Zainab Salbi Helps Women Recover

Zainab Salbi's mother urged her never to lose her voice. Now she helps women in war-torn areas regain theirs

Peter Yang / Contour / Getty

After her arranged marriage fell apart, Zainab Salbi found a cause; helping women whose lives are torn apart by war.

As Mother's Day approaches, it's worth remembering that of the more than 35 million people displaced by conflict, according to the International Rescue Committee, the vast majority are women and children. In today's wars, fighting is no longer confined to the battlefield; 90% of those killed or wounded are civilians. Often driven from their homes, women are targeted for ethnic cleansing, raped, widowed and left as the sole providers for their families in societies that, in many cases, show little respect for their rights. The most urgent tasks of rebuilding daily life in a devastated nation--feeding a family, doing the laundry,...

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