Women in Liberation and Leadership is proud to announce that our Founder and CEO Fatou Baldeh MBE was honoured with the 2024 International Women’s Rights Award for her work on Gender Justice and Human Rights at the 2024 Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy. The Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy is a major conference that shines a spotlight on urgent human rights situations that require global attention.
The award was bestowed upon her by the 25 Human Rights Groups of the Geneva Summit Coalition. In announcing the award to her, the Coalition stated, “You have been chosen for your unwavering commitment to the women of The Gambia, through the work of your organization Women in Liberation and Leadership (WILL) to document crimes against women during Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship and to end the practice of FGM”. In her speech at the Summit Fatou dedicated the award to all those courageous women and men who are fighting to end FGM in The Gambia and globally.
Fatou was also awarded an MBE in 2019 for her work against the practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Scotland. In March 2024 she was honoured with the 2024 International Women of Courage Award at the White House by the United States Secretary of State and First Lady, among 18 women carefully selected globally based on the impactful work they do to promote the rights of women.
A holder of an MSc in Sexual and Reproductive Health, a BSc in Health and Psychology, and PhD Research Fellow at MRCG, Fatou has led WILL with distinction and inspired many young girls and women through her work.
