St. Louis, Mo :The World Affairs Council of St. Louis (World Affairs STL)—a non-profit organization that assists the community in understanding global culture, policy, and business—recently hosted the virtual International Leadership Visitors Program (IVLP) to honor 2021 International Women of Courage award winner Mayerlis Angarita of Colombia. World Affairs STL was selected as one of only 12 councils in the U.S. to participate in this IVLP opportunity, which connects the awardees with American counterparts to share strategies and ideas to empower women around the globe.
World Affairs STL hosted Angarita, who has courageously advanced peace and human rights in Colombia. She founded Narrate to Live, a civil society organization which now serves more than 800 women victims of conflict. After the most recent attempt on her life, Angarita engaged the highest levels of the Colombia government to advance a comprehensive action plan to prevent violence against women leaders in the community. Her constructive engagement across 27 government entities, civil society, and the international community has been key to the plan’s success and propelled it to become a model for human rights defender protection throughout Columbia.
Angarita was specifically interested in discussing the dismantling of machismo behavior and protecting women against sexual violence, abuse and murder. She and her interpreters virtually met with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, as well as Safe Connections, one of the area’s oldest and largest organizations working to prevent and end domestic and sexual violence while helping survivors thrive, and Saint Louis Crisis Nursery, a recognized leader in the prevention of child abuse and neglect in the region.
Now in its 15th year, the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award (IWOC) recognizes women from around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality, and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. This year’s event was virtually hosted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
