Wala Khalifa

I was trying to survive in this country, but hearing the cries for help around me taught me how to fight for others.

My name is Wala Khalifa, a civil and human rights activist.

I was a law student with no clear path ahead, but one day I chose to take a step that completely changed the course of my life.

In 2024, I joined an international organization to work for the Women's Protection and Empowerment Department. At first, I provided emotional and social support to women who had suffered violence by helping them overcome their pain. Later on, I found myself legally guiding them.

During the first sessions, I met a group of diverse women who showed a similar spark in their eyes as they learned about their legal rights for the very first time. That's when I realized I hadn't chosen this path in vain, and that my efforts to defend human rights could restore a person's ability to rise.

But one time, there was a woman who stood there before me who had suffered all kinds of physical and psychological abuse, and my legal knowledge was not enough to help her. At that time, I felt helpless. That was the greatest challenge in my journey. Not being able to help her made me take an oath to be stronger, more knowledgeable, and to help every woman survive and seize her rights.

I spent a year working around the clock to support women from Libyan and non-Libyan communities. A year that transformed me from a volunteer hoping to make an impact into a woman who understands that change begins with a word, and that defending rights is a human obligation.

I hope that every individual in our country seeks change, learns their rights, works to secure them, and helps others achieve them.