Honolulu native Betsy Kawamura is founder of Women4Nonviolence in Peace+Conflict Zones (Oslo).
As a survivor of GBV gender-based violence, she has worked internationally to empower other survivors, especially those of Asia-Pacific origin through instruments including UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on WPS women, peace and security. Her presentations and workshops in Europe, Asia and US have been geared toward raising personal voices of GBV survivors including those of North Korea for political policy changes toward peace. The topics often cover parts of history that are obfuscated due to geopolitical concerns.
She has an MBA in international relations from San Francisco State University, and a BBA in business management with an art minor from the University of Hawaii (Manoa).
Her previous experiences in the corporate sector have complemented her holistic approaches for survivors’ well-being programs. Her active global network helps forward awareness of WPS issues from grassroots levels, all the way to UN offices and to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.