Re-framing Social Protection Systems at CSW63

From left to right: H.E. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, Ms. Sherine Tadros, Dr. Phumzile Mlamo-Ngcuka       

            On the morning of March 10, 2019, the 63^rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) kicked off with an opening event also known as the Consultation Day attended by hundreds of participants from all over the world. A theater located in Borough of Manhattan Community of College was filled with powerful voices and occasional mix of applause and silence. The theme for this year CSW is "Social Protection Systems".

Following the welcome message by Dr. Susan O'Malley, the chair of NGO Committee on the Status of Women/NY, the stage around the theme was set by a dialogue with Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women and H.E. Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, the Permanent Representative Mission of Ireland. 

"The infrastructures that supports care for women are missing in most countries." - Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

The conversation underlined the progress that the United Nations have made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 5 which focuses on gender equality and in putting forward the issue of lacking social protection services in public sectors in many countries. The dialogue also highlighted the history of struggles women faced, such as being forced to resign from work due to marriage; the guest speakers also emphasized the impacts of civil society on changing government policies and designing new social protection frameworks.

Continuing the discussion on the main theme, four panelists from various organizations engaged in a meaningful conversation to provide explanations of the definition, contexts, and vision of social protection. The deputy director of International Labor Organization (ILO), provided a broad definition of social protection as basic social security guarantee, but he emphasized the importance of focusing on what is needed within specific contexts, rather than what it generally is. The contexts of United States, Africa, and Latin America were brought to the table. 

"26 wealthiest people own as much as the 50 percent of the poorest in the world." - OXFAM

Most interestingly, the context of United States, as explained by the head of OXFAM Washington office, illustrates the unfair taxation policies which benefit the big corporate companies and wealthy individuals but hurt the disadvantaged groups due to the legal element of tax evasion which, she said, requires a progressive reform to identify and eliminate the loopholes. 

The event committee did a wonderful job in setting a stage for the upcoming two-week conference. The event served as a great platform where conversations were encouraged and language was provided for an active engagement in some challenging topics regarding the issue of social protection for women.

"Gender inequality is not just an economic issue. It is an issue of injustice." - Ms. Nadia Daar (Head of Washington Office, Oxfam)

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. 

Empty Words or Meaningful Actions?

On Friday, March 17 the UK NGO CSW Alliance held a discussion in the Hardin Room of the Church Center for the UN on how to ensure that Sustainable Development Goals 1 and 8 ensure the economic empowerment of women and girls. UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1, "No Poverty", aims to eradicate all forms of poverty everywhere, while SDG 8, "Decent Work and Economic Growth", serves to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, along with full and productive employment and decent work for all. 

One panelist spoke on the experience of older women, a group that is consistently excluded from global data and discussions despite the statistic that women over the age of 50 are 1/4 of the world's population. She reminded listeners that aging is a gendered experience. Women tend to live longer than men and, due to cultural norms and the gendered division of labor, will end up caring for multiple generations at the same time. They will take on more household and care-taking responsibilities (unpaid work) to allow the younger generation of women to enter the workforce. With the additional stresses of being disadvantaged throughout their lifetimes, poverty can hit older women especially hard. She asserted that SDG 8 must begin to measure unpaid work in order for public services and infrastructure to recognize the contributions of this group and provide support for older women and subsequently those they care for. 

The next panelist began by asking the audience "Who is civil society?" The answer: we are all civil society, and we have a responsibility to act and address human rights, women's rights, and the 2030 agenda outlined by the SDGs. We are the instruments and resources for economic empowerment and it is not only a goal, but smart economics, to serve as a critical voice for women and girls to influence the implementation of the SDGs. Civil society has played a significant role in raising awareness of gender equality and rights particularly by influencing the language used to talk about these issues. For example, they introduced "the girl child" to texts (previously, statistics of children under 18 clumped boys and girls together, failing to recognize their gendered experiences) and got the word "harmful" added before "traditional practices," making a difference in how people conceptualize the impacts of culture. 

The panel ended with an even stronger call to action. The final speaker referenced the byline of the SDGs - "Leaving No One Behind" - which promises the success of these goals and of achieving gender parity. "But I am calling for an end to empty words and a push to meaningful actions," she said. The continuous lack of disaggregated data alongside cultural practices which subordinate women have to be addressed; "Respecting culture is important, but human rights must come first." We also need to recognize that poverty starts at home. Additionally, poverty is not just economic - it is about a lack of capabilities, of empowerment and agency in an individual's life. The trivialization of issues such as enforced dress codes (a woman was recently fired for refusing to wear heels to work), the stereotyping of assertive women and girls as "bossy" or "pushy", and the low enrollment and employment of females in STEM subjects must also come to an end. In order to get to the roots of gender inequality, we need to look more closely at cultural practices and build an understanding. Only then, will we truly be able to "leave no one behind." 

Participants were then asked to break into small groups to discuss their thoughts, experiences, and questions on the panel. Some of the points brought up during the Q & A session were: 

• It has been estimated that $39 billion would be needed to ensure safe education for all. What would that type of funding look like and how would it be monitored? 
• Menstruation and lack of sanitary resources is a significant reason why some girls stop attending school. It is impossible to talk about gender equality in education when half of the population is not there. What are some ways to push governments to provide and support sanitation issues? 
• What do the SDGs look like and mean in individual communities? The concept of regionalizing the CSW was brought up to better reach rural women and those who lack the funding to attend the CSW. 
• One panelist noted that the CSW is a platform for advocacy and best practices. Perhaps the question should be how participants can bring key takeaways back home and implement them in their individual communities.