06 March 2009
United States Recognizes Women of Courage
Eight exceptional women from around the world honored by State Department
Washington — Eight exceptional women are being recognized by the U.S. secretary of state as “Women of Courage.”
The award “pays tribute to outstanding women leaders worldwide” and “recognizes the courage and leadership shown as they struggle for social justice and human rights,” according to a March 5 State Department announcement.
Selected from scores of nominees offered by U.S. embassies around the world, women representing Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, Russia, Uzbekistan and Yemen will be honored at the State Department in Washington on March 11.
The women are being recognized for their outstanding contributions on behalf of women and their societies, and for tackling such issues as domestic violence, forced child marriage, human trafficking and government corruption. These women are fighting for government transparency, access to justice and the rule of law and equal rights and opportunities for women.
The 2009 recipients of the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Awards are Wazhma Frogh of Afghanistan, Norma Cruz of Guatemala, Suaad Allami of Iraq, Ambiga Sreenevasan of Malaysia, Hadizatou Mani of Niger, Veronika Marchenko of Russia, Mutabar Tadjibayeva of Uzbekistan, and Reem Al Numery of Yemen.
The women will tell their stories at a public forum to be held March 9 at the State Department. Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton will present them with their awards March 11.
The International Women of Courage Award was instituted in 2007 by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice for women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership.
Clinton — who memorably declared in Beijing at the 1995 U.N. World Conference on Women that “human rights are women’s rights, and women’s rights are human rights” — is continuing the International Women of Courage awards in her new post as U.S. secretary of state.
For additional information, see the State Department media note on America.gov.
