Julieta Montaño, NED grantee of the Bolivian NGO Oficina Jurídica de la Mujer (Judicial Office for Women), received the U.S. Department of State’s 2015 International Women of Courage Award.
The International Women of Courage Award pays tribute to 10 outstanding women leaders worldwide and recognizes their courage and leadership as they fight for social justice, human rights, and the advancement of women and girls.
Montaño has been a NED grantee for more than five years, providing legal assistance to women in cases of rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse in Bolivia. In total, her organization has provided services to more than 30,000 women in Bolivia and has influenced nearly every piece of legislation that advanced women’s rights over the past 30 years.
The Oficina Jurídica de la Mujer’s advocacy efforts have resulted in stricter penalties for rape and sexual assault, greater protections for reproductive rights, and advances in gender parity laws that helped make Bolivia’s Legislative Assembly one of the most gender equal in the world.
Montaño travelled to Washington, DC, in early March to receive her award at the Department of State along with the nine other recipients.
Congratulations to Julieta Montaño for her extraordinary work in advancing women’s rights in Bolivia!
