Huda: Providing Support for Survivors of Domestic and Sexual Abuse
While taking social psychology at the University of British Columbia, I was exposed to a variety of aggression and violence happening around the world. My exposure to social psychology allowed me to see what was happening outside the Western world, a place that I have lived in and have had the privilege to have been sheltered by my whole life.
In addition to the cruel crimes on a global scale which I gained insight into; I also gained a deeper understanding of what it means to be a woman in today’s society—not the biological textbook definition of “female” that I had been exposed to in the past, but how a woman is perceived, how she is understood, and how others will see her.
I learned about the deeply ingrained sexism that still exists despite how far we assume we have come. I learned about the systemic bias society has about the success and luxury that is affiliated with identifying as a man, and I learned the horrific truth about the necessity for feminism.
Thus, I decided to dedicate my career to devising a way of lightening the load of generational trauma women face by catalyzing an effort to encourage trauma-informed feminism, that works toward informing society of the devastating presence of sexual violence in today’s world. Another goal is providing an avenue of support for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and sexual violence so that women of the past, present, and future may be empowered and shamelessly themselves.