Kathmandu, Oct 21: The State Department of USA has decided to award Nepal’s Urmila Chaudhary, a dalit and labour rights activist, 2024 Global Anti-Racism Champions Award.
The State Department has announced names of Urmila and five others for the award.
The other recipients include:
Dintie Sule Tayiru: A human rights advocate for the Fulbe community from Ghana
Elvis Shakjiri: A Roma human rights activist from North Macedonia
Tanya Duarte: An Afro-Mexican feminist and anti-racism activist from Mexico
Tomasa Yarhui Jacomé: An Indigenous political leader and human rights advocate from Bolivia
John Leerdam: A Black Dutch activist and former parliamentarian from the Netherlands
According to State Department, established in 2023, Global Anti-Racism Champions (GARC) Award honors individuals from civil society globally who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, leadership, and commitment to advancing the human rights of members of marginalized racial, ethnic, and Indigenous communities, including people of African descent, and combating systemic racism, discrimination, and xenophobia in their communities.
The GARC awardees are outstanding civil society leaders, who were nominated by U.S. Embassies and Consulates around the world.
Who is Urmila Chaudhary?
Ms. Chaudhary is an Indigenous rights defender and gender and labor activist who was rescued from child domestic servitude at age 17. She co-founded the Freed Kamlari Development Forum and established 42 cooperatives to empower former Kamlari girls.
She is currently studying at the Kathmandu School of Law to further her fight against injustice. Ms. Chaudhary is being honored for her dedication to advancing the rights of marginalized castes and ethnic communities in Nepal and for combatting systemic racism and intersectional abuses. #StateDepartment #USA #Anti_Racism
