In celebration of International Women’s Day, the Department of State of the USA announced the recipients of the third annual Secretary of State’s Award for International Women of Courage.
Eight exceptional women from Afghanistan, Guatemala, Iraq, Malaysia, Niger, the Russian Federation, Uzbekistan and Yemen are being recognized by the U.S. secretary of state as “Women of Courage.” The women are being recognized for their outstanding contributions on behalf of women and their societies, and for tackling such issues as domestic violence, forced child marriage, human trafficking and government corruption. These women are fighting for government transparency, access to justice, the rule of law, and equal rights and opportunities for women.
Veronika Marchenko has demonstrated exceptional bravery and leadership in exposing the truth surrounding the disturbing peacetime deaths within the Russian armed forces. She has successfully sought justice on behalf of bereaved families of servicemen who died as a result of cruel and inhumane conditions.
Marchenko started the Mother’s Right Foundation in 1990, while she was still a student. She worked out of a small room in downtown Moscow with one table, one chair, and a telephone.
When her activism brought public attention to hazing in the then-Soviet armed forces, the small foundation became an NGO with a mission of exposing the true circumstances surrounding peacetime deaths in the army. It provided moral and legal support to surviving families and lobbied against corruption in the armed forces.
The organization led by Marchenko is an outstanding example of a grass-roots endeavor that began with little more than a commitment to social justice, and evolved into an influential and powerful group. Marchenko’s courage in defying the pressure of authorities and her perseverance over nearly 20 years allowed this to happen. Today, Mother’s Right is a whistleblower organization that brings public scrutiny of human rights abuses to a large and opaque bureaucracy, giving vindication and sustenance to families, and support and improved conditions to young men serving their country.
The women will be in Washington from March 8 – 12 for a program of meetings with government officials, NGOs, and the media. The Office of International Visitors is partnering with the Office of International Women’s Issues on this project.
