Lina Abirafeh

Dr. Lina Abirafeh joined the Institute for Women’s Studies in the Arab World (IWSAW) in 2015. She brings nearly 20 years of experience addressing gender issues in both development and humanitarian settings. Her focus is on gender-based violence in emergency settings - conflict, post-conflict, and natural disaster. She has worked with many UN agencies and international NGOs in countries such as Afghanistan, Central African Republic, Lebanon, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, amongst others. Dr. Abirafeh has also conducted research trips to Bangladesh, Fiji, Kenya, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda on various gender issues and has published much of this work in books and journals. Her work is summarized in her 2015 TEDx talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krSG-RtiWUA

Dr. Abirafeh completed her PhD in 2008 under the auspices of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) Department of International Development, researching the effects of gender-focused international aid in conflict and post-conflict contexts, with a specific focus on gender-based violence. Her book, “Gender and International Aid in Afghanistan: The Politics and Effects of Intervention”, published in 2009, is available at: http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-4519-6 . She received her Master’s degree in international economics and development from the Johns Hopkins University (JHU) School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).