CEDAW Event Reflection

Today we attended a “Cities for CEDAW” event. I wish this event had been held earlier this week (partly because Jackie missed out on a great experience). Seeing all these women from ALL around the nation come together for the same cause was breath-taking.  I was inspired by the hard work that women had done to enact CEDAW in their cities. These women have built coalitions with other countless organizations and various educational institutions. I can’t begin to fathom all the time that these women must have gone through to progress this movement. To think that there are MANY other Beths out there is overwhelming. I could not be happier for all of these women in their movement. They have come a long way from having a vision for CEDAW.  Women of all ages, levels of education, and experience all want the same basic right to equality. Repeating that out loud sounds crazy especially because it’s 2017. It should be common sense instead of a matter for common law.

Women from out west to the north have fought very hard to enforce basic equality against discrimination. These women are going through extreme measures to convince city and county leaders that this legal framework is necessary.  The fact that a commonly accepted framework written by a legitimate body of authority is QUESTIONED seems very concerning to me. What does this tell you about our society?  Have women and men really been this socialized to believe that they were given an equal opportunity from the beginning? Are public officials not interested in enforcing laws consistent with its ally countries? Are Americans that surprised when they hear the way people from overseas see us as inherently discriminative? Have they not realized that the rest of the world sees us as discriminative in our current social context? Do they just not wanna do anything about it? 

People say they want equality. They rally. They vote and yet there is much left to be done to fight discrimination against women. I truly believe that activism is the key to the solution and that CEDAW is the blueprint to this solution.

 One thing that I found interesting was that some of the panelists emphasized the importance of the first lady of the mayor. I thought it was interesting to know that, if the first lady of the city takes interest in CEDAW, then it is likely to get passed as a law. The power of the first lady seems CRITICAL. This is a common theme that is demonstrated in political shows like Scandal.  I had no clue that the influence of the first lady made a huge difference at the local level also. Knowing that the first lady has so much political leverage over the extent of the gender equality in one location is both encouraging but also discouraging. Her support is encouraging. But knowing that it takes someone’s wife to fully commit a city or council to providing equality against discrimination is discouraging.

It’s discouraging to realize that voices of all women should are not as influential in our democracy as the voice of ONE privileged woman. A big part of me thinks that this ONE woman should be in office instead of her husband. I appreciate the support but at the same time, it’s discouraging to know that male public officials don’t feel immediately urged to eliminate discrimination. Of course it’s even more discouraging to know that female public officials don’t feel immediately urged to eliminate discrimination against women. My biggest hope is that all local public officials WAKE UP and realize that the common interests of women are in their hands. Protecting the rights of women can happen overnight. I feel as though women have yet to have a champion because there is still a fight. Stagnation is not fair representation. By not protecting women from all forms of discrimination, public officials are allowing our system to remain unequal. I hope they get on board with women because as heavily influential voters, we deserve better. Plus, also, as Eleanor said a few days ago, if they don't pass CEDAW, Zoe could run for their seat. 

I began my day at the Salvation Army Auditorium, where human rights defenders from India, the Caribbean, and Columbia shared their stories at a panel hosted by MADRE. MADRE is a feminist, anti-colonialist human rights organization that sustains grassroots movements across the globe and supports their efforts to build community and stand up for their rights.  The executive director, Yifat Susskind opened with a few remarks about the global climate, which is experiencing a surge in totalitarian and fascist rule. In the words of one of Susskind’s friends from Iraq in reference to the travel ban, “George Bush set my house on fire. Trump locked me inside.” However, the panel also emphasized that while the planet is experiencing an uptick in totalitarian, fascist violence, it is merely a continuation of the white supremacist patriarchal exploitation that underlies most of our power structures. Each panelist reiterated the importance of not only refusing to normalize the current state, but also to not concede that the level of human rights violations occurring a decade ago was acceptable. Instead, they say, leftists should normalize their vision for the future.

Then I participated in a panel on empowering women economically and politically, which was hosted by Girls Learn International. At this panel I shared the stage with amazing young women who have already taken the lead in their communities. Talking to these girls and hearing their stories was incredibly inspiring and I was compelled to do what I can to be the same light to others. Mentorship is crucial to sustaining movements, and I will commit to encouraging and supporting young women in any way that I can as I move forward.  

After the panel, I attended most of the lunchtime training session hosted by the NGO CSW. This informative session brought members from countless NGOs together to learn about how to influence the UN deliberations at the conference. Some NGOs are at the UN in hopes of changing the language of the official conclusions of the UN Commission on the Status of Women to further their agendas in their own countries. This is interesting in light of the realization that the proposed conclusions neglect to mention LBTQ rights. From what I learned at the session, it is possible to influence representatives by trying to schedule meetings with them, approaching them at side events, and more.

Next I attended a panel hosted by Cities for CEDAW to hear about the experiences of cities that have taken action to affirm the human rights of women. I learned that LA is on the verge of releasing its first official gender equity report and that the Mayor issued an executive order directing each city department to take measures to address women’s rights. The biggest challenge LA encountered was collaborating with the fire department to recruit more women to the department. The other main case study was that of New York, which has yet to pass CEDAW, though it has already passed more than 10 policies in pursuit of gender equity. Among the laws passed in the city are paid sick leave, paid family leave, and paid safe days off (days taken off to cope with domestic violence). It also raised the minimum wage to $15 as part of their Level the Paying Field initiative to close the 11 percent gap among New Yorkers. I am hopeful now that CEDAW provides an excellent framework for legislators that can lead to progressive, feminist agendas at the local level.

Such an honor!

            Today was the big day! We ended up having a sizable audience of almost 40 people, which was amazing considering the event’s distance from the main UN building and its slot in the schedule. Eleanor LeCain, author of “Mayors Guide: Accelerating Gender Equality,” the fellows, Abby Bouchon Daniels, a former fellow, and WomenNC’s president Beth Dehghan spoke on our panel. Eleanor LeCain started the session with 10 steps local communities can take to establish gender equality including providing affordable childcare, tackling the wage gap, and addressing and preventing gender-based violence. These points provided an excellent framework for the specialized reports from the fellows on the gender wage gap, youth violence prevention education, reproductive healthcare for incarcerated women, and encouraging women and girls to pursue STEM fields. It was such an honor to speak on the panel and to have an audience of people from other movements to establish the principles of CEDAW in their own communities. The United States is a disgrace for not ratifying CEDAW more than 30 years ago when they first had the chance. We are one of 6 countries that has not adopted this gender equality framework for our national approach of working towards gender equality. As a nation, it seems that gender inequality is either denied or ignored, similar to how most other forms of oppression are denied and ignored. I have heard a number of people critique the United States this week for the Islamophobic travel ban and for our history in creating wars for the sake of the pursuit of profit. I have been reflecting on the fact that this conference takes place in the United States and is conducted mostly in English. The power dynamics and history of colonialism and oppression absolutely contributes to this reality and it is something I am still processing. I attended Tuesday’s events were cancelled due to the weather, but we had a productive day rehearsing our presentations, writing our blogs, and catching up on sleep and work. We now have two days left before we head home and I cannot wait to learn more.

Presentation Day

This morning, I attended my first UN CSW side event, “Violence Against Women and the Achievement of Economic Empowerment.” In this event high-level officials from Fiji, Belgium, Namibia reported on the state of violence against women in their respective countries, the economic impact of that violence, and the initiatives that each are taking to combat it. The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare of Namibia expressed the view that gender based violence presents a barrier to achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) because of the economic dependency that it imposes on women. She also acknowledged that changing the law is not enough to eliminate abuse and that cultural norms are not keeping pace with Namibia’s legislation. The Minister seemed hopeful, however, pointing to educational efforts to empower women to identify abuse and the imposition of stricter sentencing for perpetrators of domestic violence. The Representative from Belgium emphasized the importance of data collection and public education to fight gender based violence. The Representative from Fiji raised the most fascinating point that data, while important, cannot be taken at face value. Since the government started collecting data on the rates of legal actions taken against abusers, the proportion of those actions taken by men has steadily increased. The Representative explained that rather than indicating that men make up a large proportion of victims, these stats indicate that men are more empowered to take advantage of legal remedies. She also shared a figure that estimated that 7 percent of Fiji’s GDP is spent on gender based violence.

After this event, I attended a side event on sexist hate speech, hosted by Belgium, which is regarded as a model nation in this area. The panelists discussed the use of hate speech to intimidate and silence women in positions of power, specifically politicians, businesswomen, and journalists. They all stressed the role of the anonymity of the internet in enabling the growth in hate speech and acknowledged how the media contributes to the sexualization, objectification, and marginalization of women. The panelists acknowledged that fighting hate speech requires a combination of public education and prevention programs and legal remedies and penalties. Belgium and France are the only countries that prohibit hate speech. However, Madam Moreno also shared with the audience the impact that the Declaration on Political Harassment and Violence Against Women has had. While they acknowledged that the right to free speech, the panel held that this should be balanced with the acknowledgement that hate speech limits the agency and power of women in the public sphere.

That afternoon came the moment of truth, when I presented my research before a crowd of supporters from the NGO CSW along with the other fellows. I feel that each of us performed at our best so far! I also really enjoyed Eleanor LeCain’s presentation about the actions that mayors can take to further gender equity in their cities. I’d like to read her book after I get back from the trip.

It has been a crazy past 24 hours. We have endured the Stella Blizzard. Last night the WomenNC group threw an informal reception for all the CSW attendants who were staying in the same hotel. Almost 20 people showed up to our event. Half of the people that attended our event were young high school students from England. It was inspirational. Knowing that young women and men are going through extensive measures to learn more about women. I know that every one of them has a bright future.

The most inspirational person that I met was a selfless woman from Libya. This wonderful woman seemed a true champion for women. She founded a non-profit organization called the hope charity (in Arabic). This foundation was created to educate and train women with the mission of helping them get an employment certificate. The foundation itself has helped 17,000 women with gaining marketable skills for employment. Women have learned how to sew, cook, and use the computer through the education provided by the hope charity. She mentioned to us that starting the charity was apart of her nisab. This is a religious obligation which requires Muslim individuals to donate 2.5% of their wealth. It seemed like this woman was contributing her whole heart to this organization. She seemed immensely passionate about helping women become marketable. She told me that her daughters were not involved with the charity as much as her. I was really inspired by this woman because I would like to help half of the women that she has in her lifetime. As a futurist, she got me thinking of all the ways I could help disadvantaged women make a better future for themselves. Someday I hope to grow older and help women just like her. She seems like the kind of women some of us wish to be. 

Transfeminism, Economic Costs of Violence, Human Trafficking, Intimate Partner Violence Prevention, and Legal Gender Recognition: Monday, March 13

I went to five panels today. The events at the Commission on the Status of Women are categorized as side events and parallel events. Side events are held in the UN building or somewhere close by and generally hosted by government officials and large organizational leaders. Parallel events are held in buildings a few minutes driving-distance from the UN building and usually hosted by NGOs. Except for the first panel on SOGIE (sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression) feminist movements, all of today’s events were side events. Here are some of my takeaways:

“Beyond Rhetoric: Building More SOGIE-Inclusive Feminist Movements” hosted by the American Jewish World Service (AJWS).

This panel kicked off with a story told by a woman from the American Jewish World about an experience at CSW a few years ago in which world leaders at a regional caucus did not want to include lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women in the fight for women’s human rights. The blatant exclusion of women with these identities in the international sphere of human rights work inspired her to prioritize and center the experiences of LGBTQI persons in CSW. Speakers included a woman from Kenya whose organization provides funds to women’s rights work during crisis times, a woman from China from Common Language, and a woman from Fiji who self-identified as a trans feminist and a defender of women’s human rights. Miki Wali, the activist from Fiji, was my favorite speaker. She made so many amazing points about accountability within movements, the intersections of human rights, climate change, and oceans, the role of allies, the compromising of priorities of gender identities at the global level, and bodily autonomy.

“Estimating the Economic Cost of Violence Against Women in the Arab Region” hosted by Jordan, the Jordan National Commission for Women, UN Women, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

Government officials in Egypt conducted a national survey on domestic violence against women and then estimated the associated costs of this violence on women and society. From a representative sample of over 21,000 households surveyed, researchers estimated that there are 5.6 million women in Egypt who experience domestic violence from their male spouse. The cost of this violence adds up to about 6.15 million Egyptian pounds for only one year. While millions reported various types of abuse in the survey, only thousands reported to law enforcement. Because this illustrates how underreported this crime is, it’s likely that the rates and associated costs are higher. I appreciated the complexity of analyzing violence through an economic lense from the representative from Jordan who pointed out that this strategy is utilitarian. Ultimately, people should want to stop violence because the suffering of people is wrong. Yet, this economic perspective potentially helps convince decision makers of the importance of addressing this issue because of the costs. While this should not be necessary, it is important to illustrate the economic burden of violence on a society; it has lasting impacts on those affected and everything they do in their lives including school and work.

“Human Trafficking: Ending the Myth of Greener Pastures” A Case of Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Africa” hosted by Zimbabwe

Highlight: difference between human trafficking and the externalization of labor

It was an honor to be in a room with high government officials from Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and Uganda. Human trafficking is a topic that I know very little about. Two survivors of human trafficking attended the session to show, as the moderator phrased it, that this issue is not fiction. It is a real problem that harms real people and still happens all over the world, including in the United States. For those back home, this is still a huge issue in North Carolina. At the panel, the minister of labor from Uganda spoke about human trafficking and the externalization of labor. While I am still researching all the information I took home from this panel, the ultimate point was that human trafficking must be stopped but certain forms of migrant labor must be regulated not criminalized in order to protect these workers. The representative from Zimbabwe discussed a comprehensive approach to supporting survivors of human trafficking and preventing human trafficking including education, economic empowerment, shelters, healthcare, psychosocial support, and integration into society.

“National and Community Based Prevention Programs Addressing Intimate Partner Violence” hosted by the World Bank Group, the Global Women’s Institute of George Washington University, the World Health Organization, and Government of Canada

The representative from the Global Women’s Institute of George Washington gave us a brief presentation on a longitudinal study on intimate partner violence in Nicaragua called “Candies in Hell.” The name comes from a story about a woman experiencing domestic violence whose abusive partner would give her candy whenever she returned home. Her mother asked her why she would want candies in hell and thus the study was named. The researchers first administered the survey in 1995 and then they asked the same questions to women in the same community in 2015. The results were quite positive. Violence increased, attitudes justifying violence decreased, and use of services increased. While any number of people suffering from domestic violence is too high, this case study shows the benefits of a community-based approach to prevention and response to gender-based violence. The overall theme of this panel was that prevention works and is important; it’s just a matter of how to prevent, especially depending on the local context. Also interesting were the risk factors for intimate partner abuse including experiences with child abuse, gender norms, and alcohol use. The world of prevention is something I am extremely passionate about as this was the topic of my research study and one of my main extracurriculars at NC State. It was disheartening to process how severe violence against women is internationally but it was inspiring to hear from so many incredible government leaders, scholars, and activists that violence can and should be prevented.

“Legal Reforms to Protect the Human Rights of Trans, Intersex, and Gender Variant People” hosted by Malta and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

I really wanted to attend this session because it was the only session I saw on the list of events explicitly about intersex people and one of the only events that centered trans identities rather than simply including them. And the panel did not disappoint. My favorite speaker was Micah Grzywnowicz who began their presentation by unpacking gender and gender identities. They emphasized the need to expand the perspective of gender beyond men and women because not everyone fits into those categories. Some of the progressive legal strategies that other panelists mentioned included incorporating another option besides male and female on legal identification cards. Micah Grzywnowicz then asked the brilliant question of why we need a gender marker on a legal identification card that already has a name, a picture, an ID number, and potentially other identifiers such as thumbprints. I could tell that listening to this activist would have been a WGS class in itself if we had more time. I appreciating hearing their voice at a conference that often operates within the binary.  

In between sessions, I distributed a flyer that advertises the details for our WomenNC panel on Wednesday. I start the conversation about the flyer by saying, “hi I’m on this panel presenting researching and dating and sexual violence prevention education” and generally people have been interested. We want to encourage as many people as we can to come attend our event because it’s during a popular time for other events. Other reflections include the lack of vegetarian-friendly options at the food venues inside the UN building. And even if there were, the lines are super long. Which makes sense because leaving and re-entering the UN building takes a long time because of the security lines. I started writing this blog inside of the building and was surrounded by at least 30 people speaking at least five different languages that I do not recognize. It’s a constant reminder of the privilege it is to be in this space and to have access to these perspectives. Everything was cancelled for Tuesday because of Storm Stella but I cannot wait for Wednesday.