Taipei Times
Date: Dec 11, 2015
By: Staff Writer, with CNA
Sunita Danuwar of Nepal yesterday won the Asia Democracy and Human
President Ma Ying-jeou, center, hands this year’s Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award to Nepalese social activist Sunita Danuwar, right, during the Human Rights Day celebration yesterday in Taipei. Photo: EPA
Rights Award, which was presented to her by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy at a ceremony in Taipei, in recognition of her dedication to rescuing female victims of human trafficking.
Once a sex slave, Danuwar is now president of Shakti Samuha, a non-governmental organization in Nepal that provides shelter, legal aid, vocational training and counseling to survivors of human trafficking.
The award was presented to Danuwar by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at the ceremony on International Human Rights Day.
Members of political party People Are The Boss, the Union of Excluded Immigrants and Unwanted Citizens and other human rights organizations yesterday protest against the government’s decision to repatriate four Chinese political refugees outside the venue of the Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award ceremony in Taipei.
In an address at the ceremony, Ma praised Danuwar’s unrelenting efforts to rescue female victims of human trafficking, saying she has also helped raise awareness of the problem.
Danuwar has built a good reputation at home and abroad, going from a victim to an activist for women’s rights, Ma said.
The annual market value of human trafficking and child prostitution is estimated at tens of billions of US dollars, Ma said, adding that the efforts to combat the problem must continue. [FULL STORY]
