US award for Delhi gang rape victim

The United States has selected the 23-year-old Delhi gang rape victim for the International Women of Courage Award. 

The award would be presented posthumously by the First Lady Michelle Obama and the Secretary of State John Kerry, on March 8.

“For millions of Indian women, her personal ordeal, perseverance to fight for justice, and her family’s continued bravery is helping to lift the stigma and vulnerability that drive violence against women,” the State Department said about her as it announced the awards to be given to 10 women from across the world. 

The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award annually recognises women around the globe who have shown exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for women’s rights and empowerment, often at great personal risk. 

Since inception of the award in 2007, the Department of State has honoured 67 women from 45 different countries. 

The other awardees for this year are Malalai Bahaduri, first sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (Afghanistan); Samira Ibrahim, coordinator, Know Your Rights (Egypt); Julieta Castellanos, rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras); Dr. Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin, president, Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria); Elena Milashina journalist, human rights activist (Russia) and Fartuun Adan, executive director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia). 

Three of the awardees — Tsering Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China), Razan Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and founder, Local Coordination Committees (Syria) and Ta Phong Tan, blogger (Vietnam) would be given the award in absentia. 

After the award ceremony, the honorees will travel separately to cities across the United States to engage with the American people through an International Visitor Leadership Programme.

They will visit Indianapolis, Jackson Hole, Portland, San Francisco, and Tampa.