Secretary Clinton announced the 10 winners of this year's International Women of Courage (IWOC) award. On March 10, Secretary Clinton will present the awards to the honorees at the Department of State.
The awardees are:
Shukria Asil of Afghanistan for promoting government responsiveness to the needs of women.
Colonel Shafiqa Quraishi of Afghanistan for integrating women into the government and police force.
Androula Henriques of Cyprus for fighting human trafficking.
Sonia Pierre of the Dominican Republic for ending discrimination based on country of origin and the human rights abuses of statelessness.
Shadi Sadr of Iran for advocating for women's legal rights and an end to execution by stoning.
Ann Njogu of Kenya for seeking social transformation and being at the forefront of reforms in Kenya.
Jansila Majeed of Sri Lanka for strengthening rights for internally displaced persons.
Sister Marie Claude Naddaf (a.k.a. Sister Marie Claude) of Syria for working for social services for women.
Jestina Mukoko of Zimbabwe for documenting human rights abuses.
Much more, to include biographies, at The U.S. Department of State.
A Woman of Courage: Col. Shafiqa Quarashi - By Staff Sgt. Sarah Brown, NTM-A / CSTC-A.
Calm, quiet and poised, Col. Shafiqa Quarashi doesn't give the impression of a passionate defender of women's rights, that is, until she speaks. With her voice ringing with conviction, Shafiqa boldly tells an audience full of females that they will never get their rights by sitting at home; they have to go out and get them, to demand them.
"No one will give your rights to you as a gift, you have to take them. Who is saying women can't do anything. We can do everything, anything you want," she said. "We have to fight against corruption and those who are against women working." It is with speeches like this, given at the Ministry of Interior's International Women's Day recognition ceremony March 4, that it's easy to see why Shafiqa, an Afghan National Police office, was selected as a 2010 International Woman of Courage.
The award, presented by U.S. Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, will be presented to 10 women from around the world March 10 at the State Department; 75 women were nominated from more than 70 countries including Zimbabwe, Iran, Republic of Korea, Kenya, Syria, Dominican Republic and Sri Lanka...
Much more at NTM-A / CSTC-A.