The Shrinking World: Global Citizenship & Digital Literacy

Three speakers came together from different backgrounds doing different tasks toward one common goal: improving the status of women through digital literacy.

The technological advancement and the increase of access have provided more opportunities in education and shifted the ways in which we look at communication.

The first presenter described global citizenship as a threshold concept which opens new ways of thinking and perceiving things. It is the acquisition of "troublesome, transformative, integrative, and irreversible" knowledge about the world. She presented a success story of a project in which student participants were from different parts of the world connecting with one another using online tools. They collaborated on research projects by reviewing journal articles and engaging in complex discussions about challenging topics related to injustice and inequality around the world. The project built community and compassion among participants.

Global citizenship is an arguable term, but a participant of the project said, "The right approach is perhaps not to pursue the real definition of global citizenship but to never stop looking."

Shifting the focus to digital literacy, the second presenter, who works at a university in New Zealand, provided a framework of conditions to become digital literate as stated below:
          1. Sustainable energy
          2. Digital transporter
          3. Hardware
          4. Software

It was stated that technology helps enhance women's participation in research and innovation. While women's participation in research has been improving, their status in innovation is still lagging behind. While providing some resources (listed at the end) as examples of how technology can be used to improve women's lives, the presenter also brought up the dangerous side of technology, especially the internet. She emphasized that women need protection to avoid the misuse technology which may lead to threats such as non-consensual pornography, cyber bullying, and identity fraud, just to name a few.

The last presenter, whose project is based in several West African countries, highlighted the importance of analyzing the context of where a project is based because that could unveil a number of underlying issues which need to be addressed as they prevent women from gaining access to technology education. Those problems may include the lack of affordability, the unfamiliarity of the usage, the gender barriers, and the lack of awareness of the benefits.

To sum up, the session provided a variety of ways to look at digital literacy, and how it looks like in different contexts for different groups of individuals. Even though, different approach is required in each context, what seems to be applicable in every situation is that education should be inclusive and technology in education should be introduced with caution.

Resources:

ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education): https://www.iste.org/
MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses): http://mooc.org/

Soroptimist International – A Global Voice for Women

Soroptimist International – A Global Voice for Women: Lifting Women from Poverty Through Lifelong Learning.

Presenters: 

Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, President.

Elizabeth Nyadwe, Vice President Advocacy. 

Hafdis Karlsdóttir, President’s Appeal Chair.

Soroptimist International’s aim is to educate, empower and enable women all over the world and ensure that their voices are being heard. SI have a network of clubs in 122 countries, with each club administering their own projects. Projects that were highlighted were educational programs in Nepal with focus on female leadership, women’s groups, gender equality training, menstruation hygiene, emotional healing, and more. The STEM field in the UK is another project where Soroptimist International encourages girls to pursue a career within engineering, math and technology. 

Long Life Learning for Women is an important project led by Soroptimist International Europe (SIE). Three projects were highlighted involving young women who were empowered in the work field in Italy and Turkey. Female prisoners got work training while in prison, while another project provided job placements for women who had never worked before.

Two other projects that have an ongoing education component is the SPOT project in Malaysia and the Ger project in Mongolia. The SPOT project seeks to fill gaps in Malaysia’s sexual health and education of young people, especially young girls. Despite over 18,600 cases of underage pregnancies per year there is no formal sexual health and education program in Malaysia. The Ger project enables women to grow their own fruit and vegetables and be self-sustainable.

Women, Water and Leadership is a program where women learn how to store, obtain, irrigate, plant, sell their products and manage their business. By managing water resources, and learning water leadership, women gain social and political power.

For more information about SI's work, please visit their website:  https://www.soroptimist.org/

CSW62

One of the parallel events was titled, "CSW62 Orientation Session". This event was dedicated to The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and its mission. The panelists presented the mission of CSW as to promote gender equality and empower women.

As it was mentioned in the event, 17 new Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets were put on an agenda by governments. By this agenda, ending poverty, fighting against inequalities, etc. were prioritized.

The 17 SDGs are as follows:

1. No Poverty
2. Zero Hunger
3. Good Health and Well-being
4. Quality Education
5. Gender Equality
6. Clean Water and Sanitation
7. Affordable and Clean Energy
8. Decent Work and Economic Growth
9. Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
10. Reduced Inequalities
11. Sustainable Cities and Communities
12. Responsible Consumption and Production
13. Climate Action
14. Life Below Water
15. Life on Land
16. Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
17. Partnerships for the Goals

 Retrieved from http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/ 

The panelists highlighted the important work NGOs do around the world, that NGOs are the entities advocating for a change, empowering women and young girls, making difference in women's lives. Only together we can bring a change. 

New Book on Peaceful Solutions for Women's Advancement Across Cultures

On Friday, March 17 in the Salvation Army Auditorium, African Views promoted 100 Peaceful Solutions for Women's Advancement Across Cultures, a new book and global call to action which has been in the works for over eighteen months. Curator Wade Idris Aijbade was present, along with other authors and families of authors who contributed to the book. The soft launch and panel was moderated by Padmini Murthy, MD, and Regina Askia Williams, RN. 

The event began with keynote speaker Madame Innocence Ntap Ndiaye, President of the High Council on Social Dialogue by Decree and international lecturer from Senegal; her French presentation was translated by an interpreter. She discussed Senegal's Constitution of 2001 which includes a set of principles to promote women's rights and access. Her country has also ratified international policies on the subject, including CEDAW, and a national strategy for social justice and gender equality SNEEG. Women are concentrated in the informal economy, meaning unpaid work that remains invisible in statistics and discussions. Highlighting the context of vulnerability generated by inequality, she stressed the importance of education and social dialogue as "a means of producing social justice through consensus of main actors and democratic means of involvement." 

The first panelist, Ora Welch, M. Ed., President and CEO of Hopes CAP, Inc. (HOPES), focused on respect and early education. She stated that all people need to learn how to respect themselves and each other from a young age, so that we stop mistaking abuse for love. Abuse is tied to education, and poverty will not go away until we fix education. Young people, and particularly girls, need safe spaces for dialogue and support to become well-rounded and self-sustainable. Too many young girls are searching for approval; they need good mentors to help them understand what they are feeling.

The second and final panelist, Terry D. Ince, a human rights activist with expertise in women's economic and political empowerment from Trinidad and Tobago, reminded participants that "change starts with us." She described an incident in her country during Carnival last year where a young women's movement made their voices heard, successfully removing a man from office following his distasteful comments about a young girl's death. Women should be able to walk down the street wearing whatever they choose without being harassed, attacked, or having their space invaded, and these women exemplify the power of civil society in demanding equality and rights. 

Ince also cited CEDAW in the expectation of women and girls to be protected by the government and called for participants to put pressure on their governments to uphold the treaty in practice. For countries that have not ratified CEDAW, including the United States, Murthy encouraged participants to look into Cities for CEDAW, which aims to "Make the Global Local" by passing legislation establishing the principles of CEDAW in cities and towns across the United States. 

During the Q&A portion, the following topics were discussed: 

• Williams said, "These men didn't come from Mars, we raised them." How can we correct inequalities caused by our parents (ex. gendered ways of sitting)? 
• In order to overcome institutionalized inequalities, we must gain the respect of those (parents) we are trying to inform. By carrying yourself with respect and projecting the change you want to implement, you can talk to people one-on-one about the development and growth of their children and make a difference.
• Self-empowerment first, then social engagement. 
• Growing up, girls are encouraged to be affectionate and to be drawn to affection. Caregivers are often the source of this affection, so what advice can be given to victims of molestation by these caregivers? 
• We need protectors in the community that victims can talk to and we need to stop victim blaming. We cannot let silent suffering go on any longer. Safe spaces for dialogue and support will open the door of trust and raise awareness, enabling victims to build networks between mentors and other young people. 

"Inequality is the cause of our time"

“Making a Difference: Innovation and Women in Power” was held during the late afternoon on March 17, in the auditorium of the Salvation Army building, and was sponsored by The International Women’s Forum of Connecticut. Though this session was not as well attended as some of the earlier sessions in the day, those that were there were treated to a panel of internationally renowned women leaders. Moderated by Valerie Gelb, CEO of Gelb Global Business Growth Advisors, the panelist were Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, President and CEO of Global Fund for Women, Christine McConnell, Executive Coach and founder and president of The McConnell Group, Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children, and Kavita Ramdas, former president and CEO of The Global Fund for Women. As moderator, Ms. Gelb asked each panelist a variety of questions regarding how women in leadership positions can affect social change, though each question was tailored to the particular expertise and experience of the panelist being asked.

Overall, the panel addressed 3 main themes: the role of technology in women's empowerment, the major issues/challenges facing those who are working towards gender equality, and how women can be leaders for change.

Technology

Technology was primarily presented by the panelists as a resource that can be uniquely suited to support women’s empowerment. Carolyn Miles shared examples of how technology can be used to reach women and children who are often missed by traditional healthcare system, including innovative uses of mobile diagnostic devices that can be used to diagnose and treat children in rural areas and deep urban slums, as well as ways that technology can bring training resources to non-traditional healthcare workers so that they can better serve needy populations. Kavita Ramdas shared examples of how technology can be used to give girls and women a public voice, even when they are not physically allowed in public spaces. This has been seen recently in both Saudi Arabia and in India. Musimbi Kanyoro explained how mobile technologies have allowed disadvantaged populations access to information and resources they have been historically be excluded from, though she also noted situations in which technology can be damaging, especially for girls and women whose images are shared publicly though social media without their consent.

Major Issues

A variety of significant issues were discussed by panelists. One of the most cited was the assumption that economic empowerment is the solution to gender inequality. As Kavita Ramdas explained, there are many places in the world where women has achieved high rates of educational and economic parity, but still lack political or cultural power to make change because of historical cultural norms. Education was frequently described as one of the single largest factors in changing the lives of women and girls. From Carolyn Miles' perspective, education improves the future not only of girls, but also their future generations. Because of this, her organization approaches education not only as an empowerment solution, but also a protective solution.

Leading Change

The panelists provided many examples of the lessons they have learned about how to lead change, and advice for women who want to be leaders in working towards gender equality. Chris McConnell emphasized how important it is for women leaders to focus on their own leadership skills, and ways in which they can empower others by empowering themselves. She also discussed the perceived differences between women who lead in the corporate world and those who lead in the non-profit world, encouraging the world to work together to achieve shared goals. Musimbi Kanyoro called for women leaders to embrace the diversity of the world that we live in and to avoid addressing issues related to equality as single-subject issues. Kavita Ramdas provided 3 practical strategies: give to women’s rights organizations, make friends who are different from you, and use your networks as safe places to have tough conversations.

Word Choice

As the panel came to a close, two important questions of word choice came up. First, Kavita Ramdas shared that she doesn’t like to use the word “empowerment”. As she explained it, power it not given, it is taken. Marginalized populations have to reclaim their rights – they aren’t given new rights by those in power – and by doing so they change the balance of power. She also talked about the often-heard statement “women’s rights are human rights” and spoke passionately about this for several minutes. As echoed by other panelists, gender equality improves not only women, but all members of society. The use of the phrase “women’s rights are human rights” calls attention to the idea that women have not been treated as fully human, when instead we should be calling attention to the fact that all humans need the same rights, regardless of gender, sexuality, ethnicity, and other factors.

100 Solutions for Peaceful Advancement of Women Across Cultures

Held in the late afternoon of March 17 at the Salvation Army building, “100 Solutions for Peaceful Advancement of Women Across Cultures” served a a soft launch of the brand-new book by the same name. Available online and soon available in print, this interdisciplinary book provides solutions for the advancement of women. Authors and other involved in the development of the book were engaged in this panel session.

The session began with the singing of the national anthem by one of the author’s family members. Upon the conclusion of the anthem, the panel moderators, Padmini Murthy and Regina Askia Williams, introduced the keynote speaker. Mrs. Innocence Ntap Ndiaye, who currently the President of the High Council of Social Dialogue by Decree and has held multiple ministerial positions in Senegal, spoke about the steps that Senegal has taken to promote gender equality. Feeling more comfortable in her native language, she gave her talk in French, with another member of the panel translating. At the conclusion of her brief talk, she was presented with an SDG pin, in honor of her work on gender quality and as an inspiration to continue fighting.

Ora Welch, CEO of HOPES CAP and the first black woman elected to the United States Congress, spoke next about the importance of education in breaking patterns of gender inequality and violence. With particular attention to early education and the education of young people, she described the role that education plays in breaking cycles of violence. Specifically, Mrs. Welch explained that women need education to become self-sustaining, and that the respect they receive (and feel for themselves) once they are economically empowered, will lead to a reduction in violence. She also discussed the importance of women’s education addressing love, noting that girls must be taught that love should feel good and not hurtful, and that they must be supported by their community when they choose to leave domestic relationships in which violence is used as a proxy for love.

Next, Dr. Murthy and Regina Williams introduced the audience to the inspiration behind 100 Solutions, and discussed their perspectives on what can be done across cultures to promote women’s empowerment. Regina draw attention to the role that caregivers, especially women, play in breaking cultural patterns that maintain gender inequality, while Dr. Murthy took an opportunity to thank the feminist men in the audience who are also working towards gender equality.

Finally, Mrs. Terry Ince, a human rights activist and entrepreneur, spoke about women in peace and peaceful ways to get there. Using the recent example of a woman’s death during Carnivale in Trinidad and Tobago, she described how women’s empowerment starts with women. Women coming together to make their voices heard can lead to change, as it has in Trinidad and Tobago. However, international conventions also make a difference, and women in Trinidad and Tobago have been able to point to CEDAW to hold their government accountable when women aren’t getting the protection that they need.

The audience then had an opportunity to ask the panelists questions. The questions were wide-ranging, covering topic such as how communities can come together to make sure that girls have safe places to go when they are experiencing violence to how the recent changes in US governance will impact the worldwide women’s empowerment movement. To conclude the session, all of the book’s authors present (and their families) were called to the stage, where they were presented with flowers. Two authors’ children read poetry, and a third led the audience in singing Bob Marley's “Three Little Birds” to end the session on an inspiring note.

Lifting the veils of stigma: Empowering widows

By Andrea Moran

In many places around the world, the social stigma of being a widow condemns women and girls to social isolation and poverty. Without inheritance rights to a husband’s property or financial assets, such as the case in Tanzania, the death of a husband can throw women and their children into poverty. Life for widows around the world can mean a life amongst the most vulnerable in society.

During this CWS event, the topic of “empowerment” of widows took center stage.

The panel begins.

Dr. Eleanor Nwadinobi, an international gender and human rights consultant, asked us to reflect on what we mean when we say that we want to “empower” widows. For widows, she said, increasing their knowledge about their legal rights, along with educational and economic opportunities are crucial to empowerment. “Without education, they are stuck in menial jobs, trapped in a cycle of poverty,”  she said.

While the importance of empowerment during widowhood is crucial, the panel also spoke of the need to educate and change the social norms before a woman loses a spouse. In many societies, women are raised and conditioned to understand and aspire to marry because it ensures economic stability and social standing. “May you be married forever,” is a typical wedding blessing said to women in some places in India, said Meera Khana, one of the panelists who has worked with widows and underprivileged women in Kashmir. Contrary to this blessing, women are not married forever, and when their spouses pass, women can quickly become marginalized. Meanwhile, mens' wedding blessings feature wishes for their prosperity and future ambitions, Khana said.

However, the speakers noted that the problem is not simply society’s treatment of widows, but the forced “marriages” of children to older men. In Nigeria, girls were kidnapped and married to Boko Haram militants. Some of these girls had already been widows before from previous marriages. After the militants were killed, these girls then carried “layers of widowhood.” This social stigma of widowhood, along with psychological and physical trauma of their forced “marriages”, faced already at such a young age, highlights the urgency of addressing child “marriages”. I add quotes to this word because, as Dr. Nwandinobi said, forcing children into relationships with men is not a “marriage”, as this word, which suggests a more positive connotation, masks the reality of these tragedies.

In order to empower and heal these children, who have been cast aside by society, we need to also ensure adequate trauma counseling.

Long-term education plan needed for Syrian refugee women and children

By Andrea Moran


Six years ago this week, the Syrian Civil War began. 

Since 2011, the conflict has displaced over 11 million people, the majority being women and children. A packed room at the CSW event, “Empowering Refugee Women Through Education and Employment” on March 13th only reflected the urgency of the issue.

Fatimah, a Syrian refugee.

As the war continues, governments and civil society organizations are under pressure to find long-term solutions for refugee education and employment needs. As the conversation turns from temporary assistance to long-term integration planning, a myriad of challenges stand in the way: from inadequate NGO resources to conflicts in perception between EU nations about who is responsible for providing this assistance.

Lebanon 

In Lebanon, a nation with over 1 million registered refugees, civil society and religious-based organizations are stepping in to fill gaps when the government can't provide financial or social services. The World Society of Christian Federations (WSCF) is one of those organizations, but funding is running out, said Mira Neimah, an Executive Member of the organization. At the end of the day, Neimah said, “(WSCF) has to remain a church and not a social service agency,” speaking to the mounting pressures to provide for so many with so few resources.

In Lebanon, refugees must "register" in order to be eligible for legal employment, education, and healthcare. Without legal access, many refugees are stuck in poverty. In 2015, Lebanon suspended new registration and put new registration policies in place that made it difficult for registered refugees to renew their status. Around 70 percent of Syrians in Lebanon lack legal status, as documented by Human Rights Watch's 2017 World Report.

Greece

The situation is Greece is also urgent, on a different scale.

Since Greek islands are frequently the first point of entry for many refugees crossing the Mediterranean, the islands are viewed as a “temporary” place, and therefore, refugees can only access informal education on the island. Greece currently has 63,000 refugees on its islands, and no long-term plan for their educational needs on the islands, Dr. Vasileia Digidiki, a visiting scholar at Harvard University's FBX Center for Human Rights. However, children can remain on the islands for over 6 months, and the need to provide formal schooling is crucial, she said. Formal schooling can provide a “normal education environment” for these children and help mitigate some of the destabilizing effects of forced migration, she said.

On the Greek mainland, despite suffering from a financial crisis, the Greek government is working to make public school accessible to refugees. The language barrier remains an issue for many Syrian refugee children, especially those who arrive with disrupted education and need to catch up. Despite these obstacles, the Greek government is trying to integrate the children.

The panel featured leaders from UNICEF to civil society organizations.

Higher Education

Long-term education planning is also crucial for adolescents, a group that can be overlooked by emergency education programming, which tends to focus on primary schooling, said Lisa Szarkowsi, UNICEF's Vice President of Humanitarian Emergencies and Executive Communications. However, as the war continues, and these children grow up, the need to provide vocational training and higher education is crucial to ensuring this population is able to build a future, and not fall victim to extremist recruitment or sexual trafficking and exploitation. Szarkowsi said the conversation about higher education is critical now, as the question turns to: “Where is this (programming) going next, as they’re getting older?”

Other Resources:

• Humanitarian Overview: Syria - UNICEF
• Education Report - United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR)

Ensuring legal access to work and education is key for migrant women and children

By Andrea Moran

As participants stepped inside the Salvation Army's main hall for the CSW event on migrant women, there was a stark difference between last year's event.

This year? There were no migrant women on the panel.

This year, no migrant women spoke on the panel.

The current political climate and recent executive orders have sent waves of fear through migrant communities. This year, migrant women were not willing to speak publicly about their issues and experiences at this United Nations Commission on the Status of Women's (CSW) parallel event on March 13th, said Judith Wager, Deputy President of OMEP, the organization which hosted and moderated the event.

“This calls more attention to why we’re here today,” Wagner said. She said migrant women’s voices have always been silenced, and by not feeling comfortable to speak at Monday’s event, they have been silenced further.

Despite this, the event, “Empowerment of Migrant Women: Impact on their Children’s Educational Outcomes and Resilience”  featured a panel of leaders from Save the Children to the Arab American Family Support Center. Speakers spotlighted the gaps in research and advocated for top-down ways to safeguard the “safety and dignity” of migrant mothers and their children.

While the Syrian refugee crisis has created the largest displacement of people in modern history, Latin American migrants were a strong focus of the event. Specifically, the children who are left behind when a parent migrates. Migrants from Latin America, seeking better economic opportunities or fleeing gang violence in their home countries, have increased, especially the number of unaccompanied minors, said Deborah Jones, Director and UN Representative of Save the Children.

Milan added that while the topic of children left behind is researched in academia, it’s largely absent in global debates about migrants. One reason is perhaps the lack of statistics, as Jones said that it’s difficult to calculate the number of children who stay behind when a parent migrates. 

Save the Children is currently conducting research on this topic in Guatemala and Honduras, studying the psychosocial impacts on these children and the new family structures which emerge when a parent migrates. Jones said that children who have a parent who has migrated are more likely to have negative educational outcomes, lower self esteem, and are at risk for gang involvement. Jones said that more research is needed on this topic, and recommends psychosocial training for school staff who work with these children.

While the trauma and psychosocial impacts are a serious issue for children left behind, Milan stressed the need to see the potential positive effects of migration when a parent and child migrate together.

“There is a widespread perception that migration is negative for children,” he said. “But if a woman’s labor and migration rights are protected, it could be a positive experience" he said, emphasizing that if a woman migrates to a place where there's longterm opportunities and laws in place which ensure that she access to legal employment and education, it can be a more secure and positive experience.

The NY Declaration, adopted by heads of state at a UN summit in 2016, affirms the importance and educational needs of migrant children. The declaration also committed to developing a global migration compact. However, Milan said that this in the works global compact lacks sufficient language in addressing the educational needs of migrant children. He said the global community must develop a set of recommendations to ensure these rights are included in this upcoming compact, which is set for 2018.

“A child should always have access to education, despite migratory status,” Milan said.