From Challenge to Impact: Zainab and the Voices of Women with Disabilities in Libya

“From Benghazi, the city that shaped my awareness, nurtured my dreams, and witnessed the many challenges I faced and my determination to overcome them,” Zeinab Mahmoud Mohammed Adhiab has forged an extraordinary path, one defined not by disability but by her willpower.

Zeinab was born with a disability affecting her upper limbs, but from childhood she refused to be reduced to this aspect of her life. She grew up questioning: Why are women with disabilities viewed through a lens of deficiency rather than potential? This question was not fleeting; it became the starting point of a journey of commitment and action. “When a person experiences exclusion, senses marginalization, or sees how their abilities are reduced to their disability alone, it creates a different kind of awareness within them.”

Zeinab’s engagement in civil society was not theoretical; it was born of lived experience. Early on, she realized that women with disabilities face compounded challenges, combining social exclusion with limited opportunities for participation and empowerment.

Driven by this awareness, Zeinab pursued her education until she earned a master’s degree in sociology in 2025, believing that knowledge is the foundation of change. Today, she serves as Director of the Social Services Office at the University of Benghazi and as Executive Director of Al-Meezan Organization for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She is also a social researcher and a human rights activist in the field of disability rights. Zeinab says: “I see my journey not as a personal path alone, but as an experience carrying a broader message, that a woman with a disability can be active, influential, and a leader in her community if she is given the opportunity, and if she first believes in her own ability to make a difference.”

A turning point: from recipient to changemaker

“From an early stage, I understood that persons with disabilities, especially women, face multiple layers of challenges: those related to the disability itself, those tied to societal perceptions, and those stemming from limited empowerment and lack of real participation opportunities. This awareness made me feel moral and human responsibility toward this group, because silence changes nothing, while action, advocacy, and presence in public spaces can open new doors.

For me, civic engagement was not an additional activity; it became part of my mission. I felt I had to be a voice for those whose voices are not sufficiently heard, and to help move disability issues from the margins to the center of public discourse. Over time, this path became clearer: defending rights is not only about demanding services, but about defending dignity, recognition, participation, and social justice.”

Zeinab’s participation in the UN Women program “Training of Trainers on digital protection and combating online violence against women and girls” marked a pivotal moment in her life. What she once saw as a space for communication, she came to understand could also be a space for violence and abuse, especially for women exposed to various forms of online targeting. Through this training, she redefined digital safety as an issue linked to dignity, privacy, and the right to exist safely.

The most significant shift, however, was her transition from knowledge recipient to knowledge provider. Zeinab organized dialogue sessions and training workshops for women, sharing what she had learned and helping others protect themselves in digital spaces.

Reflecting on this experience, she says: “True empowerment begins when we move from being recipients of support to being creators of it.” She adds: “When I organized a dialogue session and training in Benghazi on combating violence, I felt immense pride, because I was transferring international experience and valuable knowledge to women inside Libya and contributing to their empowerment in a practical way.”

Leadership through representation

Zeinab has participated in numerous programs and forums at the local, regional, and international levels. These spaces were essential in strengthening her leadership skills and amplifying her presence, directly supporting her journey to become one of the leading feminist voices advocating for the rights of women with disabilities in Libya.

Through her participation in UN Women programs on Women, Peace, and Security, Zeinab found a real space to enhance her leadership role. She was no longer treated merely as a beneficiary, but as a partner in dialogue and decision-making. This experience strengthened her skills in advocacy and representation and enabled her to frame the issues of women with disabilities within a broader context of human rights, peacebuilding, and social justice. She affirms: “Peace cannot be built with incomplete representation. The presence of women with disabilities is not symbolic, it is essential to ensuring a just and sustainable peace.”

Zeinab’s impact extends beyond program participation. She has contributed to key rights-based documents, including the Libyan Women’s Charter and the Charter of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, both supported by the UN team in Libya. Today, she continues to engage in public affairs through her involvement in the political process facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya, within the structured dialogue track and the Libyan Women’s Gathering emerging from it.

Ongoing challenges… and unwavering determination

Despite this inspiring path, Zeinab—like many women with disabilities—continues to face multiple challenges, including societal stereotypes, weak institutional empowerment, and barriers to access and participation.

Yet she believes the greatest challenge lies within:

“The most dangerous thing a woman can face is believing that her voice will not make a difference.”

Zeinab dreams of a more just Libya, where women with disabilities are recognized as full citizens with equal rights and are naturally included across all areas of life, from education and employment to political participation and decision-making.

She calls for the development of policies and legislation that address the intersection of gender and disability-based discrimination, and for a shift in societal attitudes, from pity to rights.

Zeinab’s story is not just one of individual success; it is living proof that self-belief, when paired with opportunity, can become a powerful force for change, one that opens doors for others and reshapes a more just and inclusive society.