On the occasion of the 58th anniversary of International Human
Rights Day, the U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Richard W.
Graber will later today present the Alice Garrigue Masaryk Award to
Lucie Sladkova, Head of the IOM Mission in Prague, for her
outstanding efforts in raising the issue and presenting solutions
regarding forced labour and human trafficking in the Czech
Republic.



Two years ago, the U.S. Embassy in Prague established the Alice
Garrigue Masaryk Award to recognize persons in the Czech Republic
who have made an exceptional contribution to the advancement of
human rights in the country through courageous promotion of social
justice and defence of democratic liberties and an open civil
society.



The award is presented annually and is named in honour of Alice
Garrigue Masaryk, the pre-eminent Czech-American and founder of the
Czechoslovak Red Cross, as a tribute to her devotion in combating
social injustice and her personal courage in standing up for human
rights.

For further information, please contact:

Tereza Hulikova

IOM Prague

Tel: +420.233.370.160

E-mail: "mailto:hulikova@iom.cz" target="" title="">hulikova@iom.cz