10 women leaders, activists hailed for advancing rights
Share with others:
WASHINGTON -- First lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton presented awards Tuesday to 10 women leaders and activists from around the world who have advanced the cause of human rights in their countries.
Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO Lloyd Blankfein also announced scholarships for 100 entrepreneurial women over the next two years. He said the first recipients, from Indonesia and Haiti, will receive business and management training.
On the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, Ms. Clinton and Mrs. Obama paid tribute to women who have stood up to repressive governments, defended women's legal rights, campaigned for political reform and won elections to top offices in their countries.
"These women are amazing," Mrs. Obama told invited guests at the State Department in Washington. "They are trailblazing leaders."
Among the honorees were Roza Otunbayeva, Kyrgyzstan's first female president, who led the creation of the first parliamentary democracy in Central Asia.
Other honorees included a blogger from Cuba, a political activist from Belarus, a human rights activist in Jordan, a lawyer from China, a prosecutor general in Afghanistan and the first Roma woman elected to the Hungarian Parliament.
"They have been insulted, beaten and tortured," Ms. Clinton said. "And yet each of these women has found the strength to persevere."
Meanwhile Tuesday in Cairo, witnesses said women hoping to extend their rights in post-revolutionary Egypt encountered a harsh reality, as a mob of angry men beat and sexually assaulted a group of marchers calling for political and social equality.
"Everyone was chased. Some were beaten. They were touching us everywhere," said hostel owner Dina Abou Elsoud, 35, organizer of the ambitiously named Million Woman March.
Joining Ms. Clinton and Mrs. Obama for the Washington ceremony was Julia Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister. "There are women and girls around the world who need physical courage in order to get an education," she said.
Today's ceremony marked the fifth annual presentation of the International Women of Courage Awards. The 10 honorees were chosen from among 87 women nominated by U.S. embassies around the world.
First Published March 9, 2011 12:00 am
