Sister Jeanne Devos receives medal of honour from the Flemish Parliament

Sister Jeanne Devos from Kortenaken yesterday received the Golden Medal of Honour in Brussels, a recognition bestowed by the Flemish Parliament for tireless efforts by an individual to enhance the image of the Flemish community.This year the awards went to Flemings working abroad. In the sixties Sister Jeanne Devos joined the Missionary of the Immaculate Heart of Maria, popularly referred to as the ‘Zusters van de Jacht’ sisters of hunt. In 1963 she left for India, where she taught deaf children in Madras Chennai in Southern India, and in 1985 she and a few other sisters founded the National Domestic Workers Movement, an organisation that protects the rights and dignity of domestic workers in India.In her acceptance speech yesterday, sister Devos condemned the gang rape of a young girl in India on 16 December. “Much can still be done to improve the situation for women and domestic workers in India,” she says. “Collaboration with the Flemish region brought about considerable progress, with 45 million children under the age of 14 now having a name and respect for their rights.” Historian Sophie De Schaepdrijver, Yugoslav tribunal judge Chris Van den Wyngaert and vice-chairman of the EU Court of Justice Koen Lenaerts were also recognized with a golden medal of honour.