Regardless your cultural background, disability, gender, or sexual preference; everyone has the right to participate and be an integral part of society. We strive for a world that is divers and inclusive and in which you feel safe. But still much has to be done. In this edition of HagueTalks human rights defenders Jayne Waithera from Kenia and Benan Molu from Turkey will share their stories and efforts for an inclusive and just society. Judi Mesman, Professor of the interdisciplinary study of societal challenges, will present research about the development of racial prejudice in children, and the role of parents in transmitting messages about race.

About the speakers

• Jayne Waithera is a human rights defender from Kenia. She also suffers from a skin deficiency that makes her albino with low vision. Against all odds, she has risen from the stigma of being different to a young woman, who has used her own challenges as a motivation to promote a society that does not exclude people for being different. Through her work she promotes diversity and inclusiveness by innovative means. Her goal is to raise awareness and reduce the stigma associated with albinism.
• Benan Molu is a human rights lawyer from Istanbul. She passionately protects the rights of minorities, women, and LGBTIs in Turkey, which is of course not entirely without danger. From her activities as a human rights lawyer she can share her professional perspective and tell us, from her own experience, how she contributes to a more inclusive and just society in Turkey.
• Judi Mesman obtained her PhD in 2000 and now works as a full professor at Leiden University, leading a research program on societal challenges, with a specific focus on gender and racial socialization. She is also dean of Leiden University College, The Hague. Mesman is active in societal and academic outreach activities, including workshops for ethnic minority parents and children in The Hague, and the promotion of equal opportunity for women and men in academia.

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