Sano Vamuzo receives BWA human rights award

KOHIMA — Padma Shri Sano Vamuzo has been conferred the Baptist World Alliance (BWA) 2025 Congress Quinquennial Human Rights Award in recognition of her outstanding Christian witness in the service of human rights and social justice.

The award was presented during the ongoing BWA 2025 Congress Quinquennial being held in Brisbane, Australia, from July 7–12.

Hosted by Australian Baptist Ministries and Queensland Baptists, the 23rd Baptist World Congress is themed “Living the Good News.”

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It may be noted that Sano Vamuzo was earlier honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, for her contributions to social work and education.

Delivering her acceptance speech in Brisbane, Vamuzo said, “I bring warm greetings from Nagaland, a beautiful land of majestic mountains, forested plains, rivers, and valleys in Northeast India.”

She highlighted the geopolitical location of the region—bordered by Bangladesh, Myanmar, and China—and noted that the homeland of the Nagas stretches across northwest Myanmar up to the Chindwin River.

Reflecting on Naga culture and history, she described the traditional village-centric life of the Naga people—still cherished today despite urban migration.

 Recalling the pre-colonial era, she mentioned that Naga tribes once practiced headhunting, rooted in cultural codes of honour and defence.

This, she said, changed with the arrival of the British in 1832 and the American Baptist missionaries in 1872.

“Like any colonial encounter, there were gains and losses, but we count the coming of the Gospel as our greatest blessing. It profoundly changed the course of our history,” she said.

Along with the spread of Christianity came access to education and healthcare.

Today, over 90% of Nagaland’s population identifies as Christian, with Baptists forming the majority—making it proportionately the most Baptist region in the world, she added.

Vamuzo paid special tribute to missionary women who played a pivotal role in transforming Naga society by equipping women with knowledge in home management, hygiene, nutrition, and sewing.

Growing up in the Mission Compound in Kohima, she said she witnessed the transformative power of these teachings firsthand.

“In 1984, through the inspiration God, we founded the Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA), the first voluntary women’s organisation for all Naga women, with the motto, ‘Human Integrity ’,” she said.

The NMA has since advocated for women’s rights, fought against substance abuse—especially the spread of heroin from the Golden Triangle—and tackled human trafficking and gender-based violence.

Vamuzo recalled the NMA’s powerful call for peace during times of conflict: ‘Shed No More Blood.’

Among its most significant achievements, she said, was securing 33% reservation for women in urban local bodies—“a hard-won victory in a deeply patriarchal society.”

 “Today, as challenges grow, women of faith must not remain spectators. We are called to be helpers, nurturers, leaders, and peacemakers,” she said. “This is what Naga women are striving to do—standing with women across the globe for a more just and humane world.”

Expressing deep gratitude for the BWA recognition, Vamuzo said she accepted the award “not in my own strength, but in humble gratitude to God and to those who came before me.”

She acknowledged the collective efforts of Naga mothers and women in their fight against social evils and in shaping an emerging society.

“This recognition strengthens our resolve—to walk with the unheard, speak peace where there is pain, and build bridges where there are walls,” she said.