A Song for International Women's Day...One Day Late

Due to some pretty crazy travel rerouting yesterday, I did not have a chance to post anything for International Women's Day itself (and I fell behind on posting other people's material as well). The 10 hours it took me to get home from NYC to Ottawa was a great reminder that travel is a privilege to which most people in the world do not have the access I do. This privilege also allows me to take part in events and discussions like CSW and make my voice heard. This is one of the reasons that access to safe and affordable transportation is one of Ecumenical Women's priorities. It is a major factor in ensuring women and girls' access to the independence that facilitates their empowerment and enables them to better contribute to development as well.

Enough about that though. Here is your present for International Women's Day. UN Women put together this song in honour of this year's CSW and International Women's Day. Enjoy!

Judy's Suitcase Saga Continued

Yesterday I woke up feeling tired and unwell, so paying attention to my body I took most of Thursday off, slept, did email, slept ,showered and went out for dinner. I think I did too much Tuesday and Wednesday.

All the Canadian Anglicans except a couple went out to dinner Italian style last night. So nice to spend "non-working" time with them and get to know the new ones and catch up with the old ones. we are a diverse but very competent group with many strengths. On Wednesday, Maria brought me two sweaters and a jacket - she is so generous and caring. I felt badly missing a couple of things but I was pleased that I took time to look after me. After dinner several came back to our room for tea.

Fri I am back at it but determined to take a couple of hours off. Chapel was interesting with several ladies telling stories of friends or aquaintances who had suffered some form of violence against them. Valli and I took pictures to celebrate our reunion. the UN briefing was short today. I said goodbye to my Soroptimist Canadian connection as she leaves tomorrow. I have found another whole group of like-minded people. Advocacy committee was short today as we continued to plan mission visits. Met the Canadians in the UN lobby. there were a lot of us today and a good discussion. There is some optimism that things are going well on the floor.

There were several marches for International Women's Day despite the snow and rain and wind. I did not march as I have already walked farther than I usually do in a month.
the new song was introduced today. I will look for it and try to post it for you.

I am sad that several of our group are leaving tomorrow. It seems like we just got here and I just got to know them.

tomorrow I plan a quiet day and Sunday I am journeying to Long Island to visit friends and do some laundry. I am so excited not to be wearing a white shirt tonight - I finally have my nicer clothes.

HOORAY!!!!!!!!!
MY SUITCASE FINALLY ARRIVED TODAY
TODAY IS MY 8TH DAY IN NEW YORK AND I FINALLY HAVE SHIRTS WHICH ARE NOT WHITE AND LONG SLEEVED.

Debbie Summing Up

This is my last day and the packing and sorting of piles of paper is in full swing. To my chagrin this hotel does not recycle!! Should I bring the paper and the empty yoghurt containers home to recycle?? Maybe not. As you can see I collapsed several days into this one report. I got slower and slower over the week with the weight of the content, but strengthened by those moments of hope, extra-ordinary commitment and resilience in the face of adversity and suffering and the humour shown by many.

The 8am ecumenical morning worships helped sustain me through this week and I looked forward to them for their sense of community and as a way to prepare for the day. One energetic celebratory worship was led by the World Student Christian Federation with dancing and singing in the aisles. Another day it was the Salvation Army with tambourines and song. Friday, International Women’s Day, it was the United Methodist Women who led us in song and dance, telling us their stories of resilience in different countries like The Clothesline Project http://www.clotheslineproject.org. Or how the women of Okinawa Japan are protesting US military bases on their island which cover almost 20% of it.They have documented 139 reported incidents of violence against Okinawan women by members of the US military over the past 40 years, including rape, murder, sexual assault, and common assault. Militarism is impoverishing humanity and the earth.

The Canadian government delegation meets daily at 1pm in the lobby of the UN to brief Canadian civil society representatives about how the negotiations of the Commission’s final document are going. On Thursday officials asked the NGO Ecumenical Women (EW) http://ecumenicalwomen.org (of which our delegation is part) for some suggested language. So Canadians and others from EW met to go over the current draft conclusions to highlight language that is in keeping with what Ecumenical Women wants in the outcome document. The government officials were grateful for our careful work and told us things were going slowly (surprise surprise !!??) but that there was a positive feeling in the room with states ready to compromise on wording for a positive outcome. Language sticking points between states included around sexual and reproductive rights (no surprise there), ‘harmful’ practices vs ‘customary ‘ practices, ‘forced’marriage vs ‘child’ marriage, ‘service’ vs ‘programs’, among others.

My very last session on Friday was put on by International Indigenous Women’s Forum, which is known by its Spanish acronym FIMI. Indigenous women from six countries spoke. A woman from Kenya, Agnes, described the situation for young women from pastoral communities which raise cattle. Many girls are taken out of school and forced into marriage so the father can receive the dowry of several head of cattle. (The chain of events are: climate change, drought, death of cattle, poverty, forced marriage). In Agnes’ work she encourages girls to set a goal for themselves and then to say to their fathers – please don’t marry me off but give me five years and I will study to be a doctor / nurse /teacher and will be able to buy you more cattle than you would get from a dowry. If the girl wants to be a doctor, for example, she is encouraged to start calling herself ‘Dr Mary’ right away because “she has the doctor in her and she has to start living it now”. Agnes said this week 2 girls phoned her in NY from Kenya to say they are going to continue their educations, although they are not sure how they will pay for it. Agnes said she will find it somewhere, and I believe she will.

The UN Commission continues for another week. May all the states find it within themselves to do 'more than they can ask or imagine' to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls. And to the civil society sisters and brothers who remain for another week, I wish you all continued courage for the road ahead. As Dr Pam Rajput from India said there are more than enough declarations, resolutions, frameworks, studies. We want mechanisms, we want action from the UN, not just another Human Development Report. We must engage collectively”.

Violence Against Women and Girls With Disabilities

My motivation for attending this parallel event on Tuesday 05, March 2013, “Hate Crime: Violence Against Women and Girls With Disabilities” was because my sister who is a Rehabilitation Counselor awakened in me the awareness that individuals with disabilities are under-served and are in sore need of advocacy. And I am truly glad I did. One of the many things I learned from my sister is that, “all disabilities are not visible”.


The main speaker of the panel was the founder of The JUDITH Trust established to honour her disabled sister, Judith. The JUDITH Trust is currently working with synagogues and other Jewish organizations in an effort to close the gap for all those with Learning Disability (LD) and Mental Ill-health (MI).


The speaker revealed alarming statistics—up to 40% of the population in the United Kingdom with learning disabilities would eventually develop co-occurring diagnoses of mental health. The particular needs of women with both LD and MI were addressed—it was found that this vulnerable and disadvantaged group is at greater risk of harm. Women are twice as likely as men to experience anxiety and depression. They are often not valued, listened to or included. They are hurt, harassed, bullied, ostracized and even raped. More often than not, the abusers are family members, trusted friends, or care givers (teachers, clergy, etc.). It is significant to note that most people with disabilities are unable to self-advocate and do not always report the abuse when it happens for fear that they would not be believed or may be further victimized.


The main trust of the Judith Trust is to be an advocate for all those diagnosed with these illnesses by addressing their emotional, social, physical, spiritual and learning needs. It is hoped that the work started by this organization would permeate to include all those diagnosed.


I found this event to be particular informative, enlightening and poignant, particularly as the needs of women and the girl child with LD and MI are rarely addressed. There is need for system and wide-reaching changes that can provide stability and protect this defenseless population. My only regret was that this event was viewed by so few. My hope is that appropriate measures should be taken, “to ensure that health services are sensitive to the needs of women with disabilities and are respectful of their rights and dignity”.    

-Maria Jordan

Found: An Oasis in Manhattan

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that I am lying here unable to sleep in this city which never seems to sleep anyways! I arrived in New York four days ago and so much has happened since then. I am replaying the discussions and experiences of yesterday and anticipating the new ones for today. Our priority theme for this UN Commission on the Status of Women is the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls. There is collective pain being lifted up, a mobilization of efforts, creative thinking around moving forward and in general, a sense that the time is now!

One thing I would like to tell you about is that I have found a home-away-from-home at the Episcopal Church Centre (TECC) at 815 Second Ave. in Manhattan. In the middle of this fast-moving, over-stimulating, rather architecturally-imposing city (compared to my rural home in Ontario that is!) I have found an oasis. TECC is the headquarters for the Episcopal Church (our Anglican brothers and sisters) in the United States.  

Those who work in the office of TECC have been so warm and welcoming. There is a range of refreshment and sustenance to be found here...coffee/tea, nutritious snacks, a space to connect with other Anglicans from around the world and a quiet chapel with daily eucharist services.  

So I find I am spending a fair amount of time in this space.  I appreciate the events and services that take place there and the debriefing sessions that are held there at the end of the day.  As a newcomer to the UNCSW it would be easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of activity and information. I’ve received a small mountain of paper thus far. So I am pacing myself, taking time to reflect on what I am hearing and focusing on connecting with others.

I am truly thankful I have found a space while I am here that helps me to do all of these things.

Rev. Carolyn Seabrook

Ottawa, Canada

Women and Peace and Security

Dear IAWN Sisters

The 57th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York City is in full swing.  6,000 women and men representing over 800 NGOs are here.  There are doubtless many Anglicans involved with many of the NGOs, however the ones with which I am most closely involved are the 17 in the “Canadian Anglican Group”, the 25 in the ”Anglican Communion Office at the UN international delegate group”, and the several delegations of the Episcopal Church including a group of Indigenous women and a group of girls.  As the various panels and speeches unfold one is aware that men and boys need to be part of the conversation.  Last night (Wednesday) Todd Minnerson of Toronto and the White Ribbon Campaign was well received for his message.

Ambassador Chowdhury speaking at the Episcopal Church Center

Militarism and peace-making is also an important topic.  Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, speaking at the Episcopal Church Center on Tuesday the 5, and Canadian Deputy Ambassador Gilles Rivard speaking at the Canadian Mission both said that more women are needed on the Roster of Peacemakers from which the international community can draw when peacemaking committees are being formed.  At present only 2% of Peacemakers are women.  With 45,000,000 Anglican women worldwide, I hope that some qualified women can be identified to join the Roster.

Friday, March 8th is International Women's Day. This year’s theme is "A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women." Stay tuned for more updates on the day's events.

Alice Medcof 

Presbyterians are Awesome

One of my favourite things about being part of an ecumenical group here at the UN is the chance to remind myself how much I love other denominations - both their theology and their actual members (also usually their Church music). Yesterday was my day to remember how awesome Presbyterians (specifically from the Presbyterian Church USA) are. 

I had the good fortune of being reunited this week with my roommate from one semester of seminary, which I did here in the US at Yale Divinity School. We were so excited to see one another that we nearly caused casualties running across the room at a debrief to hug one another. My friend Kate is here because she organized the attendance and participation of a group of 10 young women from the PCUSA and UNCSW57. Since this is exactly what I am trying to help my denomination get organized right now, I thought it was pretty awesome. This was all as part of her work at the office for young women's leadership (or some such, I probably have the title wrong) at the denominational headquarters. WE SHOULD GET ONE OF THOSE IN CANADA!

But Kate was not nearly the only awesome Presbyterian from yesterday. At yesterday morning's advocacy briefing - as at every advocacy meeting for Ecumenical Women, Ryan, one of the Presbyterian permanent staff members at the UN, lead the group as we tried to digest the new 23 page version of the agreed conclusions and devise an advocacy strategy that will help get our talking points into the hands of those who have the ability to influence changes in the document, that is member states. On this year's theme of the elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women, Ecumenical women has chosen three points which we believe must absolutely be strengthened in the agreed conclusions: That cultural, structural and economic violence are underlying factors that must be addressed; education is a vital part of the change process, especially societal change and must incorporate men and boys alongside women and girls; and that we must pay particular attention to the needs of rural and minority populations and improve their access to resources and services. To read through Ecumencial Women's complete joint advocacy statement, visit http://ecumenicalwomen.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/csw57statement.pdf
Ryan, along with a number of other Presbyterians who were at the advocacy meeting, have been leaders in the advocacy work of Ecumenical Women. I have been very grateful for his help while I figure out how to best engage in this process here at CSW. 

Then in the afternoon, since it was already a pretty Presbyterian day, I decided to attend their parallel event on institutional violence and though I had to leave early I got to sing one of my favourite hymns (Sister, let me be your servant) and hear a very thoughtful Bible study on the woman caught in adultery. 

Speakers at the Presbyterian parallel event on Institutional Violence

To top off awesome Presbyterian day, I met up with a friend and former professor of mine, Patrick, who also happens to be Presbyterian. We had a chance to catch up and talk about the work we are doing and as always this is one of my favourite things about traveling to conferences. 

In conclusion, Presbyterians are truly awesome: I look to them every time I need theology to combat idolatry or to limit my merry-making to once a quarter. Tune in next time when I go on and on about Lutherans and how much I love rhythmic German hymns tunes.