TOURINFO- March 4, 2020-For the first time since the inception of the US Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage (IWOC) Awards, Armenian journalist Lucy Kocharyan has been honored with International Women of Courage Award.
US First lady Melania Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo honored recipients of the 2020 International Women of Courage Award at a State Department ceremony Wednesday.
The all-female award presented ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday recognizes women across the world who demonstrate “exceptional courage and leadership” in the face of adversity and who have made a positive impact on their communities.
“Using her platform as a journalist, Kocharyan has championed children with mental health issues and has emerged as a leading voice in the fight against psychological, physical, and domestic violence against women and children. Through her dedication and resolve, Kocharyan became famous for launching “Voices of Violence” in August 2018. She has become a spokesperson on gender-based violence in Armenia and has continued to speak out despite harsh criticism – from people on the street who yell “shame” as she passes by, to parliamentarians speaking out against her and threatening her with lawsuits. She successfully started a conversation about domestic and sexual violence that is slowly leading to some action. Gender-based violence is a pervasive problem throughout Armenia, where traditional social norms regarding masculinity, femininity, gender equality, and the division of household tasks remain rigid, making her achievements and impact all the more impressive”, the State Department said in a media note announcing the recipients.
Lucy Kocharyan hosts two programs on Public Radio of Armenia, where she raises issues of health, women, and children.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s spouse Anna Hakobyan will also attend the awarding ceremony at the invitation of the State Department.
2020 award winners came from Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China, Malaysia, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Syria, Yemen, and Zimbabwe. They have faced everything from death threats to lawsuits to social media harassment while taking on their leadership positions and attempting to make positive change.
