Helen Biggin represented the Church in Wales as a member of the Anglican women’s delegation at the 54th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, held in New York City, March 2010. Here she describes why it was important to go.
Just two generations ago, an intelligent and inquisitive 11-year-old was told by her otherwise adoring father that she couldn’t take up a hard-won scholarship to the local grammar school – ‘because education isn’t for girls.’
That girl would become my wonderful, warm-hearted, bright and lively grandmother. It was her life experiences that kept coming to mind during my time as a delegate this Spring (March 2010) at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), in New York.
To cut a long, and inspiring, story short Grandma worked in the mill and then as a seamstress. Widowed, in tragic circumstances, at 28 with a 5-year-old daughter (my mother), there were no pensions or benefits and she sewed in the couture houses to make ends meet. She made sure, however, that my mum had the education she had been denied and succeeded in putting her through grammar school and then a top University. In her fifties, Grandma fulfilled a lifelong ambition, attended college, and qualified as a teacher, in which profession she worked happily until retirement.
So why is this very personal, in many ways unremarkable, story relevant to a high-profile international gathering of the great and the good? And why, especially, is it relevant to women in Wales in the 21st Century? After all, girls and boys have equal access to education (with girls achieving significantly better at least at first). Wales’ National Assembly was the first legislature in the world to have equal numbers of women and men. Women can, allegedly, ‘have it all’ with a high-flying professional career and children. It is tempting to think that the gender battle is won.
But time and again at CSW 54, delegates heard, or told, stories that are the 21st Century equivalent of what happened to my Grandma – and much worse. They demonstrated that undervaluing, undermining and disrespecting girls and women and their contribution at all levels disadvantages society as a whole.
The 54th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) was entitled Beijing + 15 – ‘Review and Appraisal of Progress Achieved Fifteen Years after Implementation of the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action on Women (BPFA).’
The Platform incorporates action points for 12 ‘critical issues’ including: Women and Poverty; Education and Training; Health; Violence against Women; Women and Armed Conflict; the Economy; Women in Power and Decision Making; the Media; the Environment; and the Girl-child. CSW 54 examined the progress that has been made – and looked at what still needs to be done.
The Anglican Communion Office at the United Nations brings together representatives from the Anglican Church throughout the world to take part in CSW every year. With 75 million church members in 164 countries, the Anglican delegates bring massive grass-roots knowledge of equality issues in their own countries. In many of those countries, it is the Church that has the resources ‘on the ground’ to offer practical help and support.
The delegates ask questions, present progress reports and are expected to raise key issues when they return home.
After two weeks of debate, plenary sessions, discussions, and parallel events, CSW passed seven resolutions on: “Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS; Release of women and children taken hostage, including those subsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts; The situation of and assistance to Palestinian women; Women’s economic empowerment; Eliminating maternal mortality and morbidity through the empowerment of women; Strengthening institutional arrangement of the UN for support of gender equality and the empowerment of women by consolidating the four existing offices into a composite entity; and Ending female genital mutilation.”
Behind the ‘UN-speak’ of those resolutions, however, lies a wealth of real human tragedies and triumphs – and not just in ‘other countries.’ In fact, there were a number of common themes identified by the Anglican women and recognised as affecting all our communities. Sadly, top of the list was violence against women, including domestic abuse. Another, less tangible, is lack of self-esteem and confidence.
So, what to do? Settle for what we’ve got, especially in the UK and in Wales? Continue to be daunted by the enormity of the task and resolve that we can’t change anything anyway so it’s not worth trying? Close our eyes to the worst excesses?
At the very least, we can start to tell some of the stories we heard. We can determine to challenge individual injustices, however insignificant they may seem, and to offer simple kindnesses and support to those who need it. Those of us in a position to do so can encourage and mentor other women. We can begin in our own households with our sons and our daughters and demonstrate the intrinsic worth of each person, irrespective of gender.
We could look at establishing a pilot group in Wales for young people so that the next generation are familiar with and take up these issues before they become adults. Stories like my Grandmother’s are in danger of becoming lost in the mists of time for our children as they seem so long ago and yet, CSW made clear to me that those same barriers are still being faced by women all over the world.
Most of all, we can decide never to tolerate a situation where ‘education’ or ‘healthcare’ or ‘clean drinking water’ or ‘safety from violence’ or ‘decent employment’ … ‘isn’t for girls.’ Thank you, Grandma.
High profile
Aside from the, rightly, serious and intense nature of the Commission on the Status of Women, it has its rather more glamorous moments. For starters, it’s held in the iconic United Nations building alongside the East River in New York. Notwithstanding that the fabric of the building is rather jaded and that extensive works are taking place, it was so exciting to queue up for an NGO delegate’s pass – and a true privilege to pass through the ‘authorised access only’ barriers.
Then there were the Commission Sessions in Conference Room 1. Government representatives on the floor, NGO delegates in the balcony – never quite sure who you would meet. One memorable moment was sitting between a woman from Philadelphia and one from Senegal, listening to Ban Ki-Mon give an impassioned address on ending violence against women. Another was persuading a security guard to let me in to a ticket only event because I had ‘travelled all the way from Wales to hear Secretary (Hillary) Clinton’. It was worth it.
A truly special and deeply moving experience was hearing Archbishop Desmond Tutu preach – about forgiveness – at St James’ Episcopal Church on Madison Avenue. We Anglican women were fortunate to be addressed by the Presiding Bishop (a woman) of the Episcopal Church and had an opportunity to ask questions – which she answered.
Similarly, we were honoured to have a visit from Rachel Mayanja, UN Assistant Secretary General; Special Advisor to UN Secretary General on Gender Issue and Advancement of Women, who spoke to one of the Commission’s burning issues – ‘What’s New about the New Gender Architecture at the UN?’
From the UK, there was the chance meeting with Equalities Minister Harriet Harman which led to an introduction to Baroness Joyce Gould of the Women’s National Commission and the team at the UK Mission to the UN.
But the real highlight? That was the opportunity to share and talk and live with a group of inspirational women from all over the world. And the chance to bring something of that experience back to my home in Wales.
Helen Biggin is also known as Helen Birtwhistle, Managing Director of public relations consultancy Good Relations Wales, which works in partnership with the Church in Wales to support the Telos – Spirituality of Organisations – group.
