Melania Trump honors international women with awards for courage
First lady Melania Trump joined Secretary of State Marco Rubio to honor eight women from around the world who she said “prove that love can inspire extraordinary valor even in the face of vulnerability.”
Tuesday marked the fifth time she appeared as first lady to honor recipients of the annual International Women of Courage Awards. It was also only the second public remarks the first lady has made since her husband's inauguration.
“I have harnessed the power of love as a source of strength during challenging times,” Trump said. “Love has inspired me to embrace forgiveness, nurture empathy, and exhibit bravery in the face of unforeseen obstacles.”
Since 2007, the State Department has recognized more than 200 women “for their work promoting peace and prosperity and human rights in communities and in countries across the world,” Rubio said. “They do so oftentimes at extraordinary risk to themselves, to their families, to their loved ones. Not just important work, but work that took courage.”
In her speech, Melania Trump highlighted the contributions of Georgiana Pascu, of Romania, who was recognized for her work promoting the treatment of thousands of children and adults with disabilities in her country through research, training and legal advocacy.
Pascu was instrumental in the adoption of the first law for monitoring visits to care institutions in the region, according to the State Department.
“Georgiana is a watchdog who defends the dignity of Romanians whose voices cannot be heard,” the first lady said. “She fearlessly enters facilities designated as care centers to rescue people with disabilities who are unwittingly held captive.”
Pascu’s work has led to dozens of offenders being charged with human trafficking, exploitation and organized crime, the first lady said.
Other recipients included women from Burkina Faso, Israel, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Sudan, Sri Lanka and Yemen.
"The 2025 International Women of Courage Award recipients come from diverse backgrounds and regions," Trump said. "Yet, love transcends boundaries and territories. It is a universal language."
Last month, the first lady dedicated her first public remarks against the publication of nonconsensual sexually explicit images, saying the consequences for victims are "heartbreaking" and calling the online atmosphere "toxic."
During her husband's first term, Melania Trump advocated against cyberbullying with her “Be Best” campaign.
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy is a White House correspondent for Paste BN. You can follow her on X @SwapnaVenugopal