On March 13, 2022, Dr. Choman Hardi and Mr. Ari Rafiq, the assistant director of the Directorate of Combating Violence Against Women, participated in a seminar on how to respond to gender-based violence as an activist or a service provider. The seminar was organized by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) at the University of Kurdistan in Hawler (UKH). After discussing the mechanisms that are used to oppress women, Dr. Choman stressed the importance of empathy rather than sympathy, listening to and amplifying the voices of marginalized women, the dangers of breaching confidentiality, and the importance of using empowering tools to ensure that women, who are usually deprived of decision making, can make informed choices about their lives. The seminar was attended by UKH students as well as members of the public.
Image description: There are two photos, both of a woman with curly dark hair, wearing a black suit, seated on a dark chair on a stage. Behind her is a very large projection screen; next to her is a small white table with tissues and water. A laptop computer is open on her lap, and she is speaking to the audience, the first four rows of which are visible from the back. In the other photo, we see the same woman from the side, with the white table in the foreground and a potted plant in the background, against the wall.