As part of the events marking International Women’s Day on Thursday [March 8], Amal Abu Sayyaf, a doctoral student at the department of social work at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, will step up to the podium at the United Nations in New York and discuss “The Empowerment of the Arab Woman in Israel” to delegates, both male and female, from around the world.

What drew you to this topic?

“My grandfather was the head of the local Arab community. He was head of the Workers’ Union in Haifa and worked closely with Abba Khoushy (the city’s first mayor). I was raised on the values of equality, respect, and coexistence, but not all of the women are at the same place where I am today. It’s about time that someone got up and spoke out on their behalf. We need to hear the voices of people who care.”

A resident of Haifa, she's married and has three daughters. She is writing her dissertation on the topic of “Building Peace through Knowledge in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.” She has been advocating on behalf of Arab women who suffer from family violence ever since she began her academic career at the university, and her activities in this particular field continued into her Master’s degree.