Author: watchthedot
-
New Commonwealth Charter "implacably opposed" to gender-discrimination
On March 11, HM Queen Elizabeth II signed the newly agreed Commonwealth Charter at a reception to mark Commonweath Day, attended by SI Programme Director Hilary Ratcliffe. It is the first time one document has been agreed by all 54 member states to enshrine a comprehensive range of principles and values. The Charter states: "We…
-
"Historic" agreement on violence against women & girls at #CSW57
Soroptimist International welcomes the Agreed Conclusions on violence against women and girls that were agreed at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW57) late last night in New York. The agreement, hailed by Michelle Bachelet of UN Women as “historic”, was reached after several days of tough negotiation and concerted lobbying by NGOs, with…
-
Walking the Talk to highlight violence against women in Malaysia
From 22 November to 9 December 2012, over a thousand people "Walked the Talk" in Malaysia, part of a Soroptimist International South West Pacific (SISWP) campaign to highlight violence against women. Three brave Soroptimists from SI Kota Kinabalu, Elizabeth Mayrice, Rose Moguloi and Clarice Mojigoh, aimed to walk the full 850km from Perlis to Sabah, with many…
-
Femicide is on the rise: speaking out at #CSW57
Speaking at the ECOSOC session at the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN in New York today, Soroptimist International expressed alarm at the increasing incidence of femicide – the killing of women and girls because they are female – and called for urgent, concerted action. "Femicide is growing substantially all over the world…
-
Women's human rights are not negotiable – NGOs alarmed at #CSW57
Soroptimist International and other women’s organisations have expressed anger and disappointment at attempts to backtrack on existing international agreements on violence against women and girls at the 57th session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW57), currently taking place in New York. "It is alarming that states are continuing to negotiate established standards that they themselves have…
-
Marching for International Women's Day at #CSW57
SI Programme Director Hilary Ratcliffe reports on International Women’s day at CSW57 and hands on the baton to the Soroptimist delegates for week 2, led by SI Assistant Programme Director Anusha. In the driving snow some 400 women marched from the main UN building to the Dag Hammarskold plaza saying No to Violence against Women.…
-
From the womb to the grave: violence against women in South Asia
Talat Pasha was one of the speakers at the SI side-event "From girl child to mature woman: A life course approach to gender empowerment and a violence free life", held on 7 March at CSW57. She was part of a panel of women from around the world who spoke about violence faced by girls and women in…
-
Men & boys have a vital role in ending violence against women #CSW57
One of the key issues arising from CSW57 has been the role of men and boys in preventing violence against women and girls. Anna McCormick, Programme Manager at SIHQ, examines the issue. The socialisation and education of men is an important issue and something that needs to be addressed if we are to eradicate gender violence.…
-
An A to Z of UN-Speak – key terms from #CSW57
From Agreed Conclusions to Zero draft, via femicide, militarism, Post-2015 agenda and more: in this post from CSW57, former SI Programme Director and President of SI Newport Harbor Area (USA) Dawn Marie Lemonds explains some of the key terms used during the Commission, which focusses on violence against women and girls. I have had the great fortune over…
-
Understanding gender-violence from girl-hood to maturity, relationship education and your help needed!
SI Programme Director Hilary Ratcliffe reports on day 4 of CSW57 (7 March), including a second successful Soroptimist event, relationship education and continuing concerns about the outcomes document – your help is still needed! Our second side event: From girl child to mature woman: A life course approach to gender empowerment and a violence free life was held…