Author: watchthedot
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New York, New York: CSW is underway!
The SI delegation at the Commission for the Status of Women (CSW) in New York will be posting regularly to the SoroptiVoice blog from 4-15 March. Here is the first report, from Hilary Ratcliffe, SI Programme Director. See the latest photos and updates from CSW at www.soroptimistinternational.org/CSW57. New York New York and CSW is underway.…
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CSW: Just another talkfest? 10 reasons for Governments to act now on violence against women
The Commission on the Status of Women opens next week in New York, with violence against women as its primary theme. But will this year’s CSW result in firm outcomes or be just another talking shop? Anusha Santhirasthipam, Soroptimist International Assistant Programme Director, sets out ten powerful reason why Governments must achieve consensus and take action. At past…
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Holding Governments to Account: CEDAW meets in Geneva
The 54th session of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is currently meeting in Geneva to consider the progress of countries that have signed the CEDAW Convention in securing equal rights for women and men. The Committee will also hold a general discussion on access to justice. The CEDAW Committee’s sessions are a key opportunity…
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CSW57: A Unique Opportunity for Action on Violence Against Women and Girls
The 57th session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which opens next week, provides a unique opportunity for Governments to send a strong message that violence against women must end. Soroptimist International is urging that CSW must deliver a strong outcome document, which addresses the needs of gender-violence victims and works to prevent…
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Soroptimist International welcomes new Chief Executive
A new Chief Executive, Lynn Jackson, will join the Soroptimist International headquarters team in Cambridge, UK, in the first week of March. "Please join me in giving a warm Soroptimist welcome to our new CEO, Lynn Jackson", says Soroptimist International President Alice Wells. "Lynn has had experience within the private, public, charity and NGO sectors. Her experience…
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A guide to CEDAW: an international bill of rights for women
The 54th session of the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) is currently taking place in Geneva, with several of SI’s Representatives to the UN taking part in meetings and events. In this week’s SoroptiVoice blog, Herta Kaschitz, who for 27 years worked as a lawyer for the UN Division for the Advancement of women,…
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Educated, affluent, blonde…and abused: Leslie Morgan Steiner says Enough is Enough
Domestic abuse survivor, campaigner and author Leslie Morgan Steiner has lent her support to Soroptimist International’s day of action on violence against women. Well educated and affluent, Leslie’s story highlights that domestic abuse can affect anyone, no matter what their background. In her 2009 memoir, Crazy Love, she writes: "If you and I met at one of our children’s birthday parties,…
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When culture clashes with law – traditional cultural practice and gender-violence
This week’s blog by Anna McCormick, Programme Manager at Soroptimist International, examines the conflict that can arise between traditional cultural practices and law, particularly with regard to women and gender-violence. The recent Trust Women Conference in London was organised to recognize the challenges faced by women today and advance innovative solutions to put the law behind women’s…
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Husbands pose the biggest threat of violence to women in post-conflict West Africa
Husbands, not strangers or men with guns, are now the biggest threat to women in post-conflict West Africa. According to a report by the International Rescue Committee, based on data collected over 10 years, domestic violence is proved to be the "most urgent, pervasive and significant protection issue for women in West Africa". It calls…
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After Damini: what can you do to end violence against women?
The brutal, deadly attack on a young student in New Delhi, India, in December sent a shock-wave through India and the world. For a while, violence against women was in the global media spotlight. But without continued, concerted action the world-wide pandemic of violence against women will continue. What can you do to make the world safer for women? …