Living under the constant threat of violence has a lasting effect — even after you escape from danger, says writer and refugee advocate Zarlasht Halaimzai. One of the millions of people worldwide who have been forcibly displaced by conflict, Halaimzai now helps others overcome the devastation of war. In this poignant, vital talk, she articulates the lingering trauma of being expendable — and shares how belonging to a community can help bring back feelings of long-lost safety.
If you love watching TED Talks like this one, become a TED Member to support our mission of spreading ideas:
Follow TED!
Twitter:
Instagram:
Facebook:
LinkedIn:
TikTok:
The TED Talks channel features talks, performances and original series from the world’s leading thinkers and doers. Subscribe to our channel for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.
Watch more: go.ted.com/zarlashthalaimzai
TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at
#ZarlashtHalaimzai #TEDWomen2021
Rahul Sharma
April 4, 2022 at 3:49 pm
1st comment
Harish Kumar
April 4, 2022 at 4:04 pm
So what ? 🙏🏻🙏🏻
あずき
April 4, 2022 at 4:26 pm
1st comment of
WhatsAp +①⑦④⑦②③①⑦①⑤⑦
April 5, 2022 at 12:20 am
For something good and profitable ☝️.
Vic IV
April 4, 2022 at 3:49 pm
Greetings.
1
April 4, 2022 at 3:52 pm
Bucha😥😢😭
Sonali
April 4, 2022 at 3:54 pm
yo first !
Harish Kumar
April 4, 2022 at 4:04 pm
Grow up dear 🙏🏻🙏🏻
This video is about serious issues in life
🙏🏻🙏🏻
English IELTS
April 4, 2022 at 3:56 pm
Hello everybody. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Light body
April 4, 2022 at 3:57 pm
I know many Palestinians refuges as well, may god protect them till they go back home.
Lazie Kumen
April 4, 2022 at 4:01 pm
Can it be articulated?
Bruce Gwynn
April 4, 2022 at 4:02 pm
Very good ted talk, but I disagree with abolishing weapons of mass destruction, the bad guys never go away , they must e annihilated!! Period!!
SurfByShootin
April 4, 2022 at 7:58 pm
If it just saves one life…
kyomo samui
April 5, 2022 at 12:07 am
And then there were none.
Talibland
April 5, 2022 at 9:16 pm
Because we live in Afghanistan too
Krista
April 4, 2022 at 4:10 pm
I want to give you a hug, for the pain you and your family have experienced, but also for the hope and joy you shared with us. Thank you 🤗❤️
Talibland
April 5, 2022 at 9:00 pm
Hi,I’m fateme from Afghanistan,i make video about Taliban rules who killed my whole family,i want that people know more about us.
Talibland
April 5, 2022 at 9:01 pm
I also was forced marriage at ten years old and im 17 now,i have a two years old daughter,me and my sister take care of six homeless kids too,and we sell embroideries to survive
skjaldmær
April 4, 2022 at 4:37 pm
My heart goes out to all those impacted by war and the scars it leaves behind, more than most of us realise.
Talibland
April 5, 2022 at 9:15 pm
I feel her completely,I don’t want a perfect house or vacation I don’t know even what are they like,i want to see a day without my whole body sweat because of the scared of Taliban that is possible to break our doors and come to take us fir force marriage,my 10 year old adopted girl had committed 3 times suicide because she doesnt want to get raped by Taliban.
Karma Justice
April 4, 2022 at 6:23 pm
She sounds much more mature than her age allows her to be. And the way she spells every word is amazing. She didn’t just make a speech, she wrote a book.
Talibland
April 5, 2022 at 9:15 pm
I feel her completely,I don’t want a perfect house or vacation I don’t know even what are they like,i want to see a day without my whole body sweat because of the scared of Taliban that is possible to break our doors and come to take us fir force marriage,my 10 year old adopted girl had committed 3 times suicide because she doesnt want to get raped by Taliban
Doii Doni
April 4, 2022 at 9:20 pm
Uzuuz
Doii Doni
April 4, 2022 at 9:21 pm
Ok
林秋 李
April 4, 2022 at 9:44 pm
1-
Fiery Heart
April 4, 2022 at 10:06 pm
It is exactly the warmongers who created all these pain and trauma, and the next generation will still suffer.
USD800 billion in military budget each year for 800 military bases around the world in USA. The co2 emissions war caused. The lost lives. The hurt pain and trauma caused hatred and more wars.
The act of war itself is genocidal.
Don’t think so? Wait till it happens to your own home. Then probably you will begin to comprehend.. Just hope it is not too late.
🔥Fiery Heart🔥
April 4, 2022 at 10:06 pm
It is exactly the warmongers who created all these pain and trauma, and the next generation will still suffer.
USD800 billion in military budget each year for 800 military bases around the world in USA. The co2 emissions war caused. The lost lives. The hurt pain and trauma caused hatred and more wars.
The act of war itself is genocidal.
Don’t think so? Wait till it happens to your own home. Then probably you will begin to comprehend.. Just hope it is not too late.
🔥Alamak🔥
April 4, 2022 at 10:06 pm
It is exactly the warmongers who created all these pain and trauma, and the next generation will still suffer.
USD800 billion in military budget each year for 800 military bases around the world in USA. The co2 emissions war caused. The lost lives. The hurt pain and trauma caused hatred and more wars.
The act of war itself is genocidal.
Don’t think so? Wait till it happens to your own home. Then probably you will begin to comprehend.. Just hope it is not too late.
Alamak🇲🇾
April 4, 2022 at 10:06 pm
It is exactly the warmongers who created all these pain and trauma, and the next generation will still suffer.
USD800 billion in military budget each year for 800 military bases around the world in USA. The co2 emissions war caused. The lost lives. The hurt pain and trauma caused hatred and more wars.
The act of war itself is genocidal.
Don’t think so? Wait till it happens to your own home. Then probably you will begin to comprehend.. Just hope it is not too late.
Nelson county
April 5, 2022 at 12:15 am
For something good and profitable ☝️
ThePawcios
April 4, 2022 at 11:23 pm
Arabic countries should take example from Poland how to help refugees from neighbouring countries affected by war.
WhatsAp +①⑦④⑦②③①⑦①⑤⑦
April 5, 2022 at 12:11 am
For something good and profitable ☝️
Suzume
April 5, 2022 at 12:12 pm
if i may remind you, during the entire refugee crisis of 2015 literally until the war in Ukraine erupted, Poland firmly rejected taking any refugees at all from the middle east or north africa. Supposedly, even now polish officials are rejecting non-christians and people of colour fleeing from ukraine at the border. They might do a great job at helping most refugees they receive from Ukraine, but the government of Poland in general has some questionable attitudes regarding refugees that i‘d deem not fit for taking an example from. In additions to that, the situation i neighbouring countries can be extremely variable. for example, Lebanon received millions of refugees from Syria over the years, which is a problem for them because the country is tiny. Also, infrastructure and political stability do not always allow for crisis-free humanitarian aid as it was mostly the case in Poland. So, please accept that while situations may be terrible, telling people to ‚take example from x country‘ really does not work for most cases.
RICARDO P
April 6, 2022 at 3:07 pm
You mean Poland who accepts Ukraine refugees but not Arab refugees. That Poland.
ThePawcios
April 6, 2022 at 3:15 pm
@RICARDO P Status of refugee is granted for people fleeing war to the closest safe neighbouring country. How those Arabs get to Poland? They come to Belarus as tourist, Belarus is a safe country and all illegal attempts of crossing the border were blocked. Let’s face the true they were no refugees, just ECONOMIC MIGRANTS
RICARDO P
April 6, 2022 at 6:13 pm
@ThePawcios thanks for proving my point
ThePawcios
April 7, 2022 at 11:05 am
@RICARDO P Its only proving that you don’t understand completely what you talk about. What is a definition of a refugee? Do you know it?
nancy Dickson
April 5, 2022 at 4:16 am
*YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE GREAT TO START BUT YOU HAVE TO START TO BE GREAT—BLOSSOM JEFFERSON* 💖
Dennis Samantha
April 5, 2022 at 4:32 am
Reach her and tell her I referred you 👆
Mark Jahson
April 5, 2022 at 4:37 am
You have to recognize you need an expert that
understands how to read the market so you can avoid
winning today and losing tomorrow. There’s reason why experts like Mrs Blossom wins all the time,I was a bit skeptical but she
Kept encouraging me to invest and it turn out very
successful
Mark Jahson
April 5, 2022 at 4:37 am
I wouldn’t agree less but a times we are influenced based on result of what will see and experience, failure at first try doesn’t mean it is over but unfortunately people seems to back off when they have experiences some obstacle or failure along the way
Scott Bonovan
April 5, 2022 at 4:40 am
The greatest regret is not trying and failing but it is not to trying at allFunny enough people aspire to emulate great investors and entrepreneurs, of our time but they only see their wins
and achievements and they careless about their
challenges and failures during multiple trials and the
lesson it teaches
유의진
April 5, 2022 at 4:46 am
Well.. peace is something worthy that cannot be changeable with anything. Also, I agree the need of help for war refugees and feel deep sadness about their situation. As we can see in many historical case, however, there is no peace without power. If any gov doesnt invest weapons and national defense, our beloved ones and neigbours who live next door will be in the same situations where millions of refugees live. Once, with hope, many people belived there will be no more war between democratic contries because of economic complexity of modern capitalism. But Russia-ukaraine war outbreaked. I think the only thing that restrains war is enough power to give economically and militarily enormous damage enemy.
Afghan girl✌🥲
April 5, 2022 at 4:51 am
She is save now but we are still here🥺😓🥲
Suraj Verma
April 5, 2022 at 5:20 am
true maim
George Wang
April 5, 2022 at 9:53 am
shame on the US
Ras Jahman
April 5, 2022 at 10:30 am
THE ONE CONSCIOUS WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF!
Ras Jahman
April 5, 2022 at 10:34 am
PHYSICAL PROBLEMS DISABLES AND DELAYS THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT. IT IS “THE ACTUAL CAUSE OF DEVELOPMENTAL DELAYS,…AND MENTAL ILLNESS!” EITHER INTENTIONAL OR THE RESULT OF CAUSE AND EFFECT. CAUSING PEOPLE TO HUMBLY CHANGE INTO WARRIOR FIGHTING FOR THEIR SOUL.”
Muthulakshmi S
April 5, 2022 at 1:04 pm
Illnesses like CANCER DIABETICS HEART DISEASES are linked with trauma and chronic stress
Words of Insight
April 5, 2022 at 6:19 pm
Losing your freedom leaves a big hole in your soul. Being a refugee is about being forced to leave your land which is the total deprivation of your freedom along with your people and country. en masse. This is a very difficult experience in life, especially for children.
kthejung
April 5, 2022 at 6:22 pm
mdma research for ptsd sounds promising.
ru zala
April 6, 2022 at 1:25 am
🇦🇫❤️
Narges
April 6, 2022 at 9:35 pm
This is my story 😢