IN a prestigious ceremony held at The Black Magenta, Georgetown Club, Georgetown, the European Union hosted an awards ceremony on Wednesday to honor outstanding contributions to human rights.
At the event, the 2023 EU Delegation’s Human Rights Award was presented to Clonel Samuels-Boston, the Coordinator of Women Across Differences’ (WAD).

In her acceptance speech, the coordinator stated that her journey at Women Across Differences began over two decades ago. She highlighted that the umbrella focus of women’s and girls’ empowerment has remained the same.
Samuels-Boston reflected, “The journey has not always been a smooth one, but it has always been a very fulfilling and rewarding one. It came with challenges, but lots of success, and I see those successes everyday through the transformation and differences made in the lives of our beneficiaries.”

These beneficiaries, she said, are the women and girls, and adolescent mothers.
She explained that her focus is on adolescent mothers because, as a group, they face challenges arising from their stage of development, from pregnancy to motherhood.

Many of these girls come from single-parent families and would have been sexually abused from childhood and subsequently involved in intimate-abusive relationships, resulting in many issues.
Samuel-Boston further said that WAD remains committed to achieving greater gender equality and equity by empowering women and girls. She revealed that this is done through their signature programme for WAD, a comprehensive empowerment programme for adolescent mothers and girls.

Meanwhile, the European Union’s Head of Co-operations, Joan Nadal Sastre, remarked that this event was to celebrate the individuals and organizations who would have demonstrated their dedication to the universal principles and instructions.
As stated by him, this presentation holds significance beyond mere recognition. The unwavering focus on their dedication to establishing a world that values human rights, diplomacy, and the rule of law is notable. They proudly declare themselves steadfast supporters of a robust multilateral human rights system.

“For giving this award, we acknowledge that dedication and courage in advancing human rights. This recognition not only motivates and inspires others to join the struggle for human rights but also helps to raise public awareness about the importance of upholding and respecting this fundamental right,” he said.
The Head of Co-operation stated that awarding Civil Society Groups can serve as a reminder to governments and institutions to uphold their obligations to respect rights and support civil society in their fight.