Washington, Us — Journalist, lawyer and human rights advocate Agather Atuhaire has been recognised for her work to promote the rule of law in Uganda.
Atuhaire was one of 13 women from across the world who were presented with U.S. State Department's International Women of Courage Awards (IWOC) during a ceremony Monday at the White House.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and first lady Jill Biden hosted the event, with the awards this year going to women from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Cuba, Ecuador, Gambia, Iran, Japan, Morocco, Nicaragua and Uganda.
"For these women and so many activists like them around the world, courage is a deliberate and daily choice," Blinken said. "Women and girls demonstrate similar bravery in places that are wracked by conflict and insecurity even as they are disproportionately harmed by that violence."
The Secretary of State's IWOC Award annually recognizes women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity, and more, often at great personal risk and sacrifice.
"Now, this year's International Women of Courage are simply extraordinary. They're advocating for domestic workers in Bangladesh and people with disabilities in Afghanistan. They're exposing corruption in Uganda, combating sexual harassment in Japan, standing up for the children of war-torn - of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina, fighting for democracy in Belarus," Blinken said.
Each year, the IWOC awardees are invited to Washington, DC to receive their awards from the Secretary of State and the First Lady of the United States in a high-level ceremony held on or in proximity to International Women's Day (March 8th).
The IWOC awardees conclude their visit to the Untied States with a dinner hosted by American Women for International Understanding (AWIU) in Los Angeles, California, which provides the awardees with special grants to continue their work at home.
"The United States stands with every woman of courage working to build greater stability, greater equality, and greater opportunity. And we are committed to knocking down the barriers that prevent women and girls from reaching their full potential alongside them. That's why championing the rights of women and girls in all of their diversity is a central part of our foreign policy."
Who is Atuhaire?
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Atuhaire is a renowned journalist, lawyer and social justice activist who advocates for human rights, public accountability, and the rule of law in Uganda.
Her work as a journalist has brought to light parliamentary abuse of process and excess, threats to multi-party democracy and governance, health sector abuses, sexual harassment in the NGO sector, and violations of students' rights.
Atuhaire's work has garnered her a reputation as a trusted voice on matters of governance, accountability, and social justice in Uganda.
Her dedication to alleviating suffering for others - sometimes at great personal risk - has brought change to Ugandan institutions such as Parliament, National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC), Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ministry of Health, and the Law Development Center to name a few.
As team leader at AGORA - a platform to foster public discourse, social justice, public accountability - her team continues to hold leaders accountable through evidence-based activism, reporting, and civic awareness.
