Amal Clooney made a rare speaking appearance at Oxford University to discuss the fight for survivors of sexual violence around the world, alongside her longtime client and friend, Nobel laureate Nadia Murad.
The pair sat down to speak on Nadia’s experience as a young Yazidi woman in Iraq and about how her world was turned upside down after the invasion of ISIS in 2014. Amal was glowing in a beige dress adorned with red polka dots, which fell to her knees, and kept her glossy brunette locks down in a stylish blowout.
Speaking out on violence
The mother of two sat with Nadia and reminisced on the friendship they had built over the years, ever since Amal began representing her in court. “I want to take us back to the first time we met,” Amal began.
“I remember you were talking about these unbelievably evil things that you had quite recently gone through. And also the trauma was still ongoing…it was hard to even comprehend what you were telling me. And I remember you to be really shy and not really making eye contact.”
© InstagramNadia replied: “I just knew you were going to be my lawyer, because when you recommended that we sit on the floor, that’s what we do in Iraq. In villages, we don’t have tables and chairs. And when you said that, I was like, ‘Oh my God, she knows me,’ you know?”
She continued: “I grew up in a country that seemed to be at war always. We always talked about revenge. It was always one community taking revenge from the other. I think I came to you looking for an alternative.”
Learn more about Amal’s work below…
“I’m one of the luckiest to be able to learn so much from you, and there I realized that when you are surrounded by the right people, no matter how hard your story is, it makes it easier.”
Amal and Nadia’s supporters rushed to the comment section of the social media clip that documented their discussion, with one writing: “Thank you for the beautiful work you’re doing,” while another added: “Amazing work.” A third chimed in: “What a gift,” while another said: “Role model.”
Inside Amal and Nadia’s advocacy
Nadia grew up in a village in Iraq and was taken by ISIS when she was just 21 and sold into sexual slavery. She eventually escaped with the help of a local family and fled to a refugee camp before emigrating to Germany.
Ever since, Nadia and Amal have been working to seek accountability for the Yazidi genocide and to persecute the perpetrators of conflict-related sexual violence. Murad shared with British Vogue that Amal was a close friend whom she found to be “inspiring”.
© Getty Images“I go to her for advice, for work,” she continued, adding that Amal taught her the importance of accountability.
“Accountability is so important if we want to prevent future atrocities and sexual violence,” she told the publication. “Because these people don’t mind being killed…The only thing they worry about is facing survivors in a courtroom.”
© AFP via Getty ImagesAmal sees Nadia as a “leader for our times”, a “beautiful soul”, a “brilliant and determined advocate”, and “someone I am very lucky to call my friend”.
“She was reluctant to make eye contact and didn’t speak a word of English. But she always had great courage that shone through, and a determination to help others,” the lawyer said of their first meeting.
Read the full article here
