The head of Australia's oldest religious order has been honoured with the 2013 Human Rights Medal for providing support to women and children who are victims of domestic violence.
(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
Sister Clare Condon is the leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan.
Part of the order's work is to assist the Indigenous residents of Santa Teresa, a township near Alice Springs of about 600 people.
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Never afraid to take her message directly to Government; someone who lobbies politicians relentlessly to help those in need.
That's how the Australian Human Rights Commission describes this year's winner of its Human Rights Medal, Sister Clare Condon, the Congregational Leader of the Sisters of the Good Samaritan of the Order of Saint Benedict.
Under her leadership, the Sisters provide support for vulnerable women and children who are the victims of domestic violence.
Commission President Professor Gillian Triggs says Sister Clare and her colleagues are a feisty collection of women who do valuable work.
"They're a group of sisters, over 200 of them, who work predominantly with children but also helping women, for example, local women at an Aboriginal area near Alice Springs, to earn income from painting and silk work so they're very pro-active, very practical."
Professor Triggs says the annual Human Rights awards are designed to give recognition to those Australians who actively - and often very quietly - promote human rights.
"What we're really stressing is that for human rights to be meaningful, Australians throughout the country are themselves responsible for ensuring those rights are given effect in their daily lives and we want to recognise and celebrate that contribution by all Australians."
The Commission selected 40 finalists for this year's ten awards which include the Young People's Human Rights Medal.
This went to 16 year old Mariah Kennedy, the author of the children's book Reaching Out, Messages of Hope.
Mariah Kennedy approached some of Australia's leading children's authors and illustrators for contributions for a book that addresses social justice issues such as poverty, refugee rights and child labour.
Professor Triggs says the award recognises how the arts can play a significant role in highlighting human rights.
"I'm particularly impressed by the fact that she's used the arts and a cultural approach to highlight human rights abuses so it's wonderful I think to recognise the role that creative artists can play in this area and I thought it was a great initiative for a 16 year old. We've all been enormously impressed here at the Commission in looking at her nomination."
A 30-part radio series highlighting the prevalence of ear disease among Noongar communities in Western Australia took out the Radio award.
Carol Dowling, of Noongar Radio in Perth, compiled the stories in the series The State of Our Children's Hearing.
"I just want to start by dedicating this to all the Noongar mums who took part because they don't often talk very often about their bubs, and all the wonderful medical practitioners who fight so hard for our mob."
The National Centre of Indigenous Excellence in Sydney was recognised with the Community Organisation Award for providing a safe learning space for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
The awards also recognise people who promote and advance human rights through the practice of law.
The Law Award went to South African-born Professor Andrea Durbach, the Director of the Human Rights Law Centre.
"Andrea's worked in the human rights area throughout her professional career and since she's been in Australia. She's much loved by her students and the academic community but she also is very strongly engaged in training programs for human rights in the Asian region and she's just one of these strongest players from a legal perspective, from a rights perspective in relation to human rights."
