Sherizaan Minwalla is a human rights lawyer who has represented refugees, asylum seekers and immigrant survivors of gender-based violence to achieve legal protection in the US, and for over a decade has addressed women’s rights and the rule of law in Iraq. Living in Kurdistan, Sherizaan co-authored groundbreaking research on how Yezidi survivors of sexual violence in conflict perceived media reporting on atrocities they suffered in captivity. We could positively transform women’s self-perceptions and the perceptions of those around them if they are portrayed as individuals capable of demonstrating self-determination, resistance and courage rather than as passive and injured victims.