First Lady Jill Biden on Wednesday thanked a group of women from around the world gathered at the White House for the International Women of Courage Award ceremony, calling on men to “be partners” with women and support them in the fight to their rights.
“We need women ready to speak, we need more men ready to listen and to act,” the first lady said at a ceremony at the White House. – We need more men who take care of their families, feed them, teach and educate them, build safer communities. We need more men who know that kindness, cooperation and kindness are signs of strength, not weakness.”
“Men, we need you to support women who are fighting for their rights and support those who have been silenced,” she continued. “Be partners, be partners with women. Become the “manly men” we need. Only then can we build a world in which men and women are equal and all people are free.
In a ceremony held on International Women’s Day, Jill Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken presented awards to 11 winners from Afghanistan, Argentina, Central African Republic, Costa Rica , Ethiopia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Poland and Ukraine.
Among this year’s winners was Yulia Paevskaya, a Ukrainian doctor who last year recorded numerous harrowing videos from a wearable body camera showing her team’s efforts to rescue those injured in the Russian bombing of Mariupol. Paevskaya handed over the footage to The Associated Press, which was the last international news crew in the besieged city.
Journalists shared these images with the world. Soon Paevskaya was arrested by pro-Russian forces and detained for three months.
This year’s prize was also awarded to Kazakh human rights activist Bakhytzhan Toregozhina. In January 2022, she led Kantar 2022, a coalition of civil society organizations working to help victims and document human rights violations related to the riots that took place in Kazakhstan early last year.
Created in 2007 by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Women’s International Courage Award honors women who demonstrate exceptional courage, strength and leadership in the defense of peace. , justice, human rights, gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. . Since its inception, more than 180 women from more than 80 countries have received the award.
Biden moved the ceremony from the State Department because she “wanted to showcase the stories of these incredible women on the biggest stage we could provide, and that’s the White House, of course,” Karine Jean said. Pierre, White House press secretary. which also happened during the ceremony.
