On 16 February, SI UN Representative Wilfrida Hendricks joined with other NGO Representatives to advocate for the rights of woman and girls at CEDAW. CEDAW is the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women, and reviews progress on women’s rights in countries around the world. NGOs such as Soroptimist International, provide a significant contribution to this review process by reporting the
experiences of women and girls in their communities. At this meeting the
countries on the agenda were Gabon, Azerbaijan, Ecuador and Tuvalu.

“It was great to see that the committee’s experts
listened attentively and took notes during the NGO statements”, comments Frida. This
shows that the UN are ready to hear the perspectives of NGOs like Soroptimist
International.

 

Photo: (right to left), SI UN Representatives in Geneva, Wilfrida Hendrickx and Sabine Kinzer, SIE President Ulla Madsen, SI UN Representative in New York, Bette Levy, SIE Extension Committee Chair Maria Luisa Frosio, and SIE Council of Euorpe Representative Bettina Hahne.

“Civil society groups the elements of
discrimination again women, and these reports were then read by representatives from
the relevant country,” explains Frida.“The reports provide concrete examples,
with clear references to national law that exists now, and with references to
international conventions. This shows how laws are important in making sure
governments take steps to ensure that women and girls have access to their human
rights.”

Women and girls continue to experience
human rights violations in every country. CEDAW provides an important
opportunity to shed light on these violations. Members of the committee asked questions to the NGO representatives about their knowledge
of discrimination in countries such as Ecuador.

 

Photo: (left to right) SI UN Representatives in Geneva, Wilfrida Hendricks, Sabine Kinzer and Sina Stiffler at an NGO task force meeting at the United Nations.

“The NGO representatives from Ecuador brought a
very interesting and well-constructed report  with an accent on the lack of
human rights protection of women. There is no budget for gender equality measures,
not enough resources for women,  no access to justice for women who are
victims of violence, and sexual assaults in schools that are not punished,” reports Frida, “the representative also stated that women have little access to
contraception – that women and girls do not have access to their proper reproductive
rights.”

Soroptimist International must stay present in
these countries to make sure that governments are accountable, and to help
women and girls access their human rights. SI UN Representatives use the excellent
work of clubs to advocate for best practice, and to improve the lives of women and girls.