Sydney Peace Prize, Women and Iraq

The recipient of the 2006 Sydney Peace Prize, to be awarded tonight, will be Ms. Irene Khan the Secretary General of Amnesty International.

Director of the Sydney Peace Foundation, Emeritus Professor Stuart Rees said, “The peace prize jury recognised the significance of Ms Khan’s efforts to eliminate violence towards women, whether that violence was caused by poverty, by men’s abusive power, by cultural norms or religious traditions. We are also impressed by her diversity – someone who was brought up as a Muslim in Bangladesh, who has married into another culture, who was educated in three different countries and has served the United Nations High Commission for Refugees for over 20 years before becoming Secretary General of Amnesty International”.

The prize comes as all the evidence from Iraq shows that the life and role of women has actually gone backwards since the overthrow of Saddam. Read a revealing report in the IHT here. Meanwhile listen to ABC Radio's Breakfast program this morning [online at abc.com.au] for an interview with Khan.

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