Professor Eloísa Machado de Almeida of Brazil is the winner of the eighth International Bar Association (IBA) Outstanding International Woman Lawyer Award. She receives it in recognition of her work as a human rights lawyer and for her contribution to the promotion of women's rights.

Professor Machado de Almeida was presented with the Award last month in London, during the IBA’s 8th World Women Lawyers’ Conference.

“I am very honoured and grateful for this tribute. This is really amazing. In these two days of conference, I have heard incredible speeches from men and women committed to gender equality, but these talks have also made clear the challenges we face,” she told the conference.

The IBA says that, throughout her career, Professor Machado de Almeida has handled cases of women whose children have died in juvenile detention centres or were killed in clashes with the police. She has fully supported investigations and fiercely advocated for the condemnation of the accused, as well as restitution for the children’s mothers.

Ms Machado de Almeida is a professor in human rights, constitutional law and Brazilian politics at FGV Direito São Paulo, Brazil, and has participated as a specialist consultant in the drafting of reports for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as well as for the Mercosur Institute of Public Policies on Human Rights.

Past recipients:

2016 – Carol Xueref, France

2014 – Dr Tukiya Kankasa-Mabula, Zambia

2012 – Chief Olufolake Solanke, Nigeria

2010 – Anne-Marie Hutchinson, England

2006 – Dianna Kempe, Bermuda

2003 – Judge Navi Pillay, South Africa

2001 – Helvi Sipilä, Finland