MANILA, Philippines–Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Rina Jimenez-David was among the 15 journalists honored by a global advocacy organization for championing the health and rights of girls and women through their reporting.

 

Women Deliver, which focuses on the heath, rights and well-being of women, honored the journalists on Sunday, International Women’s Day. They were chosen “for their consistent and game-changing coverage of maternal, sexual and reproductive health and rights issues on the global and national levels.”

 

The 15 honorees were women and men from 12 countries across Africa, Asia, North and South America who have used their voices and media platforms to bring attention to issues like female genital mutilation in Liberia, Cameroon and Tanzania, women’s rights abuses in India and Pakistan, teenage pregnancy in Uganda, contraceptive access in the Philippines and Senegal, and sexual exploitation around the World Cup in Brazil.

 

“Our honorees aren’t just reporting from behind a desk—they are on the front lines and their coverage save lives. They go far beyond what many would do, even putting their own lives in harm’s way, because women’s stories matter to all of us,” said Women Deliver chief executive officer Katja Iversen.

 

The other journalists honored were Florencia Goldsman, Argentina; Tareq Salahuddin, Bangladesh; Comfort Mussa and Chi Yvonne Leina, Cameroon; Stella Paul, India; Lucy Maroncha, Kenya; Mae Azango, Liberia; Farahnaz Zahidi Moazzam, Pakistan; Maimouna Gueye, Senegal; Rose Mwalongo, Tanzania; Brian Mutebi and Catherine Mwesigwa, Uganda; Allyn Gaestel, USA; and Jina Moore, USA/Kenya.

 

Women Deliver has opened an online voting contest to allow people to vote for the journalist who inspires them most. Voting will close on May 20 at 11:59 p.m. and the three journalists with the most votes will receive scholarships to attend Women Deliver’s 2016 conference in Copenhagen on May 16 to 19, 2016.

 

For more information, visit www.womendeliver.org.