Zimbabwe's Beatrice Mtetwa Scoops Human Rights Award
Zimbabwe's Lawyers For Human Rights (ZLHR) Board Member Beatrice Mtetwa speaks to the media outside the High Court after she was granted a $500 bail in Harare, March 25, 2013. (File Photo)
WASHINGTON DC —
Human rights lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa was Tuesday honoured with nine other women by the United States with the State Department Secretary’s International Women of Courage Award.
First Lady Michelle Obama joined Deputy Secretary Heather Higginbottom and the awardees as a special guest at the Tuesday morning ceremony at the U.S. State Department.
Mtetwa follows in the footsteps of human rights activist Jestina Mukoko, who also received the same award, from former Secretary Hillary Clinton.
The Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage 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 State Department has honored 76 women from 49 different countries.
Following the award ceremony and meetings with U.S. government officials and NGO counterparts in Washington, D.C., the honorees will travel as a group to Pittsburgh, then separately to cities across the United States to engage with the American people through an international visitor leadership program.
They will visit Denver, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Portland, Dallas, Minneapolis, and Syracuse on their individual programs.
The women will reconvene in Chicago to reflect on their visit and discuss ways to work together to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.
