Sara in USA to receive Int’l Women of Courage Award

Barrister Sara Hossain reached the United States to receive the US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award 2016, reports UNB news agency.

She will receive her award in Washington, DC at a ceremony to be held at 8:30pm (BST) today and 10:30am (local time).

US Secretary of State John Kerry and 13 other awardees from around the world will attend the ceremony, said a US Embassy statement on Tuesday.

This award annually recognises women from around the world 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.

Sara, daughter of eminent jurist Kamal Hossain, is a human rights lawyer who has served as a powerful voice for Bangladesh’s most disadvantaged and marginalised citizens, particularly women and girls, in her country’s highest courts of law.

A lawyer in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and the honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Sara played a key role in drafting her country’s first comprehensive legislation on violence against women, which became law in 2010.

She has brought landmark cases challenging practices such as forced veiling, the use of fatwas to impose degrading punishments on women and girls, and the use of non-medical procedures to judge a woman’s virginity in rape and sexual assault cases.

Her courage, passion, and integrity have earned her the trust of her clients, and respect from human rights advocates around the world.

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the award, for which nearly 100 women have been recognised.