Rabia is a criminal and human rights lawyer, a retired British Army officer, a former terrorism and war crimes prosecutor, a professional speaker, trainer, MC, facilitator and published author. In 2006 Rabia was awarded a Queen’s commendation for her human rights work in Iraq and in 2009 was the Runner Up for Australian Woman of the Year UK.
After starting life as a criminal defence lawyer and youngest ever Federal prosecutor in Perth, Rabia moved to the UK in 1998 where she eventually commissioned as a Legal Officer in the British Army in 2001.
In a terrifying ordeal that garnered worldwide attention, along with a male colleague, Rabia assisted with the rescue of two SAS soldiers from Iraqi insurgents in Basra. Her male colleague received a Military Cross for outstanding bravery, while Rabia’s part in the incident was covered up by the British Army and Government. In a fight for justice she brought a landmark discrimination case against the UK Ministry of defence, and won.
Rabia went on to become a Crown Advocate in the British Counter Terrorism Division, which saw her prosecuting Al Qaeda terrorists, hate crimes and advising on war crimes prosecutions in The Hague. Rabia has recently written and published her memoir, ‘Equal Justice’, which is a story about strength, resilience, courage, conviction and determination. An Australian/UK feature film is shortly to be made about her life.
Rabia is currently Legal Counsel to the Commissioner of the Western Australia Police and is rapidly gaining a reputation as an outstanding motivational and inspirational speaker, facilitator, resilience and leadership coach, and champion of women in leadership.