"So
tell me, as an outsider, what do you think of the human race?"
-- Anonymous
Have
you ever thought that if the outsider saw the way that women are
treated worldwide, instead of being complimentary, they would be
appalled? I have.
Here
is a quote I stumbled upon several years that surprised. The quote
did not surprise me. It's the person who is credited with having
made the statement.
"Enable
every woman who can work to take her place on the labour front, under
the principle of equal pay for equal work." -- Mao
Tse-Tung.
Sorry
but I was born and raised in America. I was never taught that Mao
Tse-Tung championed the rights of women.
The
official website for the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on
Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE), aka "WomenWatch",
serves as an Internet Gateway to resources and information regarding
gender equality and empowerment of women.
The
Most Important Thing
“We all agree that human rights
issues, not just the rights of women and children, are matters that
are a global and universal concern. But women and children are
particularly vulnerable, as they are most often the disadvantaged and
the downtrodden. Let us keep their plight in the forefront of our
hearts and minds. If presented with an opportunity and we have the
power or the ability to do good, to show kindness and mercy, to make
a change for the better, in this respect, then embrace it.”
(RE:
The Most Important Thing. That's me quoting myself.)
United
Nations Development Group
The
United Nations Development Group (UNDG) has a membership of 32 funds,
programs, agencies, and offices, plus five observers that play a role
in internationally agreed-upon development goals. One of the members
of the UNDG is the United Nations Department of Public Information
(UNDPI). In the UN's organizational structure, the UNDPI is under the
Secretariat. The Secretariat carries out a range of duties including
surveying economic and social trends and organizing international
conferences on issues of worldwide concern. The UNDPI's
organizational unit has 3 divisions:
-
Strategic Communications Division;
-
News and Media Division; and
-
Outreach Division.
The
Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development
and Peace, was held in Beijing, China in 1995. Twelve (12)
critical areas of concern were identified and presented under the
umbrella "The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action".
The Declaration is aimed at achieving greater equality and
opportunity for women, i.e. female equality and empowerment,
worldwide. The three previous World Conferences were held in Mexico
City (1975), Copenhagen (1980) and Nairobi (1985).
The
official website for the United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women
and Gender Equality (IANWGE), aka "WomenWatch", serves as
an Internet Gateway to resources and information regarding gender
equality and empowerment of Women.
In
March 2010, at its fifty-fourth session, the Commission on the Status
of Women reviewed the implementation of the Declaration. In an effort
to accomplish certain strategic goals for "Women and the Media"
(outlined in Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action),
interested parties not able to attend the Commission on the Status of
Women were invited to participate in online discussions.
However,
"Women and the Media" is not the only discussion. The
following is a listing of several discussions which were moderated by
numerous UN organizations. These discussions have been taking place
since November 2009.
-
Violence against women | United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
-
Women and the Economy | World Bank (WB)
-
Institutional mechanisms | Economic Commission for Latin America and
the Caribbean (ECLAC)
-
Women and Health | World Health Organization (WHO)
-
Girl Child | United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
-
Armed conflict | United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations
(DPKO)
-
Gender Equality, Education and Training | United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
-
Women and Poverty | United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA)
-
Women in Power and Decision-Making | United Nations Development Fund
for Women (UNIFEM)
-
Women and the Environment | United Nations Environment Programme,
with United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UNEP with
UN-HABITAT)
-
Women and Human Rights | Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
-
Women and the Media | United Nations Department of Public Information
(DPI)
I
am repeating the quote because it bears repeating.
"Enable
every woman who can work to take her place on the labour front, under
the principle of equal pay for equal work."
These
are the words of Mao Tse-Tung but surely his thought is not an
original thought. No doubt there were many who came before him and
many who trailed behind him who all understood and saw the need for
the application of this simple, fair and equitable principle. But as
you can see by the listing of organizations above, equal pay for
equal work is only one wrong towards women that is happening around
the world. There are several women's rights issues and … what is
the conclusion? IT'S A SHAME AND A DISGRACE!
