Washington: Two Afghan and a Sri Lankan were
among ten women to receive the prestigious International Women
of Courage Awards for the year 2010 in recognition of their
contributions in fighting discrimination and advancing human
rights.
While Shukria Asil of Afghanistan is involved with
promoting government being responsive to the needs of women,
her countrywoman Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi promotes the
integration of women in the government and police forces.
Jansila Majeed of Sri Lanka received the award for
working for displaced Muslim and Tamil civilians.
Among the other awardees were Androula Henriques of
Cyprus for leading the fight against human trafficking in her
country, Shadi Sadr of Iran, who led an effort that led to the
suspension of laws for death by stoning and Sonia Pierre of
the Dominican Republic for advancing the cause of social
justice confronting exploitation and discrimination among the
Dominican and Haitian communities.
Ann Njogu of Kenya has been in the forefront of reforms
in her country, while Lee Ae-ran of South Korea received the
award for promoting human rights in the North Korean refugee
community. Sister Marie Claude Naddaf of Syria was awarded for
advancing social services for women in Syria while Jestina
Mukoko of Zimbabwe is a longtime leader of human rights in
that country.
The awards were given away by US First Lady Michelle
Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
PTI