The Nobel Peace prize for 2023 was awarded on Friday to the previously obscure Narges Mohammadi for her work in Iran.
Ms Mohammadi will not be receiving her prize personally unless there is a change of heart by the Iranian government, because she is serving a jail term in Tehran for the crime of 'spreading propaganda.' She has not seen her husband and children, who live in exile in Paris, for years.
The Nobel committee called on the Iranian government to free Ms Mohammadi to collect her prize in December.
But Iran's foreign ministry described the award as biased, interventionist and anti-Iranian.
As deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre, Ms Mohammadi has been a flashpoint of growing dissatisfaction with institutional discrimination and oppression of women in the theocratic nation.
The Iranian government has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times. She has been sentenced 31 years in prison and to receive 154 lashes.
On Friday, the UN Secretary-General called the prize: "A tribute to all those women who are fighting for their rights at the risk of their freedom, their health and even their lives."
This announcement comes in the wake of the curious omission of any awardee for the Medal for the Development of Women in TT's 2023 national awards.
Former head of the Network of Women's NGOs Dr Kris Rampersad said, "There is certainly need for rededication to advancing the work to bridge gender gaps (and) address the persistent and systemised dimensions of the gender gap that is inhibiting progress and change."
The Network lists more than 100 NGOs dedicated to achieving gender parity and equal human rights and opportunities across a range of disciplines and special interests.
Founded in 1985 with just 35 organisations, the Network has gone on to forge links between local initiatives and global funding and support systems.
It might be tempting to knock the national awards committee for being unable to find one deserving woman among the hundreds of leaders who comprise the Network or the affiliated thousands who do the necessary fieldwork and outreach.
It's entirely possible that the oversight is a consequence of the almost invisible role that these organisations play in stitching together the social fabric of TT, far from spotlit podiums and photo opportunities, to engage the women and girls whose lives are changed by their interventions.
Ms Mohammadi's peace prize is a reminder that the most important work done to support women and the disadvantaged is done quietly and without reward, save for the thanks of those whose lives are improved by the effort.
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