Dr. Edit Schlaffer

Edit Schlaffer, a social scientist and trained psychoanalyst, founded WwB in 2001 with a view to building up the competence and confidence of women to effect positive social change in countries of crisis and transition around the world. Schlaffer focuses on gender-based peacebuilding strategies that harness the strength of civil society in building a new security architecture from the bottom up.

In recognition of her work and ability to translate vision into tangible results, Schlaffer is Ashoka Fellow, Advisory Council member at Omega Women's Leadership Center in New York, and the recipient of numerous awards, including Reader’s Digest ‘European of the Year’ (2018), Foreign Policy’s ‘100 Global Thinkers’ (2016), the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria for Lifelong Learning (2016), Soroptimist International of Europe Peace Prize (2015), Aenne Burda Award for Creative Leadership (2015), Newsweek’s ‘150 Movers and Shakers’ (2011), and Women's eNews 21 Leaders of the 21st Century (2010).

2002-Present, Founder and Executive Director Women without Borders
▪ Founded an international researched organization for the inclusion of women in politics and civil society.

2004-2011, Chairperson of the Austrian Foundation for World Population and International Cooperation, (SWI)
▪ Headed a subsidiary of the United Population Fund (UNFPA).

1980-2001, Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Politics and Interpersonal Relations
▪ Establishment of innovative key research areas, gender and development, capacity building, dialogue of cultures and applied social research

1973-1979 Assistant Professor at the Institute for Sociology, University of Vienna, Austria,

1968-1972 Dr. phil. Communication Science and Sociology, University of Vienna

1980-1986 Psychoanalytical Training Analysis, Children’s Hospital, University of Vienna

Schlaffer, S., Kropiunigg, L., Kropiunigg, R., 'Mothers Preventing Violent Extremism: The Example of MotherSchools in Macedonia from Philosophy to Practice', in S. Zeiger, R. Alonso, J. Herrera, L. El Sayed (eds.), Enhancing Women's Roles in Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism P/CVE; NATO Science for Peace and Security Series Vol. 144 (IOS Press, 2019), pp. 105–117.
Kropiunigg, U., Kropiunigg, R., Schlaffer, E., Kropiunigg, L., 'Can Fathers Challenge Extremism? Studying the Violence Prevention Potential of East African Fathers' (research study, Women without Borders, Vienna, 2019).
Al-Bakr, F., Bruce, E. R., Davidson, P. M., Schlaffer, E. Kropiunigg, U., 'Empowered but not Equal: Challenging the Traditional Gender Roles as Seen by University Students in Saudi Arabia', paper presented at the FIRE: Forum for International Research in Education, 2017.
Schlaffer, E., Kropiunigg, U., 'A New Security Architecture: Women Included!' in N.C. Fink, S. Zeiger, R. Bhulai (eds.), A man's world? Exploring the Roles of Women in Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism (Hedayah and The Global Center on Cooperative Security, 2016): 54-75.
Kropiunigg, U., Schlaffer, E., Kasbauer, E., 'Fathers and Sons Between Two Worlds: The Transition from Migration to Integration', Women without Borders, Vienna, 2016.
Schlaffer, E., Kropiunigg, U., 'Can Mothers Challenge Extremism? Mothers' perceptions of and attitudes towards radicalisation and violent extremism', Women without Borders, Vienna, 2015.
Schlaffer, E., and U. Kropiunigg.(2015) "Mothers against Terror." per Concordiam: Journal of European Security and Defense Issues 6, no. 4 (2015): 18-25.
Schlaffer, E., 'Charting a New Course: Thought for Action Kit; Women Preventing Violent Extremism'. United States Institute of Peace, Washington, 2015.
Schlaffer, E., 'Education Beyond the Classroom: Mobilizing against radicalization and recruitment', in UNESCO (ed.), Agree to Differ, UNESCO Publishing, Paris, 2015: 17-20.

Dr. Schlaffer founded Women without Borders (WwB) in 2001, WwB’s founding principles and successes reflect her achievements as a thought leader and changemaker in all of her careers to date: as an academic at the University of Vienna she published Austria’s first study on domestic violence, became an authority on female empowerment in her time as the head of an Austrian thinktank, and published numerous bestsellers and studies based on her sociological studies.

Responding to the growing threat of violent extremism, Schlaffer in 2008 launched the Sisters Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) network, the world’s first female counter-extremism platform. In developing and implementing the ‘MotherSchools: Parenting for Peace’ Model, her PVE research advanced the concept of mothers as the first line of defence against extremism.

Mothers present a missing link in preventing the spread of violent extremism. Their unparalleled physical and emotional proximity make them witnesses of every stage in their child’s development. While mothers have the potential to intervene in the initial stages of the radicalisation process, often they lack the essential knowledge and self-confidence to recognise and address the warning signs in their sons and daughters. Women without Borders (WwB) began introducing the notion of Mothers Preventing Violent Extremism (MPVE) in the context of its SAVE network of projects and initiatives from 2008. Responding to its research study findings from surveys and interviews with 1023 mothers across five countries, WwB developed and designed the pioneering ‘MotherSchools: Parenting for Peace’ Model. When put into practice, this bottom-up prevention approach positions concerned and affected mothers as the first line of defence in at-risk communities.The curriculum strengthens the participant’s individual capacity, capability, and emotional literacy, and heightens her awareness of radical influences. WwB has been advancing local and regional security through contextualised iterations of the programme, and to date has engaged over two thousand mothers in twelve countries across Western and Eastern Europe; Central, South, and Southeast Asia; the Middle East; and Sub-Saharan Africa. MotherSchools also upgrade existing social services and local capacity by providing civil society stakeholders in at-risk regions with the essential structures, tools, and skills to address and counteract extremist ideologies. Owing to its proven track record, WwB’s MotherSchools Model has emerged as a recognised good practice and contributed to rethinking and reshaping countering and preventing violent extremism (P/CVE) policy worldwide.

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