The US State Department has awarded Zarifa Ghafari, mayor of Maidan Shahr in Maidan Wardak, the International Women of Courage (IWOC) award alongside ten other women from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Nicaragua, Syria, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

The US State Department said that Ghafari stood up to opposition: 

"Despite death threats, Ms. Ghafari came back, defying her conservative critics and their narrative that a woman is unfit to lead." US State Dept said.

“The world needs women who continue to be willing to take risks and summon courage. And unquestionably, today’s awardees are doing just that,” said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Ghafari was appointed to the position in 2018, but her appointment was held up by officials, and she did not start her tenure officially until March 2019. The New York Times wrote a profile of her with the startling title: "Afghan Town's Female Mayor Awaits Her Assassination," in which she expressed the level of risk she felt her job entailed.

Meanwhile, US First Lady Melania Trump also said that she was inspired by the courage and determination of these women.

“I continue to be inspired by the personal stories that accompany each of these extraordinary women,” said US First Lady Melina Trump at the event.

“I am not a hero. I am just the mayor of Maidan Shahr, a city in southern side of capital. It’s a conservative place, a place where men aren’t used to seeing women in position of authority, a place where some men resist women in authority. When I start – I started my job, the men at the municipal office refused to acknowledge me and my authority. A mob came and chased me away. They thought that was the end of that, but I came back. I came back and I stood my ground,” said Ghafari.

“A few years ago I would not have expected that they would ever hear me and my advice. Now I am even listened and to be treated with full of respect. In the news, the women of Afghanistan are often seen as victims and it is true that women have been bearing the brunt of war,” Ghafari noted.

“When I walk around in Wardak Province, I know that other girls and women look at me and definitely will say, “I am smart. Why I can’t do whatever Zarifa is doing?” I’m sure they will definitely say,” she said.

On the Taliban era, she said: “Women of my generation have not forgotten the reign of the Taliban, and we are as always worried for the future. Therefore, let me ask for your continued support to ensure that Afghan peace process does not erase the gains that have been made since the dark days of the Taliban regime.”

Marie Royce, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs also spoke at the event and paid home to the bravery of these women.

“The International Women of Courage not only receive this prestigious award, but they also participate in an ECA exchange program called the International Visitor Leadership Program, or IVLP, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year,” she said.