The annual International Women of Courage Awards were given out by the U.S. State Department on Monday during a White House ceremony.
This year’s winners of the prizes were women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Cuba, Ecuador, Gambia, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Nicaragua, and Uganda. The ceremony was hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and First Lady Jill Biden.
“Courage is a deliberate and daily choice for these women and so many activists like them around the world,” Blinken remarked at the ceremony. “In areas plagued by violence and instability, women and girls exhibit comparable bravery despite being disproportionately affected by it.”
Women “who have displayed outstanding courage, fortitude, and leadership in campaigning for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls” are the recipients of the awards, which were introduced in 2007 and offered by the State Department.
Nine women from Nicaragua who were among the political prisoners freed there the previous year are among the honorees this year. The activists “continue to fight for democracy and human rights under an oppressive regime,” according to the State Department.
Bangladeshi Fawzia Karim Firoze is receiving recognition for her efforts as a Supreme Court lawyer who has defended the rights of underrepresented communities.
In recognition of her efforts on behalf of infants born of rape during war, Ajna Jusić from Bosnia and Herzegovina was chosen for this prize.
Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello, a Cuban, is well-known for spearheading the nation’s initiatives for religious liberty and human rights.
Agather Atuhaire is being recognized for her efforts in Uganda to advance human rights and the rule of law.