US First Lady Jill Biden will highlight women who have made a significant impact at great cost by bringing the International Women of Courage Awards to the White House for the first time, her office told VOA on Friday.
“We wanted to bring the stories of these incredible women to the biggest stage that we could,” Biden told VOA. “Girls everywhere need to know that there are women fighting for them, transforming their communities and building a better world for all of us.”
The ceremony will take place on March 8 at the White House.
The award administered by the Department of State recognizes “women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength and leadership in the defense of peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity”, and more, often at great risk and personal sacrifice”.
More than 180 women, from 80 countries, have received the award since its inception in 2007. Honorees hail from countries where women’s rights are often challenged by cultural norms or hampered by laws, such as Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Pakistan , Somalia, Syria. and more.
After the ceremony, awardees receive grants from the advocacy group American Women for International Understanding.
Last year’s honorees came from Bangladesh, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Iraq, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Nepal, Romania, South Africa and Vietnam.
“From gentle lullabies to battle cries for justice, women care and nurture, teach and build, lead and dream our world forward, each and every day,” Biden said at the year’s awards ceremony. past. “Women have never been silent, but women have been silenced: with violence, with hatred, discrimination and isolation, with work and care that is never done.
“Women have been told they are dangerous. And that’s because they are dangerous to corruption and injustice. When we speak up, we have the power to break through the shields of oppression,” said Jill Biden.
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