Home About Us Annual Luncheon Voices of Courage Awards Luncheon 2008

Voices of Courage Awards Luncheon 2008

Ending Violence against Refugee, Displaced Women and Girls

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children honored refugee activists from Liberia, Sri Lanka and Chechnya at its 2008 Voices of Courage Awards luncheon on May 6. Each year, the Women’s Commission honors refugee women and youth who work on behalf of other refugees. This year, three passionate women were honored for their brave and tireless work to end sexual violence against refugee women and girls.

The luncheon, held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City, raised almost $600,000 and was attended by more than 500 guests. Lesley Stahl, CBS News correspondent, was host of the luncheon, and Board Co-Chair Dina Dublon presented the awards.

Watch a short film about our three honorees.

Kulah Borbor (left) was honored for her work as an International Rescue Committee (IRC) peer educator in Monrovia, Liberia and for spearheading the West Point Women for Health and Development Organization. For three years, she has been raising awareness and mobilizing communities to stand up against violence against women and girls. Much of her work is trying to stop the practice of female genital mutilation, common in Liberia, and to bring rapists of girls to justice.

Gistam Sakaeva (right, receiving award from Board Co-Chair Dina Dublon) is a pioneer in fighting violence against women in Chechnya, helping survivors find safety and rebuild their lives. Her most courageous initiative is working with perpetrators of violence against women who are serving jail time, most of them for honor killings—the killing of female relatives for “dishonoring” the family reputation. Gistam also works to raise awareness and change harmful attitudes in the general population and offers a range of training to empower women.

“Tomorrow I’m going to Capitol Hill to talk about violence against women and I am very
thankful to [the] Women’s Commission that they gave me this chance to speak on behalf of all Chechen women and share my feelings and experience with you. With steps like this, I know we can make progress and decrease the level of violence, and maybe even stop it forever.” Read Gistam’s complete speech.

For Gistam’s remarks at the Open Society Institute, “Women’s Rights and Social Change in Chechnya,” click here.

Shreen Abdul Saroor (left) founded two women’s organizations in Sri Lanka in response to that country’s endemic sexual violence and human rights abuses. The Mannar Women’s Development Foundation helps Muslim and Tamil women displaced by violence, and Mannar Women for Human Rights and Democracy seeks to bring international attention to sexual violence in the war-torn areas of the north and east, where hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people live.

“During [the] 2002 peace process in Sri Lanka there was not a single woman at the main negotiating table. If at all there will be a peace process in my country, we need to have 50 percent women at the main table. With the help of the Women’s Commission and other dedicated organizations I have great hope that these ambitions could be achieved.” Read the rest of Shreen’s speech.

Find out more about our 2010 Voices of Courage Honorees.

Learn more about the Women’s Commission work to put an end to violence against refugee and displaced women and girls.

Read about last year’s Voices of Courage Awards Luncheon.