Inspiration and emotional exhaustion from hearing stories of violence against women were the early reactions from a College of Education faculty member and student who attended the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing last September.
Susan Koch, associate professor of health education who teaches conflict resolution and has worked with war victims in Romania, and Linda Basu, a senior majoring in community health education, felt inspired by the power and activity of women working to make people's lives better. Victoria DeFrancisco, UNI director of Women's Studies, also attended the conference.
The three women were at the workshops and presentations held before the official United Nations conference where delegates wrote and approved a 140-page document to influence the United Nations platform in favor of peace and in opposition to violence against women.
Although they stayed in a hotel an hour away from the conference site and had problems with language, transportation, rain, mud, and taxi drivers, the three women said they gained much to relay to College students and classmates after hearing women of many countries tell graphic stories of ongoing human rights violations.
They learned more about the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and their successes in many countries. Koch explains these organizations have created political space for women's voices throughout the world because women couldn't get political space in their governments. The number of NGOs has increased from 300 to over 3,000 since the United Nations Women's Conference in Nairobi.
Basu, who will use some of her experiences to organize a UNI women's health conference in the spring, shared the example of one NGO, the Indian Volunteer Health Organization, affecting change at the grassroots level. "Eighty percent of India's population live in rural areas, but they receive only 20% of the health care," Basu tells. "Women from this volunteer health organization go to rural areas and train local people to teach others about preventive health care."
Koch learned of the work of the Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women that is combatting sexual trafficking and sexual slavery of little girls in Burma and Thailand. "I learned that most of these young girls serve military establishments throughout the world," she says.
She also highlighted the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices Affecting Women that "during the UN conference opposed the Egyptian Minister of Health's suggestion that females be mutilated in hospitals under anesthesia."
The three UNI women heard Hillary Clinton tell the NGO representatives they will help determine whether the conference goes beyond rhetoric and into action. However, Koch emphasized that governments must be held accountable. "My greatest fear is that because the NGOs are successful, governments will abdicate their responsibility to the NGOs. I believe we need to form partnerships between the NGOs and governments," she states.
The feeling of unity created by 25,000 women in one place will help Koch model the message of the conference to her Northern Iowa students and encourage their global awareness and citizenship. She also emphasizes the international opportunities available to College of Education faculty and students to get involved with NGOs to learn, to teach, and to research. Above all she stresses, "You don't need a passport to make an impact on all of these issues. There's plenty to do right at home to improve the lives of all."
