The
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW) proposes for states to take a series of measures in order to eliminate
all forms of discrimination against women. The incorporation of equality for
men and women is a key principle under the CEDAW. Ensuring women’s equal access
to education, health, and employment is fundamentally supported by the CEDAW. As
a CSW fellow, I take great interest in advocating to local government officials
for the implementation of the principles under the CEDAW.
After
interning at the North Carolina General Assembly for three legislative
sessions, nothing interests me more than the implementation of social changes. I enjoy researching and evaluating issues that
impact many groups of North Carolina. I am incredibly excited to take on a new
role as a CSW fellow because my work will be focused on local advocacy for women’s
human rights under the CEDAW. I hope that my advocacy efforts will initiate Durham’s
City Council to propose legislation in support of women’s equal access to
healthcare services.
My goal
as a CSW fellow is to research the disparities regarding access to reproductive
health services in varying parts of Durham. I plan on working with Lynne Walter
from the ACLU to evaluate the disparities in access to reproductive
health services and the implications of the disparities. An examination of reproductive health
disparities in Durham would provide a greater knowledge of the issues that
local women have due to lack of access. My goal is to summarize the findings and propose a preliminary solution to the Durham City Council. I hope that the council will consider adopting
legislation in order to ensure women’s equal access to reproductive health
services as proposed under the CEDAW.
-Cristy Villalobos
-Cristy Villalobos
Cristy - access to reproductive health services is such an important topic and I am really looking forward to learning about how well Durham pubic health departments are doing with this and any particular issues they face. As in other areas, mobile technology is becoming more and more a useful tool for access and I'm especially curious about whether Durham is using mobile tools. Since the UNCSW theme this year is Women's Economic Empowerment in the Changing World of Work, would love to see your research include how lack of access to reproductive health impacts the economic power of girls and women. Great topic! So glad to have you as a Fellow!
ReplyDelete