up the pieces. After the violence subsided in 1994, 70 percent of the remaining population of Rwanda was women. If communities were going to survive, and if the country was ever going to recover, it was up to them to make it happen. They forced themselves to face the inconceivable and they rebuilt. It was women who cleared the dead bodies from the streets; women who rebuilt the homes and women who solved the national orphan crisis -- more than 500,000 children with nowhere to go. Nearly every woman took at least one child into her home.
The government of Rwanda was quick to acknowledge the significance of women in the rebuilding process. In 1996, President Paul Kagame mandated that 30 percent of the parliamentary seats be designated for women. Kagame stressed that he saw them as key agents in the country's reconstruction, and argued that the government must train, support and mobilize them. As we see from today's revived Rwanda, he was right on target.
Rwandan women represent 49.8 percent of the country's lower house of parliament, a larger percentage than any other country in the world. Women also occupy nearly 50 percent of the positions in Rwanda's ministries from the village to the province to the national government level.
Thus, Rwanda was the obvious and fitting location for the 2007 Women Parliamentarians International Conference, under way now, whose theme is "Gender, Nation Building, and the Role of Parliaments." More than 400 world leaders and dignitaries have gathered in Kigali, among them, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of the Republic of Liberia, Gertrude I. Mongella, president of the Pan African Parliament, and 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai.
In the minds of many outsiders, Rwanda is fixed in time -- frozen as it was in 1994 at the end of a genocide that claimed more than 800,000 people and saw nearly 500,000 women raped in 100 days. Perhaps we have not revisited this country's story because the truth was so painful; Rwanda is, after all, a shameful reminder of how little the world did to help as millions were murdered, tortured and displaced. It's time now to look again at Rwanda.
The question is: How can we apply the lessons of Rwanda's recovery to other war-torn countries like Afghanistan and Iraq? Despite historical discrimination against women in Afghanistan and insecurity in Iraq, we, at Women for Women International, have been working hard at the grassroots level to embolden women to move from victim to survivor to active citizen, but we can't do it alone and the time is now. We can't wait for the bombs and bullets to stop to acknowledge the importance of women in their countries' future.
Through our work, I have watched women rise up against their horrific memories, damaged bodies and pain to rebuild their lives and their communities after war. I have come to believe that, without a doubt, it is stronger women that lead to stronger nations.
This article appeared on page B - 11 of the San Francisco Chronicle on February 23, 2007.
Zainab Salbi on Saddam Hussein: “Crimes Must Be Tried to Heal Iraq”
Salbi available to speak about personal experience with Saddam and what his trial means to Iraq
She is the founder of Women for Women International and the author of just-released memoir Between Two Worlds: Escape from Tyranny: Growing up in the Shadow of Saddam
WASHINGTON, DC—Zainab Salbi, Founder and President of Women for Women International, a non-profit that helps women in Iraq and eight other war-torn countries, is available for comment about Saddam Hussein’s war crimes tribunal.
Ms. Salbi, who grew up in Iraq and experienced first-hand the despotism of Saddam Hussein, said:
“Saddam Hussein's trial is an historic opportunity for Iraqis to document all his crimes against humanity, including women. As the world turns its attention to Saddam's unleashing gas on Kurds and mass killings of Shiites, we should not forget his crimes against women. This is important for Iraqis as well an important moment for history.
“If there is one thing that unites all Iraqis, regardless of their political, sectarian or ethnic affiliations, is that we all suffered because of Saddam Hussein. Let us make sure that we use his trial to unite the country, document our truth, seek our reconciliation and create a united vision on how we want to move forward as a country.
“We have an opportunity to create a national dialogue to acknowledge the past and how Iraqis want to move towards the future. It is very important that Saddam Hussein’s trial includes a thorough accounting of the atrocities committed during his regime. Anything rushed or less comprehensive will lack legitimacy.
“The thorough trial could start a dialogue about the use of violence against women as a political tool as Iraq forges its new government and debates women's roles and rights in society. Ensuring women's safety and stability benefits more than just women. It benefits the entire country because increasing women's progress improves the health and stability of children, families and communities. Women are bellwethers for how a nation progresses.
“Right after the war ended, so many Iraqis, victims and aggressors alike wanted to talk about the past and to document their history. Iraqis can use Saddam Hussein’s trial to tell their stories and acknowledge the past. We need this moment of national dialogue so we can find our truth and begin our reconciliation with our selves.
“Additionally, the trial is an opportunity for Iraqis to put an end to state-sponsored violence against women. Forcing Saddam to answer for his actions sets a precedent that violence against women is unacceptable and perpetrators will face consequences. This was a critical element of the international criminal tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda where rape was used as a weapon of war.
“Iraq is snapping back into past behavior with corruption, killing, and kidnappings. I see an escalation of violence against women. The message the insurgents are sending women is loud and clear: Go home. We don’t want to see you in the streets.
“Some may not see the connection between the past and present violence. Put simply, how women fare in a society is an indicator of the direction that society is taking. By documenting patterns of Saddam Hussein’s crimes, we send s message to insurgents that violence against women is not acceptable.”
Since 1993, Women for Women International has helped more than 55,000 women survivors of war and distributed $24 million in direct aid and microfinance loans to Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Kosovo, Nigeria, and Rwanda. Soon, it will work with women in Sudan.
To arrange an interview with Ms. Salbi, please call Ricki Weisberg at 202.737.7705.
BBC Radio
Click here to listen to Zainab's interview on Woman's Hour, BBC Radio.
| 
