Bangladeshi Sharmin Akter was honoured with US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award by First Lady Melania Trump and the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon.
The (IWOC) Award ceremony took place at the Department of State in Washington.
Addressing the function, First Lady Melania Trump said: It will be my great honor to share a stage with these amazing women. Each of the award recipients has overcome incredible odds in her pursuit to change the world and make it better.
“As a women, we must continue to stand together with the steadfast goal of making our world safer through acts of collaborative and individual bravery. As we all know, wherever women are diminished, the entire world is diminished with them.”
The First Lady said: We need to continue working toward gender empowerment and respect for people from all backgrounds and ethnicities, always remembering that together we are one race – the human race – and each one of us has unique gifts and talents to share with the world.
International Women of Courage has so far honoured more than 100 courageous women from over 60 countries, including Bangladesh.
This year’s ceremony was meant to showcase and support a group of women who put their personal safety and sometimes lives at risk in order to help improve their communities. The award, now in its 11th year, honors those who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to advance the lives of others across the globe.
Sharmin Akter
Sharmin was recognized for her courageous role against early and forced marriage in Bangladesh.
At the age of only 15, Sharmin Akter courageously resisted her mother’s attempts to marry her off and secured the precious right to continue her education, setting an example for teenage girls across South Asia facing similar pressures.
She demonstrated exceptional courage and self-possession by refusing to be coerced into marrying a man who is decades older than her. She dared to break the silence expected of women and girls and advocated for her rights, eventually bringing her mother and prospective husband to justice.
Celebrated for her bravery, Sharmin today is a student at Rajapur Pilot Girls High School where she dreams of becoming a lawyer to campaign against the harmful tradition of early and forced marriage.
Bangladesh has one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage, a trend that threatens the health, safety, and education of millions of girls and undermines the country’s progress.
Women of Courage Award
The award annually recognizes women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk.
Since the inception of this award in 2007, the Department of State has honored over 100 women from more than 60 different countries.
The 2017 awardees
• Sharmin Akter, Activist Against Early/ Forced Marriage, Bangladesh
• Malebogo Malefhe, Gender-Based Violence Survivor and Advocate, Botswana
• Natalia Ponce de León, Human Rights Defender and Acid Attack Survivor, Colombia
• Rebecca Kabugho, Political Rights Activist, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Jannat Al Ghezi, Anti-Trafficking and Human Rights Activist, Iraq
• Major Aïchatou Issaka Ousmane, Peace Building Activist, Niger
• Veronica Simogun, Activist Against Gender-Based Violence, Papua New Guinea
• Cindy Arlette Contreras Bautista, Domestic Violence Survivor and Advocate, Peru
• Sandya Eknelygoda, Peace and Reconciliation Activist, Sri Lanka
• Sister Carolin Tahhan Fachakh, Interfaith Activist, Syria
• Saadet Özkan, Anti-Child Abuse Activist, Turkey
• MNguyen Ngoc NhuQuynh, Blogger and Environmental Activist, Vietnam
• Fadia Najib Thabet, Children’s Rights Advocate, Yemen
