Puja Kapai Nominated for 2015 International Women of Courage Award

Congratulations to Puja Kapai who was nominated for the 8th International Women of Courage Award.  The citation for the nomination read as follows:

"US Consulate Hong Kong is proud to nominate Dr. Puja Kapai, Associate Professor at Hong Kong University, for the Secretary’s 2015 International Women of Courage award. Dr. Kapai has been a stalwart supporter of victims of domestic violence, has led advocacy efforts to increase awareness on trafficking in persons (TIP) issues, and has been an outspoken champion of ethnic minority students, helping them overcome challenges in obtaining a quality education in Hong Kong. These causes are often unpopular or unwelcome, and large sectors of society remain unaware of the significant challenges non-Chinese-speaking minorities face in Hong Kong. Dr. Kapai is a Hong Kong-born Indian, attended a segregated (“designated”) ethnic minority public school in Hong Kong, and eventually made it to Harvard despite her family’s modest background. She is one of a handful of tenured ethnic minority professors in Hong Kong. Dr. Kapai serves on the Board of Directors of the Asian Migrants Centre and Unison, a local non-government organization (NGO) promoting ethnic minority rights."

The Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award was established in 2007, to honour women around the globe who have exemplified exceptional courage and leadership in advocating for human rights, women’s equality, and social progress. This is the only Department of State award that pays tribute to emerging women leaders worldwide.  Kapai is Director of the Centre for Comparative and Public Law and will be speaking on "Honour, Shame and Empowerment: The Journey to Equality for Victims of Domestic Violence" on 31 March 2015, 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm, organised by Raising the Bar Hong Kong.