Lejla Dauti on CNN: Breaking the Silence on Intimate Partner Violence

In a powerful segment aired on CNN’s Amanpour, activist and survivor Lejla Dauti shared her voice on the global stage, joining a critical conversation about intimate partner violence alongside international experts.

🎬 Watch the Full Interview on CNN

Lejla appeared alongside Ximena Andión Hernández-Castillo, director of the Institute for Global Women’s Leadership in Mexico, and Sarah Alred, legal fellow from Human Rights Watch. Together, they examined the complex, persistent patterns of violence that exist in every culture, and the systems that continue to protect abusers while isolating survivors.

Lejla spoke candidly about her personal experience with intimate partner violence, and the layered cultural barriers that made speaking out even harder.

Representing the voice of countless Albanian women living in silence, she addressed:

• The fear of not being believed

• The shame embedded in cultural expectations

• The lack of institutional understanding for women from marginalised communities

• And the emotional toll of surviving while protecting others

  
  

Her words were direct, honest, and deeply resonant.

“You’re afraid that people will say it’s your fault, that you provoked it... And in some ways, you’re taught to believe that too.”

What Lejla brought to this global conversation was more than just testimony, it was truth without apology, grounded in both personal experience and collective reality.

This appearance wasn’t about visibility, it was about responsibility.And Lejla carried it with dignity, clarity, and strength.

We thank CNN for creating space for this conversation, and for giving survivors like Lejla the global platform they’ve long deserved.