Rabia Siddique
International humanitarian lawyer, hostage survivor, best-selling author.
Profile
Rabia Siddique is a history making humanitarian, best-selling author and multi-award winning international keynote speaker. She is a sought after transformational coach and mentor and speaks English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
Current work
Rabia’s powerful and engaging presentations on leadership, resilience, equality and diversity, draw on her personal story of strength, courage and forgiveness, in addition to her legal, military and psychology training. Surviving a hostage crisis in Iraq, Rabia garnered global attention for making the British military accountable for silencing her ordeal as a military lawyer in releasing captured Special Forces soldiers. Standing up for justice in the face of public ridicule, Rabia’s brave action in suing the British Government for sexism and racism became a catalyst for policy change to ensure a fairer workplace for women and cultural minorities in the British military.
Rabia is an expert commentator, regularly appearing in newspapers, magazines, television, radio and online media in Australia and around the globe, including The Guardian, 60 Minutes and ABC television.
With her best-selling memoir Equal Justice also the focus of a feature film, she is now writing her second book.
Rabia is an Ambassador for 100 Women, Angelhands, Esther Foundation, Inner Ninja (Mental Health Support) and Ishar (Multicultural Health Service). She is a Board Member of International Foundation of Non- Violence, Museum of Freedom and Tolerance, Wesley College and Calan Williams Racing.
Previous experience
Law: Rabia’s extensive career as a criminal, terrorism, war crimes and human rights lawyer has taken her to Europe, the Middle East, South America, South East Asia and Australia.
Military: Her military career includes serving as a British Army officer in England, Northern Ireland and the Middle East. Rabia was one of England’s first Armed Forces Employment Law Officers – a role which took her to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst where she ran equality and diversity training. Among her charges was Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge.
Media
Feedback
Compelling story, I was riveted for the hour. Rabia Siddique is a cool customer and really connected with the audience.
Rabia Siddique is a truly interesting and engaging speaker. Her personal and professional achievements are extraordinary and an inspiration for young women everywhere. In my view, Rabia's unique experiences as a Legal Officer in the British Army, and the courage and determination she showed in fighting to achieve equal treatment irrespective of her gender, should be shared widely. Rabia provides a powerful example of what an individual can do to fight for equality and ensure that discrimination, in all of its forms, is eradicated.
Rabia Siddique was a speaker at our Women in Leadership Breakfast held in February 2013. Her talk was titled 'Striving and Surviving'. We heard about the courageous role Rabia played by resolving a hostage crisis in Iraq and surviving being taken captive by terrorists and suing the British military in a case that made international headlines. Her talk was very well received and generated a number of questions from interested members. We can highly recommend Rabia as a public speaker.
Rabia Siddique's presentation was well researched, and eloquently delivered, with humour and emotion and the message she delivered was clear and engrossing, receiving many positive comments from our guests. The courage she has shown in her tenacity and fortitude in her pursuit for justice and equal rights for women is admirable, and women in particular will benefit from her experiences which show the female gender should not be silenced in the face of adversity and lack of fairness.
Rabia was absolutely captivating, everyone we have spoken to was amazed at the way she spoke and also her story. There was even a standing ovation at the end.
