We are delighted to announce Lebanese human rights activist Ghida Anani as the winner of the 2024 Anne-Marie Buhoro award for her commitment to ending gender-based violence in Lebanon.
Ghida Anani is a founding member of ABAAD – the Resource Center for Gender Equality, a leading civil society organisation (CSO) in the Middle East advocating for gender equality.
For more than 10 years, she has been engaging men, politicians and religious leaders for defying the patriarchal system in Lebanon, while running shelters for women and campaigns that changed the public opinion and resulted in historical wins of favorable laws to women.
“The Anne-Marie Buhoro prize brings hope for us in a bright moment in Lebanon after four years where we confronted war and isolation with zero resources and only counting with our experiences and hope. I’m very proud that despite the financial crisis, the women’s movement was able to show its value and to remain solid with clarity and vision for the Lebanon of tomorrow”, said Ghida.
While Lebanon was under months of heavy bombardment by Israel, ABAAD’s team members managed to activate emergency responses, running campaigns and operating centers and shelters in bombed areas. Many volunteers and activists were directly affected and have lost their own houses amidst the attacks that started in October 2023 and currently are on hold by a fragile ceasefire.
“Despite advances on legislation and access globally, gender-based violence continues to be a huge problem, and we are especially concerned with the increase in the phenomenon of femicide in conflict in the region, in Sudan and Gaza. Gender-based violence cannot be stopped if we do not tackle its root causes and change behaviours. Engaging men is essential, as well as faith-based groups and technology companies to influence society.”
Ghida Anani, Winner of the 2024 Anne-Marie Buhoro award
Ghida is also a board member of ICVA (International Council of Voluntary Agencies), and has been nominated before by the UN Solutions Summit and by the World Bank as one of the 10 Extraordinary Solution Makers across the Globe Advancing SDGs, and an Inspiring Women Entrepreneur Making a Difference across MENA.
“For those believing in a cause, I tell you can do it, you should dream. With passion and perseverance as drivers, you can overcome all obstacles”, added Ghida.
The INOVAS Committee who voted for Ghida was moved by her capacity to transform the lives of women in danger and systems around them. “The work of ABAAD impresses me greatly. Ghida has established safe spaces for women and girls, helping them to shift their roles and enabling them to go beyond traditional roles. These spaces have empowered women to take control of their own lives and influence the lives of others”, celebrated Fatna El Bouih, INOVAS member.
About the Anne-Marie Buhoro Award
The annual Anne-Marie Buhoro Award, established by INOVAS, aims to honour those who make “a significant impact on the reduction of gender-based violence and on the promotion and protection of the rights of survivors”.
The prize honours the memory of Anne-Marie Buhoro, a human rights activist from the Democratic Republic of Congo who dedicated her life to fighting against sexual violence and promoting gender equality.
As a victim of sexual violence herself, Anne-Marie felt motivated to work for other victims and survivors like her. In 2010, she and other women founded the Initiative for Vulnerable Persons and Women in Action for Integrated Development (IPVFAD), which provides support to victims and survivors of sexual violence in eastern DRC.
She played a central role in the establishment of INOVAS and its expansion in the DRC, as a step towards making survivors’ voices heard globally and lobbying for justice at the international level. Read more.
The selection panel for the 2024 award comprised Fatna El Bouih (Moroccan activist and co-founder of INOVAS), Gentil Kasongo (Programme Lead for the DRC at Impunity Watch), Karim Abdessalem (Tunisian activist and INOVAS board member), and Providence Bireke (sister of the late Anne-Marie Buhoro).