Prevention of Child, Early and Forced Marriage 停止童婚，早婚和强迫婚姻

By  赵霞 (Xia Zhao)， 美国里海大学(Lehigh University)

美国东部时间2015年3月13日下午2点30分，来自土耳其，尼日尼亚和肯尼亚的非政府组织代表于纽约亚美尼亚会展中心就童婚，早婚和强迫婚姻问题做了精彩的报告。各国代表分别阐述了本国法律对童婚，早婚和强迫婚姻的定义。

土耳其代表表示，现今，每四位土耳其女性中就有一位是童婚。其原因主要在于经济条件的限制。 作为一个童婚的幸存者，尼日尼亚代表讲道，童婚摧毁了女性的生活。遗憾的是，尼日尼亚童婚很严重，但目前尚无关于早婚的有效数据调查。

最有意义的是，年轻的肯尼亚代表讲述了自己9岁时反抗父亲早婚安排的故事。父亲以两头牛的价格强迫她嫁给他的老朋友。她逃离父亲的安排，跑到十公里以外的学校向老师寻求帮助。后来她努力学习，成为班上最优秀的学生，最后进入大学学习国际政治。此次报告是她在联合国做的第五次演讲，她成为全村人民的骄傲。如今，她回到自己的村庄，讲述教育带给自己和家人的改变。村庄人民以她为典范，改变了将女孩儿贩卖给他人做童养媳的传统，促进了肯尼亚女童教育的发展和女性地位的提升。

The Situation and Tendency of Gender Equality in China since 1995 《北京宣言》后中国性别平等的发展现状

By  赵霞 (Xia Zhao)， 美国里海大学(Lehigh University)

美国东部时间2015年3月12日上午8点30分，来自中国大陆和香港地区的非政府组织代表于亚美尼亚会展中心（Armenian Convention Center）就关于1995年《北京宣言》后中国性别平等问题的现状和发展趋势进行了深入地研讨。具体而言，会议针对中国女性教育，农村地区以及少数民族地区的女性发展问题进行了精彩的演讲。

教育方面，柯教授讲到，中国初等教育女童入学率和辍学率都大于男童。课本中对男性和女性的描绘具有不平等性。中国高等教育入学率女性高于男性。但女性在找工作过程中处于明显的劣势。

中国妇女发展协会的周副会长同时表示，中等教育是中国农村女童教育的一大瓶颈。进入中学后，女性入学率开始大大降低，特别是落后的农村地区。经济原因和男尊女卑的传统观念是导致这一问题的主要原因。

来自云南的杨教授表示，改变云南少数民族地区女性平等问题的关键在改变文化对人们思维观念的影响。社会应该渐渐抛弃传统陋习，给予女性更多选择的权利。这种权利来自于整个社会对女性的帮助，包括健康医疗，社会保障，教育机会以及就业等帮助。

此次报告吸引了世界各国人民的参与，会后观众就中国女性发展问题进行了相关的提问。

Make the Happiness Come within the Walls of Own Homes

On March 12th, the Worldwide Organization for Women invited Jose & Jacky, who are a couple from Puerto Rico, to share how their family become a powerful influence in the world for good. This couple’s story provides a good example that how a husband and wife works together and make a family be happy.

“The family garden still is the best place to grow highly effective and happy people”. –Jose & Jacky

They use three principles to explain how to make a family be happy:

Love. Love can be expressed in different ways. Love can be expressed at any time. Don’t be mean to express our love with families. “Mum, I love you”, a simple word can make our mum feel happy.

Vision. A family can share a common vision, and try to “get no one left behind in our forever happy family”. Each family member should have the responsibility for the family. At the same time, we are not just wanting a family, but wanting the family to be happy.

Commitment. Six essential elements are necessary in a highly effective family: a commitment father, a commitment mother, correcting negative behavior, teaching positive behavior, good family relations, duty to a higher purpose. These six elements build the “house” for the family, and give the family safety and happiness.

Additionally, Jose and Jacky suggested us to pray, repent, forgive, respect, love and work when family is meeting struggle or challenges.

Women are the key roles in the family, and most times women have to bear more from the family. Therefore, happy family means a lot for women, and equals happy women. Happiness is not a one-generation product, but can last for generations. Past, present and future generations can sustain success and happiness, and also make all happen “within the walls of our own homes”.

Uniting Our Voices Against Violence

The panel conducted by Soroptimist International, World Association of Girls Guides and Girls Scouts, and World YWCA discussed the issues of women violence. Regarding to that, some possible solutions and suggestions were provided at the same time.

Women are the less powerful groups than men, which decides that women are easy to be violated by men most times. Although some organizations have been established and try to help women get out of that situation, most women have not developed an awareness of asking for help from those organizations. A speaker gave an example that a women was violated by her husband for ten years, but she was reluctant to ask for help from women organizations. Currently, the real problem is that women have realized that they were wrongly treated, but they gave up their hope to change that situation.

The next speaker suggested a solution that is based on education. Education can empower girls and women to make change. Through the formal education curriculum, girls and women will learn that they can be powerful to change. Moreover, receiving education will support them to build relationships between social communities. Therefore, not only girls but also young boys will learn from each other, and prevent the violence. Another speaker pointed out that most women are experiencing discrimination in the environment, communities, societies, workplaces, and even homes; women are also experiencing physical, verbal, sexual, and emotional violence. The curriculum will make young teenagers realize this issue and stop the violence at the early age.

To effectively prevent the violence, some strategies were provided during the session, such like building women shelters, raising awareness, and creating equal relationships between women and men. In addition, conducting focus groups and dynamic discussions is also suggested to encourage women to make their voices speak out.

Hak asasi manusia yang dimiliki perempuan dan kerangka kesetaraan setelah 2015 agenda pembangunan | Women’s human rights and the Equality Framework in the post 2015 Development Agenda

Judul        : Hak asasi manusia yang dimiliki perempuan dan kerangka kesetaraan setelah 2015 agenda pembangunan | Women’s human rights and the Equality Framework in the post 2015 Development Agenda
Waktu      : Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015, pukul 02.30 – 04.00
Organisasi: IWRAW Asia Pacific

IWRAW Asia Pacific membuka sesi

Sejak abad ke-20, sudah banyak perubahan yang terjadi dalam proses pembangunan dan kebanyakan agenda pembangunan yang dilaksanakan dipengaruhi oleh dua konsep utama, yaitu Social Liberalism dan Neo Liberalism. Social liberalism lebih berbicara tentang kebebasan positif, melindungi sumber daya, serta melihat kehidupan lebih dari sekedar individu dan komunitas. Kesetaraan gender menganut paham social liberalism karena meliputi hak-hak untuk memiliki standar hidup yang layak, kesehatan, dan pendidikan. Terwujudnya kesetaraan dalam pemanfaatan sumber daya publik, mengakhiri kemiskinan, serta melindungi hak-hak sosial menjadi tujuan utama dari social liberalism. Sebagai contoh, dalam bidang kesehatan, negara perlu mengambil intervensi agar masyarakat memiliki akses yang sama terhadap kesehatan.

Disisi lain, neo liberalism lebih pada konsep tentang individu dan komunitas yang lahir di tahun 1917s saat terjadi krisis minyak. Konsep neo liberalism adalah mengurangi peranan negara, lalu memprivatisisasi peran-peran ekonomi. Dalam konsep ini, kebebasan meningkat, sedangkan biaya pengeluaran pemerintah berkurang.

Pembangunan yang berkelanjutan seperti yang tercantum dalam MDGs merupakan sebuah jalan diantara paham social liberalism dan neo liberalism. Namun, dalam kenyataan beberapa agenda pembangunan lebih mengarah pada social liberalism atau neo liberalism saja. Pada situasi seperti ini, negosiasi dibutuhkan agar didapatkan paradigma baru dalam pembangunan yang berkelanjutan.

Pembicara yang lain mengangkat latar belakang diciptakannya MDGs dan harapan yang diletakkan didalamnya. Dilihat dari sisi pendidikan, pendidikan perempuan selalu menjadi isu, bahkan masalah kekurangan sanitasi bisa membuat perempuan kehilangan waktu dan hak untuk pergi ke sekolah. Hak perempuan tidak hanya meliputi kemana mereka pergi sekolah tetapi juga kemana mereka akan pergi setelah menyelesaikan pendidikan mereka. Ini merupakan alasan kenapa kita harus tetap fokus pada hak asasi perempuan dalam pendidikan. Kasus di Nigeria telah menunjukkan betapa perempuan masih harus berjuang dalam mendapatkan akses pendidikan yang memadai. Kehadiran Malala juga ikut berkontribusi dalam mengkampanyekan hak perempuan untuk belajar.

Pemerkosaan dan kekerasan seksual masih tinggi di sekolah. Walaupun perempuan yang menjadi korban mau berbicara, sistem yang melindungi mereka masih belum ada, sehingga kasus yang sama terulangi kembali. Pendidikan adalah hak asasi manusia dan tidak terpisahkan. Pendidikan merupakan cara individu untuk meraih kehidupan sosial ekonomi yang lebih baik, keluar dari kemiskinan. Harus ada tindakan bagaimana membawa hasil-hasil dari CEDAW agar pemerintah merasa bertanggung jawab atas hak asasi manusia perempuan. Ada juga terminologi human rights learning sebagai sesuatu yang terintegrasi dengan pendidikan.

Bagaimana kita mencapai apa yang seharusnya kita capai sangat penting diperhatikan. Penerapan sama pentingnya dengan tujuan dari sebuah program yang dilaksanakan. Prinsip-prinsip dasar hak asasi manusia memerlukan indicator yang dapat menangkap arti pokok dari hak asasi manusia dan pendekatan kesetaraan.

Paradigma baru tentang kesetaraan Gender setelah 2015 | New Paradigm of Gender Equality Post-2015: Girls and Boys Together

Judul panel: Paradigma baru tentang kesetaraan Gender setelah 2015 | New Paradigm of Gender Equality Post-2015: Girls and Boys Together
Waktu        : Sabtu, 14 Maret 2015, pukul 12.30 - 02.00
Organisasi  : Mental Health Association in Taiwan

Denise Scotto, Wakil Presiden dan Perwakilan PBB, menjadi moderator

Perubahan paradigm tentang kesetaraan gender harus dimulai dari usia dini, masa kanak-kanak. Sebagai contoh, terkait dengan mainan, ditempat bermain anak-anak perempuan akan ditemukan semua mainan yang berkaitan dengan masak-memasak atau feminis, tetapi hal yang berbeda ditemukan di tempat bermain laki-laki dimana semua bentuk mainan seperti pistol-pistolan dan mainan-mainan yang digunakan dalam kekerasan. Disini mulai terlihat perbedaan antara laki-laki dan perempuan. Hal yang perlu diperhatikan adalah dalam beberapa situasi di tempat bermain anak-anak, perempuan sering kali ditempatkan sebagai objek, kaum yang lemah. Sejak usia dini anak-anak sudah di didik untuk mendeskreditkan perempuan, maka tidak heran jika kondisi yang sama terlihat dalam kehidupan nyata.

Video game merupakan satu hal yang berkontribusi dalam membangun persepsi bagaimana memperlakukan wanita dengan tidak benar dan kasar. Permainan tentang pembunuhan sampai kekerasan terhadap perempuan tersebar dan dimainkan anak laki-laki seolah mengajarkan mereka bagaimana memperlakukan wanita. Dari sini, bisakah kita merubah dan mulai membangun paradigma tentang memperlakukan perempuan dengan penuh hormat dan setara. Tidak ada perbedaan perlakuan berdasarkan ras. Tidak ada kekerasan yang dilakukan hanya karena dia seorang perempuan. Ketika mereka bermain game, mereka memainkan permainan bagaimana memperlakukan manusia dengan penuh hormat dan setara satu sama lain.

Seorang perwakilan dari Zonta International, yang berkomitmen membantu perempuan melalui advokasi dan pelayanan, memberikan contoh sebuah program yang sedang dilakukan dalam mencegah dan merubah persepsi tentang kekerasan gender. Projek ini fokus pada kekerasan gender di sekolah atau disebut dengan terminologi school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV). Kekerasan yang dimaksud disini tidak hanya terbatas pada kekerasan, tetapi juga meliputi komentar kasar, kekerasan fisik, penganiayaan atau pencelaan, dan kekerasaan dalam bentuk perkataan.

Sebuah penelitian dilakukan di Asia menunjukkan kekerasan gender masih tinggi di sekolah. Oleh karena itu, satu pilot projek untuk mencegah kekerasan gender disekolah diterapkan di Hanoi, Vietnam. Dengan dana sebesar $644.000 yang dibantu oleh pemerintah nasional, projek ini diterapkan dengan beberapa hasil yang diharapkan: 20 sekolah yang terlibat dalam mencegah kekerasan gender, 30.000 anak-anak usia sekolah usia 11-18 dan 45000 orang tua aktif terlibat dalam mencegah dan merespon SRGBV, serta menyiapkan training untuk 700 guru dan staf sekolah pada kekerasan gender.

Pencegahan kekerasan gender disekolah akan menjadi agenda selanjutnya setelah MDGs berakhir. Ketika anak-anak mulai mengenal kekerasan ini, dukungan dari sekolah dan komunitas dibutuhkan.

Menutupi perbedaan upah: Apa yang bekerja? | Closing the pay gap: What works?

Judul Panel : Menutupi perbedaan upah, apa yang bekerja? | Closing the pay gap: What works?

Waktu         : Sabtu, 14 Maret, 2015, pukul 08.30 - 10.00

Organisasi   : Pacific Women's Watch (New Zealand)

Dr. Judy McGregor, Dr. Jackie Blue, Awhimai Reynolds, and Sylvia Bell menyanyikan satu lagu asal New Zealand

Isu tentang perbedaan upah antara laki-laki dan perempuan sudah lama menjadi perdebatan terutama jika dikaitkan dengan hak asasi manusia dan keadilan. Dr. Judy McGregor, Dr. Jackie Blue, Awhimai Reynolds, and Sylvia Bell dari organisasi Pacific Women’s Watch, New Zealand mempresentasikan pandangan dan hasil kerja terkait dengan isu perbedaan upah antara laki-laki dan perempuan dalam jenis pekerjaan yang sama.

Menurut Dr. Jackie Blue, untuk menyelesaikan isu perbedaan upah, mencari kebijakan yang sesuai saja tidak cukup, tetapi juga perlu memperhatikan bagaimana sebuah kebijakan diterapkan. Masyarakat bisa memonitor apa yang sudah dilakukan oleh pemerintah dan kemudian merefleksikan sejauh mana kebijakan yang telah dilakukan pemerintah berdampak terhadap upah kerja yang diterima setiap hari atau bulan. Selain itu, pendekatan secara legislasi, mengevaluasi kebijakan serta melakukan pendekatan pada politisi-politisi laki-laki bisa menajdi jalan dalam memperkecil perbedaan upah ini.

Dalam presentasi ini, peserta yang hadir diminta untuk berbagi cerita tentang perbedaan upah yang terjadi di negara masing-masing. Satu peserta dari Amerika bercerita tentang perbedaan upah berdasarkan etnis dimana komunitas berkulit hitam, dan Latin mendapatkan upah yang berbeda. Menurut peraturan, upah minimum seharusnya $7.8 per jam, namun dalam kenyataannya komunitas berkulit hitam dan latino hanya mendapatkan sekitar $4.44 per jam. Kemudian, kasus lainnya diceritakan, mulai dari Swedia, Jerman, dan Korea Selatan, dimana di tiga negara ini perbedaan upah sangat tinggi meskipun pertumubuhan ekonomi negara tersebut secara nasional tinggi.

Presentasi dari Dr. Jackie Blue

Dalam konteks global, Pacific Women’s Watch menyadari bahwa tidak ada negara yang berhasil menutupi perbedaan upah berdasarkan laporan dari World Economic Forum 2014 di 142 negara. Namun, kesetaraan upah dalam satu profesi yang sama merupakan dasar dari keadilan sosial dan hak asasi manusia. Oleh sebab itu, kesetaraan upah harus tetap diperjuangkan, terutama dengan melibatkan perempuan-perempuan muda dengan membuat mereka menyadari tentang hak mereka dan berusaha memaksimalkan keberadaan sosial media.

Family University: Powerful Solutions for Modern Society

The session “Family University: Powerful Solutions for Modern Society” was held at the American Convention Center on March 12, 2015. The Worldwide Organization for Women sponsored the session.

This session delivered powerful information. Jose and Jacky Aponte, natives of Puerto Rico, shared personal experiences of how they work together to solve difficulties in their family and the important role family can play in the life of children. “My childhood was not a safe place of nurturing, unconditional love and acceptance," Jacky the wife said. "Unless I choose to step up to these facts and unlearn this type of ‘love’, I will continue to pass it to my own children”. The way Jacky’s mother treated her caused her psychological trauma when she was a child. After she married Jose, the couple wanted their children to live in a happy family, and they believed that “the family garden still is the Best place to grow highly effective and happy people”. They suggested three principles for family: love, vision, and commitment. Love means to express love to family and society, both verbally and by action. It is Jose and Jacky’s vision that “no one gets left behind in our forever happy family”, because they want to keep the family united and happy. A committed father, a committed mother, good family relations, the correction of negative behavior, and the teaching of positive behavior together make a highly effective family. “Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on the principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities”, Jose and Jacky said. "The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own home”. Finally, from the gender perspective, because parents educate girls from the start, that a "solid and happy family means happy women”, and “their children have security at young ages”. Based on my understanding, if husbands and wives work together to run a family, girls learn from their parents that both men and women have their rights and responsibilities in a family. Therefore it is fair to say the family is a basic unit where gender equity can start from.

Uniting Our Voices Against Violence: A Bottom Up Approach to Equipping Women and Girls in Their Communities

The session “Uniting Our Voices Against Violence: A Bottom Up Approach to Equipping Women and Girls in Their Communities” was held at the Church Center of the United Nations on March 12, 2015. This session was sponsored by Soroptimist International, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, and the World YWCA.

The six panelists in the session identified violence in various forms, such as unemployment, low wage, and women trafficking. In 2015, 15% of women experienced sexual or physical violence. Women can become subjects of violence because often times they have no choice but to comply with men in order to get food. Other reasons include: unbalanced power between men and women, vulnerability of women, manipulation, sexual abuse, and gender discrimination in environments, such as communities, homes, workplaces, etc. The panelists elaborated on the issue of women empowerment. Prevention was recognized as crucial to women's empowerment, and education was considered as a basic solution for women to learn about their rights. Many of the panelists recommended non-formal education with curriculum that uses stories about girls, so that the girls recognize their rights and become powerful agents for change. Many panelists also pointed out that not only girls, but also boys, need to be educated on girls’ rights so that both boys and girls become agents for change in their communities. The panelists also realized that sometimes women whose rights are violated are reluctant to ask for help from women's organizations. As a result, the panelists believe that civil society and NGOs need to take steps to fight against violence. NGOs can partner with governments to create a network that reaches large audiences of boys, girls, and families. Networking among the women and organizations should become strong. To sum up, prevention is the key to physical, psychological, and economical violence against women.

How An Internationally Legally Binding Instrument on Violence Against Women Can Make a Difference

Panel Title: Continuing the Global Conversation – Why We Need and Internationally Legally Binding Instrument on Violence Against Women

The question on the floor was raised.. after all this advocacy for women’s rights since the Beijing Conference, have we moved backwards? Violence against women is the most prevalent violation against human rights, yet there has been no stand-alone treaty for women and girls that holds countries accountable for creating and enforcing laws regarding women's rights. There have been conventions, declarations and other movements, however, no country is legally binded to anything. This panel believed in the power of a legally binding instrument, ideally one that would emerge from the global south, in order to proceed forward in improving the conditions of women around the world.

One problem with international legislation that was brought up is the gap between what the policy sets out to do and its actual enforcement. There are also normative gaps; one panel member found herself in one of these normative gaps after she escaped from a forced marriage. After not being able to receive any support upon escaping the marriage, she discovered there are many others out there just like her. These women are overlooked because what is considered a violation of women’s rights depends on the context. This included things like forced marriage and marital rape and forms of domestic violence that are exempt from being punishable by law.  There are research gaps that still need to be filled. This is where The Harvard Kennedy Initiative’s research has come in to try to fill these gaps by conducting research in over 52 countries and at 30 universities around the world. They do their research through advocates, survivors, legal workers and grassroots efforts in order to find out what’s needed on the ground.

An advocate from Scotland noted, the root of the issue is gender inequality, and gender inequality needs to be addressed for proper gender violence prevention. The more opportunities women have to participate in society, the better off we will be as a whole.  While Scotland has a comprehensive system to deal with abuses against women, the way their government and elections are set up make it difficult to introduce new policies to move closer towards gender equality. This globally binding norm gives people the potential to exert pressure on their government to monitor and implement gender focused legislation. In countries where it’s illegal to make gender specific laws, international law ensures it is legal, forcing countries to adopt these conventions. Conversation was held around the Istanbul Convention, and while it has positive and negative aspects, it provides evidence that international laws matter.

Some members of the panel recognized the fact that the UN has yet to create this sort of framework is discouraging, but still necessary and advocate for doing so by “continuing the conversation” as the discussion title suggests. They recognize working from the local level up and the global level down are almost equally important. Since at the local level if its not legally binding internationally it is less powerful. We cannot just export the Istanbul model though; it must come from the voices that are not being heard, from the global south to bring all women on board for an even more powerful movement.

For more information about the research the Harvard Kennedy Schools http://wappp.hks.harvard.edu/.

Gender Violence in Areas of Conflict - Thursday March 12th

Panel Title: Gender Base Violence in Areas of Conflict and the Role of Donor Governments in Supporting Access to Comprehensive Post Rape Care.

Violence against women is a major concern throughout the world, but it is of special concern in areas of conflict because of the conditions and environment victims face after they have been abused. The stigma and fear associated with rape often prevents individuals from seeking health care and the disconnect between what is provided through policy and donor agencies and what is actually needed makes post rape care important to improve. The panel discussed the necessity of comprehensive post rape care and the importance of donor countries understanding how their funds can be used most effectively. 

Comprehensive post rape care is more then just medical care (which is of vital importance) but what also needs to be include is psychological care (And long term psychological care) which is often not provided by donor agencies. These women experience brutal conditions, which is not something that goes away with medical treatment. The executive director of the Human Rights Watch offered two examples of cases where girls were taken from their homes and experienced sexual violence and abuse by various people on multiple accounts. In the case of Iraq, ISIS has abducted thousands of girls, while 300 of them have returned or escaped, many more are still there. Upon returning, many have no idea where their families are and experience many forms of abuse and often suffer from some form of post traumatic stress syndrome. One of the panel members pointed out that these are the more publicized cases, that was covered widely by the media, however, they still did not receive proper post-rape/violence care. One widespread argument was that this often has to do with what donor countries are allowed to provide…

The speakers mentioned legislation in the United States that has been interpreted in a way that prevents agencies to use donor funds for abortion. Many agencies offer post abortion care, but this is clearly not enough as the MSF (Medecins Sans Fronteires) representative reported the number one cause of maternal mortality is a result of unsafe abortions, with over 47,000 women dying each year. This is where donor agencies and grassroots organizations need to get on the same page. The representative from Kenya noted the necessity of recognizing the disconnect between policy and practice as the leader of Dandelion (an NGO in Kenya that works to improve the health of girls and women). While post abortion care is legal in Africa, when questioned about abortion, most of the girls described abortions as physically hurting themselves.. The education needs to be there and the access to safe abortions where it is legal is extremely important especially in these areas of conflict where some women these women are victims of rape and know they cannot afford to proceed with the pregnancy… it is a personal decision, but the access to safe pre and post abortion care will be instrumental in decreasing maternal deaths.

For More Information 

One agency that is leading the way for providing comprehensive post rape care in areas of conflict is the MSF. This agency has provided medical and psychological care to over 10,000-15,000 victims of sexual violence a year, with 5% of those being boys. This agency recognizes the context in which these acts of violence are happening and are often the only source of care in these areas of conflict. Overall, the speakers recognized the importance of understanding how policies are carried out at a local level and the necessity to work with the level of citizens and higher officials to reduce the unsafe practices that are currently going on and ensure the polices achieve what the set out to do. Find out more about the MSF here at http://www.msf.org/.

Find out more about the Dandelion Foundation at http://dandelionafrica.net/

CSW March for Gender Equality and Women's Rights

The 59^th annual Conference on the Status of Women in New York City kicked off on Sunday, March 8^th, 2015 with the March for Gender Equality and Women’s Rights.  After gathering in Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, participants walked almost two miles to a rally in Times Square.  The marchers were a true representation of diversity, with a variety of languages and countries presented.  Additionally, among the more than one thousand participants were a substantial number of males, bearing signs that read “This is what a feminist looks like” or “#heforshe”.  As the march progressed, people joined along the route, further contributing to the representation of diversity.  Although an exact count of participants is difficult, there were more than enough people to overflow the space allotted to the rally in Times Square.

            The marchers sang, chanted, and carried signs for the entirety of the march.  Their messages included “Women’s rights are human rights,” “#IWALKFORWOMEN,” “We want safe streets now,” and “Women’s lives matter.”  There was a palpable change in energy as the crowd passed, with numerous people stopping to take photos or ask questions along the route.  In addition to UNWomen, other groups represented included the New York City Mental Health Counselors Association, United Nations Population Fund, Soroptimist International, World YWCA, as well as numerous other international organizations. Perhaps the largest delegation came from Sant Nirankari Mission, whose members served as volunteers  and participants in the march.