Amal Clooney and Afghan journalist Zahra Joya among 'Time' magazine's Women of the Year

The 12 honourees have reached across 'communities, generations and borders to fight for a more inclusive and equitable world', the magazine said

Amal Clooney has been recognised by 'Time' magazine for her work with human rights abuse victims. AP Photo

Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney and Afghan journalist Zahra Joya are among 12 women being named as Time's Women of the Year for 2022, a first for the magazine. Clooney has been recognised for her work, especially with Yazidi victims of the ISIS in Iraq, while Joya, who fled to the UK after the collapse of the Afghan government last year, is highlighted for her work with Rukhshana Media, a platform she founded with a focus on stories by and about Afghan women.

"Our 2022 Women of the Year list features 12 individuals who have reached across communities, generations and borders to fight for a more inclusive and equitable world," Time magazine said.

Other women on the list include actress Kerry Washington, singer Kacey Musgraves, software engineer Tracy Chou, British midwife Jennie Joseph, poet Amanda Gorman, athlete Allyson Felix, Nasdaq chief executive Adena Friedman, lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill, civil rights activist Amanda Nguyen and trans actress Michaela Jae Rodriguez.

All 12 women will be honoured at a gala on March 8, on International Women’s Day, in Los Angeles, the magazine said.

Time renamed its Man of the Year to Person of the Year in 1999, but only a few women have made it to that list, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2015 and environmental activist Greta Thunberg in 2019.

In 2020, the magazine chose 100 Women of the Year, selecting one trailblazing woman to represent each year from 1920 to 2019.

The annual Women of the Year is "our way of correcting the record", the magazine said.

Interviewed by Filipina journalist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa, Clooney spoke about her many projects defending victims of war for free.

“You have to have dogged determination,” Amal, who is married to Hollywood star George Clooney says. “You’re coming up against people whose power and existence depends on them continuing to commit serious abuses, and they’re not going to give up. So we definitely can’t give up on our side.”

Joya, who dressed up as a boy to go to school under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan in the 1990s, is profiled by actress Angelina Jolie.

“We don’t do simple journalism these days,” Joya, who is now 29, tells Jolie. “We are trying to write for our freedom.

"Until they protect women’s rights, the Taliban should not be recognised as a government by the international community."

Look back at Amal Clooney's style evolution here: