Known to India and the world as 'Nirbhaya' (fearless), the 23-year-old physiotherapy intern, whose brutal gang-rape in December inspired widespread protests, has been posthumously presented with the International Women of Courage Award.
"Her bravery inspired millions of women and men to come together with a simple message: No more. No more looking the other way when gender-based violence happens. No more stigma against victims or survivors," the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, said at a State Department function held yesterday to honour women from across the globe with the prestigious International Women of Courage Award.
The award was presented to the girl posthumously. None of her family members were present on the occasion. However, the Indian Ambassador to the US, Nirupama Rao, was present at the award ceremony in which eight others were presented with the award.
In a rare gesture, Kerry asked the jam packed auditorium to stand and join him in a moment of silence for 'Nirbhaya', whom he described as "brave, big hearted and fearless".
"Nirbhaya's fight survives her. For inspiring people to work together to end violence against women in India and around the world, by displaying immense courage in demanding justice, and with great sadness, we honour Nirbhaya as a woman of exceptional courage, and we honour her posthumously," the Secretary of State said at the function presided over by the US First Lady, Michelle Obama.
The other awardees for this year were Malalai Bahaduri, First Sergeant, Afghan National Interdiction Unit (Afghanistan); Julieta Castellanos, Rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras); Dr Josephine Obiajulu Odumakin, President, Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria); Elena Milashina, journalist, human rights activist (Russia); and Fartuun Adan, Executive Director, Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia), Tsering Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, blogger (China); Razan Zeitunah, human rights lawyer and Founder, Local Coordination Committees (Syria) and Ta Phong Tan, blogger (Vietnam).
Speaking on the occasion, the First Lady, Michelle Obama, said when these women witnessed horrific crimes or the disregard for basic human rights, they spoke up, risking everything they had to see that justice was done.
"When they saw their communities or their countries were ignoring issues like sexual violence or women's rights, they gave those issues a face and a voice. And with every act of strength and defiance, with every blog post, with every community meeting, these women have inspired millions to stand with them, and find their own voices, and work together to achieve real and lasting change," she said.
The First Lady said that the award was not simply an honour bestowed upon a few, but a call for all of us to open our eyes to the injustices around us.
