Author: watchthedot
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Introduction to the Post 2015 Development Agenda
The Millennium Development Goals deadline of 2015 is not far away. To date, many of the goals have not been achieved and this timescale now puts the pressure on member states to realise these goals. With the end in sight a new post-2015 framework needs to be designed, building on the achievements of the current…
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International Widows Day 23rd June 2013 – SI Calls for Wider Recognition and Respect
International Widows Day on 23rd June 2013 highlights the ongoing plight of widows worldwide and the need for action towards achieving both recognition and full rights. Absent from statistics, disregarded by many researchers and overlooked by many national, local and civil society organisations, widows are virtually invisible in the wider world. In many countries, once…
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Embracing trees, saving forests – Women and the Chipko Movement in India
In her second blog on eco-feminist movements in India, Nisha Ghosh of Soroptimist International Pune Metro East (India) writes about the Chipko movement to protest against deforestation, in which a leading role was played by women. Picture this: women standing around trees, hugging them. Their mantra a roughly translated verse that epitomizes their emotion and their commitment……
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Human Rights and the Post-2015 Development Agenda: SI Signs Statement
Soroptimist International has signed a joint statement calling for human rights to be placed at the core of the post-2015 development agenda, which will succeed the Millennium Development Goals. The statement, by several leading human rights and development organisations, says that: “a post-2015 framework anchored in human rights moves from a model of charity to…
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Women Deliver Conference Focuses on Health, Leadership and Childbirth
“Girls’ and women’s health and rights must be prioritized today, tomorrow, and every day until our work is done. Because we know, when girls and women survive, all of us thrive.” Women Deliver President Jill Sheffield. The annual Women Deliver conference, held this year on May 28 – 30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, highlighted the…
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From Child Soldiers to citizens – supporting girls and boys forced into conflict
Dora Vrdlovec is Soroptimist International’s lead UN Representative in Vienna. In this week’s SoroptiVoice blog, she writes about meeting Kon Kelei, a former child soldier from South Sudan who is now an advocate for the rights of young people affected by war. On the 12th February 2002 the General Assembly adopted the Optional Protocol to the…
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UN Calls on Egypt to Enforce FGM Ban after Girl’s Death: Enforcement & Education Needed
Video: Female genital cutting from Thomson Reuters Foundation on Vimeo. UN Agencies have urged Egypt to enforce the law against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting and are calling for a full investigation into the death of a 13 year-old girl undergoing the practice at a private clinic. “The latest tragic death of Sohair El Batea, 13, is…
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Chime for Change – Stars Shine Spotlight on Women’s Rights for a New Generation
Beyoncé, Madonna, Prince Harry and Archbishop Desmond Tutu were among the celebrities who appeared at a star-studded concert on Saturday 1st June to highlight the millions of women and girls denied adequate healthcare, education and justice. 50,000 people attended the Chime for Change concert at London’s Twickenham rugby stadium, which was broadcast to more than 150…
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Setting up a Soroptimist International Africa Federation
In this week’s blog, Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah writes about the process of setting up a Soroptimist International African Federation to represent clubs on the continent. Chinwe has been a member of SI Surulere, Nigeria, since its charter in 1992. She is a Director without Portfolio of the SIGBI Federation and currently chairs the Taskforce on the Proposed SI Africa Federation. Originally published in May 2013 issue…
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SI signs letter to President Obama on human trafficking
Soroptimist International has co-signed a letter to USA President Obama expressing concerns regarding the ‘Federal Strategic Plan of Action for Services to Survivors of Human Trafficking’. The Plan, open for public comment in May, presented the opportunity for organisations working to end human trafficking to highlight the need to end the demand that fuels these crimes,…