The Concerns of Rural Women

The variety of topics on Consultation Day kicking off CSW-62 helped to set up the ground for many burning questions and ideas amongst the participants. ‘The concerns of rural women’ was one of such powerful topics with diverse speakers from Brazil, Papua New Guinea, Trinidad and Tobago, New York, Canada and Kenya.

The most interesting part of the panelist was their intersectionality. Being women and rural, but each with a focus on a critical area like climate, land and property rights, combating violence against indigenous women, and the hardships of the migrant farmworkers. While the panelists’ diversity told the story of how global and widespread the problems are, the problems are universal and the same everywhere.

All the panelists had impactful stories to share, the most powerful and eye-opening story for me was the one of Ruth Faircloth from Rural Migrant Ministry, NY State.

Ruth Faircloth, shared her and her family’s accounts of despair, mistreatment or the violence suffered through the male figures in their lives. Whether it was the boss who owned the farm, or it was the husband getting home to beat his wife, or an institution taking away the child from a mother, the pain was everywhere. Be it home, work place or a welfare institute. Many of my colleagues, commented how new it was for them to hear such powerful self-accounts, from a person in State government. There was surprise in the audience and a disbelief, hard to accept that it all happened in USA, a first world nation.  Another reminder about the universality of the issues faced by women of all colour, nationality, ethnicity or race.

The session culminated with a strong speaking note from Hon. Marilou McPhedran, Senator (Canada). She reminded how in the past all language of the agreement was changed and later no conclusion was reached. Hon. Marilou McPhedran was clear that change could only be brought upon if the senior diplomats and the governments worked together. It is important to understand the reality, that to bring a change to the situation of the rural women, the diplomats need to understand, align and agree to a framework as a first milestone.