As we face the harrowing reality of crises around the world, with multiple wars casting their shadows across nations, it is imperative to address an issue that often goes overlooked: sexual violence against women. This was addressed during the latest WELT Women's Dinner – an exclusive exchange format with female thought leaders from various industries – hosted by Jennifer Wilton, editor-in-chief at Welt.

To include multiple perspectives, the event gathered leading women from politics and culture such as Deputy Chairwoman of the CSU parliamentary group Dorothee Bär, MdB, human rights activists like Düzen Tekkal, entrepreneurs such as author Mirna Funk, and Israeli volunteers dedicated to documenting and processing war crimes. As a special guest Sheryl Sandberg, former COO of Meta and founder of Lean In and Option B, also attended the evening. A common theme in the discussions of Sandberg – who has been outspoken about sexual violence against women with renewed focus since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th – and the other female thought leaders: How to nurture hope and drive positive change even in a crisis-ridden world.

What all participants of the WELT Women’s Dinner agreed upon: Sexual violence against women must be condemned. It is the media’s role to cover this issue transparently and objectively, and to call out political decision-makers who attempt to exploit the discourse for their own agendas.

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