| Abbreviation | VLW |
|---|---|
| Founder | Alaa Murabit |
Key people | Alaa Murabit, Kholoud Htewash, Najat Dau, Ahmed AlShaibi, Nadia El Fallah, Sara Barka, Salsabil Zantouti, Khalifa El Sherif, Haneen Khalid. |
| Volunteers | 600 |
| Website | vlwlibya.org | noor.vlwlibya.org |
The Voice of Libyan Women (VLW) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in order to advance and protect women's rights in Libya. VLW is headquartered in Tripoli and has branch offices in Zawia and Misrata. [1] VLW is still very much a youth-led organization which continues to advocate for women's development [2] and to challenge the prevailing norms of Libyan society. [3] VLW works to spread information at a national level by creating local teams made up both of individuals and organizations. [4]
The VLW was founded in August 2011 in response to the February 17 Libyan revolution. [2] It was founded in Tripoli by Alaa Murabit, a young doctor and women's rights activist. [5] Murabit was in her last year of medical school and after the revolution, she felt that there was a "window of opportunity for women in Libya." [4] By November, the group had organized the first-ever International Women's Conference in Libya. [6] Also, within a very short amount of time, the VLW had created a women's center in Tripoli and was offering classes. [5]
Murabit shared that VLW attempted to use "proven international models" for their group, but found only closed doors in conservative, largely Sunni Arab populated Libya. [7] By modifying their approach and using peaceful interpretations of Islam in their work, they found a greater voice among both men and women. [7] VLW's approach, using religion to "gain local-level support," has been a unique way to enact change in Libya.
One Voice, which took place November 11–15, 2011 was organized by VLW and was the first International Women's Conference ever held in Libya. [6] The conference included topics on politics, religion, economics and had a final, closed session for women-only on topics such as women's health and gender-based violence. [6]
Project Noor, which also means "light" in Arabic, [8] is a program that seeks to raise awareness of domestic violence and sexual abuse of women in Libya. [9] It is a media campaign which uses billboards, radio, television and social media to spread its message. [8] Project Noor is unique in that it seeks to address ideas surrounding these issues by using religious language in a predominantly Muslim country. [9] VLW seeks to reach out to these religious areas in Libya and correct the "misunderstanding and misrepresentation of Islamic teachings" which have eroded women's rights in the Middle East. [9] Project Noor uses Islamic teachings against violence, especially those interpretations of the Quran that emphasized the equality of women to men. [7]
Nadia El-Fallah helped start Project Noor in 2013, and hopes that it can be a "tool for sparking conversations in people's homes, mosques, (and) coffee shops." [9] Palestine and Jordan have both requested VLW to replicate Project Noor in their respective countries. [4]
International Purple Hijab Day is an event in where women wear a purple hijab to show a "reminder of Islam's strict stance against domestic violence." [7] Murabit states that "Purple Hijab Day directly contests a Muslim's falsely perceived right to abuse a wife, daughter, mother, or sister." [7] The first Purple Hijab Day in Libya was in 2012 and the 2013 event saw 13,000 Libyans involved. [7] The date of Purple Hijab Day (the second Saturday in February) occurs in order to remember the murder of Aasiya Zubair, who was a female architect found stabbed and beheaded by her abusive husband Muzzammill Hassan. [10] Men and those who do not wear hijabs are encouraged to wear a purple scarf, tie or ribbon on Purple Hijab Day. [11]