The International Women of Courage Awardee: Moumina Houssein Darar

Every year, the Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award is given the women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress, often at great personal risk. On March 13, the World Affairs Council will host one of the awardees--Moumina Houssein Darar, a leading anti-terrorism investigator in Djibouti. Since joining the National Police Force at age 23, Moumina has helped thwart numerous attacks by Al-Shabaab terrorists and started a nonprofit to serve her community all while facing numerous challenges as a female police officer, including children throwing rocks at her simply for being a woman in uniform. Join the World Affairs Council for this special opportunity to hear from Moumina, a trailblazer fighting terrorism and serving as a role model for young women in her country and beyond.

Lunch provided.

About the Speaker
Born in Djibouti City, Djibouti, in 1990, Moumina Houssein Darar is the oldest of nine siblings—six brothers and two sisters. At age 23, she joined the Djiboutian National Police Force and quickly rose through the ranks in a male dominated profession. Ms. Darar trail blazed her way to the exclusive specialty of anti-terrorism investigations, where she consistently serves as the lead investigator for high-profile investigations. Her investigative efforts have led to the conviction and/or deportation of numerous Al-Shabaab terrorists. She enabled Djiboutian National Police (DNP) to thwart several attempted terrorist attacks after the 2014 La Chaumiere bombing in Djibouti City. She has confronted multiple terrorist suspects and hundreds of illegal immigrants, who were initially resistant to being interviewed by a female police officer. Ms. Darar has also worked undercover as a male to advance terrorism investigations. She has faced numerous challenges since joining the Police Force, including threats to her personal safety. Criminals she detained or convicted, when eventually released, would verbally abuse her. She has even been assaulted by children throwing rocks at her in the street, simply because she was a female police officer, and endured other threats simply for being a woman in uniform. Despite the abuse, she has persevered and remains committed to helping her entire community. Besides her passion for bettering the community through her law enforcement efforts, Ms. Darar has been a leader in community service. Four years ago, Moumina developed the idea to start a charitable neighborhood organization to assist children in need, as well as provide other services and assistance to help the local community.

About the Moderator

Rebecca Yang works on Facebook's Business Integrity team, which aims to keep Facebook a safe and trusted platform for people, businesses, and Facebook. Prior to Facebook, Rebecca served as a U.S. diplomat in Istanbul, where she covered human rights and religious freedom. Rebecca led U.S. engagement on women’s rights in Turkey and collaborated with the UN and U.S. interagency to address the unique needs of LGBTI refugees. She also led her team through unprecedented security challenges, including a coup attempt, multiple terrorist attacks, and an evacuation of Consulate family members. Her reports were featured in the President’s Daily Brief and she won a Meritorious Honor Award for her service. Rebecca is a World Affairs Council Fellow, World Economic Forum Global Shaper, and a Truman National Security Fellow. Rebecca has a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. She is proficient in Turkish and Mandarin Chinese. In her free time, Rebecca enjoys food, diving, music, and traveling.