Saudi women’s group wins EU rights prize

RIYADH - A Saudi charity which helps divorced and underprivileged women has won a European Union prize for human rights groups in the Arabian Gulf, the Riyadh office of the European Commission said on Wednesday.

The Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women won the first Chaillot Prize over several other rights groups for its range of activities, including preparing underprivileged and undereducated women for jobs, setting up a school for Down Syndrome children, and assisting needy families, according to the Commission.

The award was announced to mark the 60th anniversary on Wednesday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, originally presented to the UN General Assembly at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.Several rights groups in member-states of the Gulf Cooperation Council were short-listed for the prize, which fetches the winner $7,760 in prize money.

“With the launching of the Chaillot Prize, the EC desires to acknowledge the extraordinary work which is done by some institutions and individuals in the field of human rights in all the Gulf countries,” said Antonia Calvo, the EC deputy head of mission for the region.

Al-Nahda is one of Saudi Arabia’s oldest and most prominent non-governmental organizations, and its first foundation for women, founded in 1962 under the auspices of Princess Sara Al-Faisal and Princess Latifa Al-Faisal.Aside from helping thousands of poor women learn crafts and trades to help support themselves or augment family income, the group helps to provide housing to poor families and operates health awareness programs for poor women.The prize will be awarded in ceremony in Riyadh on Dec. 17, Calvo said. - AFP

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