Salome Zurabishvili, the President of Georgia, awarded Baia Pataraia the Medal of Honor during a March 8 celebration honoring the International Women’s Day at the President’s residence. Baia Pataraia was recognized for her extraordinary personal commitment to advancing women’s rights, empowering women, battling gender-based violence, and creating a non-violent environment through her leadership as the executive director of the organization Sapari.

Regretfully, Baia Pataraia was out of state when the event took place, therefore she was unable to attend in person. Rather, the medal was accepted on her behalf by her mother and son.