Rasha Younes

Rasha Younes is a senior researcher with the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch, investigating abuses against LGBT people in the Middle East and North Africa region. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, Rasha was a Thomas J. Watson fellow, where she researched oral tradition as a form of activism in South Africa, Ireland, India, Germany, and the Czech Republic. She has previously worked on women’s rights issues for the Clinton Center for Women’s Empowerment in Morocco, the Women’s Center of Montgomery County, and the Norristown Courthouse in Philadelphia. Rasha was also a Caux Initiatives of Change Scholar in Switzerland, a fellow for the Center of Peace and Global Citizenship in Philadelphia, and a researcher for the Arab Council for Social Sciences in Beirut. Rasha holds a master’s degree in Social Anthropology from Central European University in Budapest, and a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College. She is fluent in English, Arabic, and knows some French.

Interactives Authored: 

#SecureOurSocials: Campaign Urges Transparency from Facebook, Instagram (January 23, 2024)

"'If Not Now, When?': Queer and Trans People Reclaim their Power in Lebanon's Revolution" (May 7, 2020)

"Facing the Myths: LGBT Voices from the Middle East & North Africa" (June 24, 2019)