Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards

Equality Now aims to protect and promote the rights of women and girls around the world, and is particularly active in Kenya. Image: Dai Kurokawa / EPA

Finland‘s International Gender Equality Prize has been awarded to the global non-profit organisation Equality Now as a recognition of its work in tackling gender inequality and changing discriminatory laws around the world. For more information on the award, see: http://www.trueheroesfilms.org/thedigest/awards/international-gender-equality-prize.

Yasmeen Hassan, Global Executive Director of Equality Now, collected the award on behalf of the organisation at a ceremony in Tampere on Monday 2 December: “Of course we are excited. Women’s organisations are small all over the world and often lack the resources. That is why getting such recognition is fantastic,” Hassan said.

Equality Now was established in New York in 1992 with the aim of protecting and promoting the rights of women and girls around the world. Currently, the organisation is particularly active in Kenya, where it is trying to reduce child marriages, sexual abuse of women and female genital mutilation. According to Hassan, much work remains to be done. According to the organisation’s website, Equality Now is a non-governmental organisation that aims “to increase awareness of the violations to women’s rights that happen every day around the world”.

During the open nomination period, over 300 proposals from more than 60 countries were submitted for consideration for the award, and the final decision was based on the recommendation of an independent international jury.

The jury included Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s current Minister for Foreign Affairs, Eva Biaudet, President of the National Council of Women of Finland, Katja Iversen, President and CEO of Women Deliver, Anneli Jäätteenmäki, a former Member of the European Parliament, and Dean Peacock, Senior Advisor for Global Advocacy at Promundo.