Standing up for Girls, Women, and Justice

Hey Hey!

Today was awesome all across the board. Our day started with the NGO CSW Forum Orientation. I am usually not a fan of orientations, but this one was intriguing, informative, and engaging. I am glad that Beth and Dr. Riemann insisted that we attend the orientation, I was able to learn more about Bejing+25, the difference between NGO CSW 63 and CSW 63, and I was able to listen to a dynamic speaker. The keynote speaker was Lopa Banerjee, and she really expounded on poverty, social security, the burden of care on women, and CSW 63. Poverty extends to all aspects of U.S. society, and according to Lopa Banerjee it is not coincidental, it happens due to policy changes. She also emphasized that with poverty rates high in the U.S. social security is the means to ensure that families are able to bounce back from financial hardship. It is simply a right. She ended her talk with the hopes of CSW 63 and the future of gender equality. I thoroughly enjoyed Lopa’s talk, as it was informative and motivational.

I also attended “China-Abandoned Social Protection for Baby Girls and Elderly Widows.” Although the topic was heavy, this was my favorite presentation so far. Before attending the event, I was slightly aware of China’s “gendercide” issue (the systematic killing of members of a specific gender). Reggie Littlejohn, Esq. and Margaret Jones have their respective non-profit organizations that work to advocate for and protect China’s most vulnerable populations- baby girls and elderly widows. China has the highest female suicide rate, every day 590 women kill themselves due to the countries strict traditional and patriarchal practices. Due to China’s two-child policy, women must have a birth permit and are encouraged to give their baby girls away in favor of having a boy. The two child policy legally allows the police to force women to have non-voluntarily abortions and endure sterilization. The overall message of sex-related abortion is that women and girls are so worthless that they deserve to die. Although I was heartbroken during this presentation, I am glad that women and people are working to protect the baby girls and elderly women of China.

Tomorrow, I am excited to attend “Social Protection: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Girls” and “No Girls Left Behind: Adolescent Girls in Child, Early and Forced Marriages and Unions in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

I am looking forward to tomorrow’s presentations and more pizza!!!

XOXO,

Aravia P