Dr Mu Sochua: 2006 Recipient of the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award

Mu Sochua in action (standing): house-to-house campaigning in Kompong Cham during the 2007 commune election (Photo: SRP)

2006 Recipient of the Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award: Dr. Mu Sochua

University of California, Berkeley

For more than 25 years, Mu Sochua has served as a role model for Cambodians and world citizens, playing a vital role in the empowerment of women and courageously leading the fight against gender-based violence. She provides valuable lessons to men and women on the importance of good governance, social change, equity, and respect for human rights.

Since her return to Cambodia after 18 years in exile, Mu Sochua has been an assertive participant in the rebirth of her homeland, which was torn apart in the 1970s and 1980s by genocide and foreign occupation. Though her parents perished during this period of national turmoil, Mu Sochua escaped, relocating first to Paris and then to the Bay Area, where she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from San Francisco State University and an M.S.W. from UC Berkeley. Returning to her homeland, she served as an advisor on women's affairs to the prime minister, was elected to the National Assembly, and was minister of women's and veterans affairs from 1998 to 2004.

As minister, Mu Sochua led a nationwide campaign to reduce violence against Cambodian women in the workplace and to end human trafficking there. She drafted a law to protect women from domestic violence and helped nongovernmental organizations rescue trafficked women and children from brothels. Her voice of leadership even challenged fellow members of government — when a corruption scandal involving her own party's leader broke out during the formation of the new coalition government in 2004, she gave up her cabinet post and, in protest, joined the opposition party. There she became the first and only woman in Cambodia to hold the position of secretary-general of a political party.

Mu Sochua was one of 1,000 women nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 and has received many awards for her human rights work. She holds an honorary Ph.D. in law from Guelph University in Canada.

The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award

The Elise and Walter A. Haas International Award was established in 1964 by Mr. and Mrs. Walter A. Haas, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Peter E. Haas, and Mr. and Mrs. Richard N. Goldman. One of the most prestigious honors conferred by the Berkeley campus, the award was created to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Walter A. Haas, longtime head of Levi Strauss, and his wife, arts patron Elise Haas. The award acknowledges their devotion to the University of California, Berkeley and their interest in international affairs.

The Haas International Award honors an alumnus of the University of California, Berkeley (defined as having attended the campus for a minimum of two semesters or three quarters) who is a native, citizen, and resident of a nation other than the United States of America, and who has a distinguished record of service to his or her country. The service may be in any field of endeavor, including but not limited to the arts, sciences, classical professions, education, business, or government. The recipient must have been enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student for at least one full year; the earning of a degree is not required.

The Haas International Award includes a cash prize of US $15,000, an engraved medallion, and travel expenses for the recipient to attend the award's presentation. The presentation will be made at the University's Commencement Convocation Ceremony, held in May.