Bravery brings US award for Bangladeshi girl

The United States was due to honour a Bangladeshi girl for her bravery in Washington yesterday along with 12 other women from across the world.
First Lady Melania Trump and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A Shannon will present the ‘2017 Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award’ to a group of extraordinary women from around the world at the US Department of State, including Sharmin Akter of Bangladesh, according to a press release issued by the US embassy in Dhaka yesterday.
The award annually recognises women around the globe 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. Since the inception of this award in 2007, the US Department of State has honoured over 100 women from more than 60 different countries.
At the age of only 15, Sharmin Akter from Jhalakathi courageously resisted her mother's attempts to marry her off and secured the precious right to continue her education, setting an example for teenage girls across South Asia facing similar pressures. 
Bangladesh has one of the world's highest rates of child marriage, a trend that threatens the health, safety, and education of millions of girls and undermines the country's progress. 
Sharmin demonstrated exceptional courage and self-possession by refusing to be coerced into marrying a man who is decades older than her. She dared to break the silence expected of women and girls and advocated for her rights, eventually bringing her mother and prospective husband to justice. 
Celebrated for her bravery, Sharmin now is a student at Rajapur Pilot Girls’ High School and she dreams of becoming a lawyer to campaign against the harmful tradition of early and forced marriage.

 

Bravery brings US award for Bangladeshi girl

The United States was due to honour a Bangladeshi girl for her bravery in Washington yesterday along with 12 other women from across the world. First Lady Melania Trump and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A Shannon will present the 2017 Secretary of States International Women of Courage Award to a group of extraordinary women from around the world at the US Department of State, including Sharmin Akter of Bangladesh, according to a press release issued by the US embassy in Dhaka yesterday. The award annually recognises women around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and womens empowerment, often at great personal risk. Since the inception of this award in 2007, the US Department of State has honoured over 100 women from more than 60 different countries. At the age of only 15, Sharmin Akter from Jhalakathi courageously resisted her mothers attempts to marry her off and secured the precious right to continue her education, setting an example for teenage girls across South Asia facing similar pressures. Bangladesh has one of the worlds highest rates of child marriage, a trend that threatens the health, safety, and education of millions of girls and undermines the countrys progress. Sharmin demonstrated exceptional courage and self-possession by refusing to be coerced into marrying a man who is decades older than her. She dared to break the silence expected of women and girls and advocated for her rights, eventually bringing her mother and prospective husband to justice. Celebrated for her bravery, Sharmin now is a student at Rajapur Pilot Girls High School and she dreams of becoming a lawyer to campaign against the harmful tradition of early and forced marriage.