Drs. Orit Kamir and Yifat Biton Awarded Major Prizes

Last week, at a Jerusalem ceremony, NIF's Herman Schwartz Award for Law and Social Justice was awarded to Dr. Orit Kamir, and the Dafna Fund Award for Feminist Legal Leadership was presented to Dr. Yifat Biton. Each prize was worth $5,000.

Dr. Kamir was recognized for promoting groundbreaking legislation and reforms on physical, sexual and mental violence, in particular her work on the issue of sexual abuse in the workplace, educational institutions, the army, and the police. In addition, Dr. Kamir has made a significant contribution to civil society, including her position as the legal advisor to the women's lobby and her role in the founding of Women Lawyers for Social Justice, and the Israeli Center for Human Dignity.

Dr. Biton was chosen for her creativity, courage, and originality in developing new legal tools to advance women's rights. She has played an important role in establishing the Noga Legal Center for Victims of Crime, and for throwing light on the rights of victims of crime. She is the founder and current co-chair of the Tmura Center, which uses legal advocacy and activism to prevent discrimination. Amongst its achievements over the last few years, the Center has secured large damages for victims of sexual assault.

Dr. Biton said: "I'm proud to be awarded this prestigious prize. It embodies all that is important to me and to the healing of Israeli society, by establishing a theoretical framework for activists to implement in the field and bring the required change for women suffering from discrimination."

Herman Schwartz is a Professor of Constitutional Law, and the founder of NIF's Israel-US Civil Liberties Law Program.