Commission+on+the+Status+of+Women

2011 ST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITY MODEL UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE **Commission on the Status of Women ** Hello, I'm Ustina Tawadros and I will be your chair for this conference. I am in my last year at Bonaventure as a Political Science major, with a minor in Law & Society and am currently in the process of applying to law school, and anxious for admission upon completing my undergraduate degree. I am a Student Ambassador and member of the National Honor Society of Leadership. Home for me is Rochester, New York where I attended Brighton High School and left behind all my athletic abilities. Just kidding! Although, perhaps lacking athleticism in the physical sense of the word, my teamwork attitude and sportsman-like conduct is still intact; I hope for the same outlook from all delegations. I want this to be a rewarding experience, that you will walk away from having the notion that it was informative and worthwhile. I wish you all the best of luck, and look forward to seeing everyone in March! **__The Situation of Women in Afghanistan __** Facing the challenges of living in the poverty of a less developed country, the women of Afghanistan have fallen victim to oppression and violence even before the tyrannical rule of the Taliban. Now, after their dismemberment in 2001, the ongoing warfare, struggle for power, and extremist activities have further diluted any gains that were once made towards attaining an Afghan women's standard quality of life. Women inferiority is prevalent in the cultural practices of Afghanistan. Forbidden to leave their homes without being fully covered with the niqab (face veil), women are restricted from being able to even roam the streets freely! Following the traditional gender role of women, they are often uneducated and their only means of social mobility is by way of marriage. Criminal networks within the country also traffic children abroad, as far away as the Middle East and Africa, where they are subjected to forced labor or even sexual exploitation. Desperate to pay off debts, Afghan poppy farmers will give for marriage daughters as young as seven years old. As the major source of the world’s opium, the drug trade has been more highlighted as an issue in Afghanistan than the strides towards women equality. The equality of women is a necessity to reaching further economic, social and political developments in Afghanistan. The affirmation of human rights and recognition of women as equal s must be realized to end the violence against them in this country. Strategies must be implemented to further their position in society and to better provide them with opportunities that are essential to their advancement such as education and employment. By upholding the rights of women in Afghanistan, there is a path being paved on the way to participation and engagement in this nation’s society. As you research here are some questions to think about: what is the current status and treatment of women in the country which you represent? What is the current approach of the Afghan government? Are there any processes or institutions in place addressing gender equality issues? What can the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) do to better the living conditions and treatment of women in Afghanistan as they are legally equal under the law? __Some Helpful Links: __ [] [] [] [] **__Education and Population in Latin American & African States __** The importance of education among developing nations is highly relevant to its growth. Why is it that in the emerging countries of Africa and Latin America that the births per woman remain higher than that of women in industrialized nations? One of the main determinants to this question is the lack of education. As developed nations put education in high regards, the percentages of women receiving higher education and employment is likely to directly affect the percentage of fertility and yield greater equality for women in the labor force. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Nations that put an emphasis on their education systems are likely to reap the benefits in numerous aspects. To control the extreme population growth in third world countries it is important for improvements to be made in the lives of women and their education. As developing nations have increased enrollment in schools, particularly women enrollment, it is likely that they will have a lower fertility rate of children. In the year 2000, the average births per women in developed nations came to 1.5 while in underdeveloped nations averaged at 2.8 in Latin America and 5.3 in African nations. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">As most underdeveloped states are agriculturally based, having many children is economically beneficial to the family in that it produces more labor. While in a modernized state, the benefit of children does not outweigh the cost because of the change in structural factors. With more women in the work-force, social programs, and government spending, institutions in the modernized world influence the opportunities given to women to receive higher education. This shift to industrialization in Latin America and Africa makes the age of which women having children much older and at a lesser quantity. This directly impacts their opportunity to mobilize in society and level the playing field of equality for women in these developing states. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The proliferation towards democracy by these states must also pursue equality; gender roles are not the same as they once were. By this social change in the feudal structure, factories, education, unions, urbanization and a working class has materialized. However, women empowerment must also be a key issue addressed in order to further development. As these regions develop, the new environment in Latin America and Africa create a structure in social arrangements that give women more opportunity to be active individuals in society. It is imperative that women are given a voice at the negotiating table as these nations continue towards modernization. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">With a change in the formal institutions of laws and the cultural behavior of groups, women are now able to participate in society and be more accepted as individuals rather than a portion of her male caretaker. These different variables now influence the position of women today; higher education is a priority for women and unswervingly impacts their life. How will the CSW assist in reaching these objectives of equality in education and employment? What must be done to help guarantee a shift in the attitude towards women empowerment so that they are able to pursue their endeavors as individual participants to their civil societies? __<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Some Helpful Links: __ <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] **__<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Abuse of Women __** <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Women on a global scale have been abused for a number of years even to this day in age. According to the United Nations, UN, “one out of every three women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.” There have been 608 reported cases though most women who are victims do not say anything meaning that there are more cases then what is reported. This is because in certain countries women are not seen as individuals in the eyes of men. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> In some areas such as the Middle East, Asia, and Africa this situation tends to be worse. According to the Human Development Foundation in Pakistan on average women are beat every two hours due to the abuse of the male population living within Pakistan. Legislation was put forth by Member of the National Assembly, MNA, Yasmeen Rahman, adviser of Pakistan’s women development in order to continue the work of MNA Sherry Rehaman in 2004, but because of several members in Pakistan’s senate found the legislation to not follow suit with their Islamic traditions and is not male friendly. This bill was to provide women with protection and see harsh punishments such as jail time for those who violate the law. It has been a year since the Domestic Violence bill has been introduced in order to prevent and protect women against daily abuses by the greater male population in Pakistan. Women suffer from being not only beaten, but also tortured and in some cases are even burnt by their own husbands. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Countries such as Pakistan still has not supported the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women that establishes a Committee that was signed on October 6, 1999 that is to outlaw abuses against women including gender discrimination as well as seeking equality for women in terms of health, employment, and education. This issue is even addressed in the Millennium Development Goals due to the severity and sensitivity of this matter. In hopes to complete this goal by 2015 Ban Ki-Moon has as of 2008 began a campaign that will define what abuse is, collect data, research preventive measures, put them into action, and eventually push for countries to put stronger laws into place to protect women as well as their rights. He also hopes to address issues regarding sexual violence with the help of the UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women which grant $100 million each year. <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">You may want to consider the following in your research: How does your country address the issue of abuse towards women? What steps have been taken in order to prevent further abuse? If your country supports male abuse upon women, how do they justify this? How can the UN meet the Millennium Goal #3: Gender Equality by 2015 in order to illuminate women suffrage worldwide? How should countries empower their female population to further educate themselves as well as obtain successes in the job field in order for them to gain respect in their communities? __<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Helpful Links: __ <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[] <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">[]