The empowerment of four women struggling for peace
By Felipe Herrera-Espaliat in Abu Dhabi
When Nelly, Shamsa, Latifa and Michèle speak about the role of women in today's society, they do not do so theoretically but on the basis of their own experiences. They dedicate their lives on a daily basis for thousands of people in various continents who benefit from the projects they started and which are now known around the world.
They not only share the fact that they are women and leaders, but also that they have received the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity, an honour bestowed on those who work to bridge the gaps in various areas of society and promote justice and peace, often at the cost of great personal sacrifice. The award is the fruit of a historic signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb.
During the most recent annual award ceremony on 5 February, these four women met in Abu Dhabi and were able to share in detail the difficult path each has travelled, but they also delved into the special nature that feminine genius brings to human advancement, the struggle for justice, and the quest for peace at the local and global levels.
Breaking the grip of terrorism in France
Latifa Ibn Ziaten says she had almost no time to grieve after the death of her son Imad in 2012, a victim of an attack in the southern French city of Toulouse. The perpetrator was a Muslim radical, considered a hero by many young people after that attack. Struck with grief as a mother, but also bewildered by the reaction of young people, Latifa decided to devote herself to preventing the radicalisation of youth by creating the . The project is growing across Europe and works with young people, families and communities to promote peace and prevent terrorism.
For this French-Moroccan and practising Muslim, an essential key to the success of her work lies in the fact that she is a woman, because "women are mothers, they transmit love, they do not want violence, they do not want war, and I believe that women today have their place everywhere in the world, they will be the ones to save the world," she says with determination. Additionally, based on what she witnesses every day in her mission, Latifa Ibn ZIaten makes an appeal to unite efforts in this area: "There are so many women with many qualities who are waking up and reaching out to the world. The more numerous we are, the more leaders we will be, the more peace we will have," asserts the winner of the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity 2021.
Chile: feminine sensitivity to resolve conflicts
Eleven thousand kilometres from France, Sister Nelly León not only gives witness to human fraternity that earned her the Zayed Prize 2024, but also exercises real motherhood among hundreds of women deprived of their liberty in Santiago de Chile. For this nun of the Congregation of the Good Shepherd, who created the Mujer Levántate Foundation - Woman Rise Up - the proper feminine sensitivity is fundamental in accompanying those who are serving a jail sentence and trying to reintegrate into society. "Women bring a different way of dealing with conflicts, men resolve them more violently; women, on the other hand, reflect and try to resolve them peacefully. We women favor more dialoguing, more empathy, we welcome differences with a lot of inner freedom, without pressure," Sister Nelly explains.
And although by her choice of entering the consecrated life she has renounced the possibility of having children, Nelly León is called "Mother" in the Women's Penitentiary Centre in Santiago, where hundreds of women discover in her the tenderness and motherhood they never knew at home. This is why, in addition to the psycho-social intervention carried out by the foundation, Sister Nelly ensures that for a person to be rehabilitated, it is essential to approach her with affection, an attitude that comes naturally to women.
"We are contributing to the building of a more fraternal world, more human, more full of light and hope, able to provide more comfort, to embrace from the heart without distinction," Mother Nelly explains, but notes that she is often criticised for investing effort and resources in women who have broken the law. But once again, her response stems from the firm conviction and sensitivity that characterise her: "We are not working for delinquents, but we are doing it for Mary, for Margaret, for Lisette, for Pascal, who have fallen in life, who have committed a crime, but this does not define them as people," she concludes.
The power of dialogue for peace in Kenya
Everone knows Shamsa Abubakar Fadhil as "Mama Shamsa", because from this maternal identity she has built up her work as a peace mediator and activist for women in Kenya. In the beginning, her work was mainly aimed at dismantling juvenile criminal gangs and reforming each person through personalised accompaniment and vocational training. In this way she saved thousands of lives of young people and children who seemed to have no other destiny than violence and extremism.
The success of her work has drawn the attention of the Kenyan government, civil society and leaders of various religious groups, who have encouraged her to take up important political and social roles. She is currently the national women's representative for peace and security in this African country. "Women have always been at home, but I think they have forgotten that as women, when there is a conflict, we are the most affected, because we lose our husbands, our children and find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We have to sit at the decision-making tables because it is our lives that are affected," she explains.
Today, Mama Shamsa is personally involved in national strategies to promote and maintain peace, and this has made her realise that it is a job that has to be done day after day on the basis of dialogue. "As women we have the inner power to be patient, a God-given power to have humility and understanding of your interlocutor. I believe our power is to be mothers. Being a mother is a very big title. Even a professor who has all the titles, when he approaches his mother, he becomes a child. So motherhood plays a very important role," explains Shamsa who, as a Muslim, is also the president of the Mombasa Network of Religious Women.
At the same time, she herself insists that she does not like being called by any of the roles she carries out or titles she holds, because this could create "a barrier for those who are very simple, preventing them from approaching me. But once I identify myself as a mother, anyone can come to me," emphasises the 2023 Zayed Prize winner.
Following the legacy of the Haitian pioneers
Following a 100-year tradition of women's participation in public life in Haiti, economist Michèle Pierre-Louis has personally committed herself to efforts to restore peace and stability in her country, which has very high rates of poverty and violence. She has done this on several fronts, the most important as Prime Minister of the government between 2008 and 2009, a post she was given because of her vast experience in the social advancement of the population.
In the mid-1980s, Michèle directed Mission Alpha, a national literacy project promoted by the Catholic Church. Later, in 1995, she set up the , an institution that through education promotes community development, environmental protection and gender equality, among other areas. The successes of this institution earned it the Zayed Prize for Human Fraternity in 2022.
In light of International Women's Day, Pierre-Louis remembers all those Haitians who made up the first women's organisation in the Caribbean in 1932. "They are our pioneers and we learnt a lot from them. They mobilised against violations and violence against girls and women, perpetrated mainly by US soldiers who occupied Haiti, and for women's rights to share and participate in the country's affairs as full citizens," Michèle recounts.
In the chaotic situation Haiti is currently experiencing, Michèle hopes that Pope Francis' constant prayers for peace will be heard. "May this murderous and absurd violence against a completely defenceless population cease, so that with at least some peace, women can continue their struggle against injustice and inequality and in favour of fraternity, sisterhood and human solidarity," the Haitian leader concludes.
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