Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has worked for peace and women’s rights in her country.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni human rights activist Tawakkol Karman have been awarded the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize. The three women are leaders who have worked for peace, democracy, and equal rights for women.
Sirleaf is the first woman to be elected president of an African nation. She was elected in 2005 after a long civil war in Liberia. Sirleaf has worked to promote continued peace in her country and to strengthen the role of women. Sirleaf studied economics at Harvard University in the United States. Her education helped her rebuild Liberia’s economy after the war. Sirleaf is currently running for reelection.
Leymah Gbowee worked to bring together women from different cultures and religions to protest Liberia’s civil war. She led marches and encouraged women to sing and pray for peace. Gbowee is the head of the Women Peace and Security Network. She urges women in West Africa to participate in elections.
Tawakkol Karman is a leader in the protests against the president of Yemen. Yemen is a country in the Middle East next to Saudi Arabia. Karman and other protesters believe that the government has been violating human rights. Human rights are the basic freedoms that belong to all people. Karman co-founded a group called Women Journalists Without Chains to promote freedom of speech in Yemen. She has called for the release of people who are in prison for speaking out against the government.
Since 1901, when the first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded, only 12 of the winners have been women. The last woman to win the prize was Wangari Maathai of Kenya in 2004. Maathai, who died in September 2011, won for her contributions to conservation and women’s rights. The Nobel Peace Prize is decided by a five-person committee chosen by Norway’s parliament. This year’s winners will share a $1.5 million prize, which will help fund the work they do.
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