A Nigerian, Oluwaseun Osowobi, has been named 2019 Commonwealth Young Person of the Year, in recognition of her efforts to end sexual violence.
Osowobi was given the award at a ceremony on Wednesday at the Commonwealth’s headquarters in London.
Three other young persons from India, the Solomon Islands and Saint Lucia also won prizes on the night.
Osowobi, a survivor of sexual violence, set up the Stand to End Rape (STER) initiative to speak against sexual violence.
STER trains healthcare workers on dealing with rape survivors and provides them with free health kits.
“I dream of a future where this work is not required. I dream of the day when sexual violence is completely eradicated from this world,” she said at the event.
A statement by a spokesperson for the Commonwealth Secretariat, Snober Abbasi, says Osowobi and the others will share a £12,000 grant for their innovative projects.
Osowobi also won the Commonwealth Youth Award for the region of Africa, with her project focused on Sustainable Development Goal 5 being gender equality.
