EXECUTIVE Director of the Msichana Initiative in Tanzania, Rebeca Gyumi, has been honoured for her efforts to end child marriage in the country at the first annual Global Goals Awards in New York.
Speaking shortly after receiving the
award, she said “I would like to dedicate this award to all Tanzanian
girls and every girl around the world who escaped child marriage in
search of freedom. You are my true motivation,” she said.
Ms Gyumi, along with the Msichana
Initiative, won a landmark court case in July that ended legal
provisions permitting child marriage in the country. “Changing the law
is one step towards ending child marriage.
But it is just the beginning of a wider
campaign to change these inhuman acts,” said Gyumi, adding that for
child marriage to end, people need to work together.
Ms Gyumi was honoured during a ceremony
in New York along with a Syrian teen and Olympic swimmer who saved
fellow refugees from drowning, and an organization that brings health
care to vulnerable girls and women in Pakistan.
The three honorees were recognised for
their significant contributions to advancing the rights of girls and
women. Leaders from business, government, and entertainment attended the
ceremony.
Also present were Chief International
Correspondent for CNN, Christiane Amanpour, entrepreneur Chris Anderson
and Grammy Award winner and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo.
The Global Goal Awards are part of
ongoing efforts to rally support for the Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs), a set of goals unanimously adopted by every country in the world
to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by
2030.
The awards were curated by UNICEF with the 17 SDG Advocates forming the official judging panel.
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