Author, Speaker, Founder, Advocate, and Humanitarian
Lara Kajs is a keynote speaker and the author of Assad’s Syria, Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field, and the forthcoming Beyond the Veil: Afghan Women and Girls’ Journey to Freedom. She is a field-based author and practitioner whose work draws on her extensive experience in conflict and displacement settings.
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, an educational NGO nonprofit (501c3) based in Washington, DC, advancing atrocity prevention, legal literacy, and international humanitarian and international law, with a focus on displaced and conflict-affected communities. She has worked with international institutions, including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court, and her work focuses on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, civilian protection, and international humanitarian law.
Assad’s Syria
Assad’s Syria by Lara Kajs is an account of five decades of tyrannical rule by the al-Assad father and son, and a recount of more than thirteen years of brutal conflict and the atrocities committed. Kajs writes from a humanitarian perspective and the experience of someone who spent time in Syria during the Assad regime, increasingly engaging the reader with her clear and impassioned account. She offers insight into how the country can heal and recover in a post-Assad world and address the issues of accountability and justice for the people.
Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field
Inspired by 17 months spent in Yemen between 2018 and 2021, her first book, Stories from Yemen: A Diary from the Field, shares the stories of more than a hundred Yemeni men, women, and children, and how the conflict, which is still ongoing, has resulted in the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Through displacement, being unhoused, food insecurity, sickness, and economic collapse, there is grave concern for the safety and well-being of noncombatants as they try to avoid the conflict, airstrikes, bullets, landmines, and traffickers. She discusses the causes of the crisis and considers possible outcomes for peace. Kajs shares her own story of survival when the coalition airstrikes forced her team and twenty-seven Yemeni civilians into a building that collapsed on them and trapped the group for three days.
Forthcoming Publications
Forthcoming in early 2026, Beyond the Veil: Afghan Women and Girls’ Journey to Freedom explores the lives and struggles of Afghan women and girls, and their fight for freedom, education, and equality in Taliban Afghanistan.
Coming in late 2026, State Terrorism in MENA: Libya, Egypt, and Lebanon collectively discusses each state in crisis, authoritarian tendencies, and the breakdown of society when the people in charge terrorize their citizens.
To be released in 2027, Homeless in Conflict wrestles with the unprecedented number of forcibly displaced persons as a result of war and conflict – a number that has more than doubled in the last decade.
Using Her Voice
Lara Kajs has given more than 300 breakouts, workshops, and vignettes on the topics of atrocity crimes, forced displacement, state terrorism, and international humanitarian law. Her talks reveal a nefarious truth: that indifference and complacency have led to a double standard when applying equal measures of international law, holding all perpetrators accountable – even when the perpetrators are allies, and adhering to the law to end impunity. By understanding how this impacts the world today, Kajs says we gain the tools to face it, forge a better future for humanity, and increase opportunities for peace and security.
A strong advocate for caring for displaced populations, Kajs is using her voice to increase global awareness of the record numbers of people who have been forcibly displaced as a result of conflict, persecution, natural disasters, and the climate crisis. She frequently speaks on the pressing need to find solutions to humanitarian displacement and the need for safeguards to ensure International Humanitarian Law is honored and that civilians are not targeted in conflict.
Lifelong Learner and Explorer
Kajs holds graduate degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Lincoln Memorial University, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She received a B.A. in Spanish from the University of Hawaii Manoa. She is a member of Kappa Delta Sorority, the International Association of Women, the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the International Network of Genocide Scholars, and the American Historical Association.
Kajs was born in Birmingham, Alabama, is a passionate Crimson Tide fan, and an ardent lover of music – one rock band in particular. Well-traveled, she has journeyed to more than 140 countries and lived in seven. Kajs resides in Washington, DC.
For interview requests, speaking inquiries, and book events, please contact Stephanie Marcum.