London: Arab women are being urged to share their experiences in order to dispel myths about abuse and violence, as well as to uplift and inspire younger female generations.
In the presence of British and Arab royalty, diplomats, ministers, and business titans, the London Arabia Organization's Arab Women of the Year Awards held a lavish ceremony in the UK capital on Wednesday to honour and celebrate the remarkable accomplishments made by Arab women over the previous year.
Founder of the May Chidiac Foundation Media Institute, a nongovernmental organisation devoted to research and education on media, human rights, democracy, and social issues, journalist Dr. May Chidiac received the Achievement in Media Activism Award for her work spanning nearly four decades.
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Chidiac, who endured more than 40 surgeries after surviving a horrific car bomb assassination attempt in Jounieh, Lebanon, in 2005, expressed her humility at receiving the award. In 2006, she resumed her career as a broadcast journalist.
"I can't tell you how much I appreciate this recognition," she said to Arab News. "Seeing so many Arab women celebrated today, so many famous faces we met from different sectors — we can go from politics, activism, journalism, space, technology, to influencers — means we are putting our finger in this world wherever women are achieving success stories," she continued.
No specific categories are established for the annual awards, which are chosen each year to honour exceptional women and their accomplishments regardless of their background.
Kuwaiti Dr. Nada Al-Shammari is the first woman to receive the organization's Achievement in Innovation Award in the field of space exploration. She is a partner and chief inspiration officer at Orbital Space, an organisation based in the UAE that works to make space accessible for everyone.
She claimed that more private companies with headquarters in the Gulf Cooperation Council have started operating in the space industry in recent years, with many of these businesses employing Gulf youth and having the potential to become pioneers in the field.
"We hope to engage the youth through space missions and space engagement activities to get passionate about, get connected with, and be the future of space leaders, not only for our region but the entire world," Al-Shammari said.
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Orbital Space, a member of the private sector, was a pioneer in engaging and expanding the circle of participation to attract more people to the space sector, she continued, working with the governments of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
"I would like to see Kuwait getting much more involved in the space sector and supporting more private entities to come into the space sector, but I would also like to see the first Kuwaiti young woman moving towards becoming the first astronaut in Kuwait," she stated.
The organization's "Unlock Her Future" campaign, which sought to encourage institutions, groups, and individuals to confront the severe challenges that young Arab girls face, such as violence against women in the community, had "Tell Her Story" as its theme this year.
During the ceremony, young girls shared their experiences with comments and criticism they had received as well as how the campaign had helped them.
According to Omar Bdour, CEO of the London Arabia Organization, he previously disregarded reports of women being harmed or harassed because the general belief was that it was their fault.
He continued, "Now that I have a young daughter, I occasionally wonder if others will laugh about the same remarks [if they were made by my daughter] when I laugh about them.
The Arab world, according to Bdour, "will ask, are you sure you want to do this, why are you putting yourself through this, what were you wearing at that time, are you sure your family is going to be okay with it," whereas women in the West are assaulted and raped but are protected if they go to the police.
He stated that he was ashamed of the way he used to think and that he needed to change his perspective. He added that he hoped to see other men adopt similar viewpoints.
Bahrain's Sheikha May Al-Otaibi in the category of education, the Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush in the category of diplomacy, the Emirati Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza Al-Nahyan in the category of cultural development, the former Jordanian Minister of Social Development Khawla Armouti in the category of community service, the Lebanese influencer and model Nour Arida in the category of social impact, the Yemeni
It was wonderful to see all the new women achievers recognised not only in the Arab world but also in London, and to have their stories heard in Britain, according to Jordanian journalist Caroline Faraj, who won the Achievement in Media Award the previous year.
"This organisation was able to find these people, these women, and also to give them a floor, to give them a voice," said Faraj, vice president and editor-in-chief of CNN Arabic. "I'm really happy that I was part of those who got the award last year, but I'm also happy that every year I'm getting to know more women and more achievers and more voices from the Arab world," she added.
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She stated that it was crucial for women to share their stories, but that doing so remained "a challenge." In celebration of CNN Arabic's 20th anniversary, the channel last year introduced the "Her Story" initiative, which offers free coaching and training to help women share their stories.
Everyone should be able to share their stories in order to be heard, she argued. "We should really work together to do it, and do it properly," said the speaker. "We need to train ourselves not only to tell but also to listen."