On the way home I stopped in to New Zealand to meet up with New Zealand National President Deborah Wood and attend the Association of New Zealand conference.  Another 2 days of purpose and companionship.  It was a well thought out conference, with workshops intermingled between business sessions. On the Sunday there was a moving ceremony where the chains of office for the North and South Regions were blessed and recognition of the past immense work undertaken by Soroptimists region presidents and the members.  Blessing of the new chain of office ready for  a new generation of future leaders. 

The Commission on the Status of Women principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The theme for this year was Innovation and Technological change, and Education in the Digital Age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls”. At the opening ceremony. Sima Bahous, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, spoke about Digital Rights being Women Rights, that A new kind of poverty now confronts the world, one that excludes women and girls in devastating ways—that of digital poverty. The data was sobering.  Women are 18 per cent less likely than men to own a smartphone and far less likely to access or use the Internet. This past year alone, 259 million more men than women were online, this fundamentally influences whether a woman completes her education, owns her own bank account, makes informed decisions about her body, feeds her family, or gains productive employment, or can run her own business. Research has shown that 80 per cent of children in 25 countries reported feeling in danger of sexual abuse and exploitation when online, with adolescent girls the most vulnerable.

At the Town Hall Meeting which is an opportunity for civil society to engage with the Secretary-General on topics pertaining to gender equality and the work of the UN. These notes from the Secretary General Antonio Guterres opening remarks at the Town Hall meeting “In Afghanistan, women and girls have been erased from public life and are virtually imprisoned in their homes. From Myanmar to Sudan, autocratic regimes and violent extremist groups persecute and harass women for speaking out and going about their daily lives. Parties to conflict perpetrate horrific crimes of gender-based violence.  Police even in some of the richest countries in the world attack and abuse the women they are supposed to protect. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over for women who lost their jobs, and girls who lost their chance of education. The cost-of-living crisis is hitting women and girls first and worst.   Halfway to the SDG deadline of 2030, the truth is that half of humanity is largely being left behind. In every Region, women are worse off than men, earning less – and doing up to ten times more unpaid care work. The food crisis has a disproportionate impact on women and girls, who are often last to eat and first to go hungry and women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights are under siege as many governments undermine their autonomy over their bodies and their lives. Many of the challenges we face today – from conflicts to climate chaos and the cost-of-living crisis – are the result of what is a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, taking the key decisions that guide our world.”

I attended several sessions where the majority of conversation was around the lack of global laws and regulations which leaves vulnerable groups exposed to privacy violations. In some countries, the police and or perpetrators and others act in disguise to expose religious and gender preferences and then either threated them with extortion that they will openly expose them, of in the case of the police, take them into custody. This action is a violation of their privacy rights.  Another area of concern was the availability of reliable internet, women even spoke about the speed and reliability of the internet being used to control their rights to information, economic empowerment and education.

Other sessions I attended looked at how the delivery of health care has improved due to the rise of digital technologies and tele health, although these conversations were not without civil society raising the issue around data protection. This statement from a young Jamaican Women Clea Douglas, “Life doesn’t stop, get used to change, you have to continue to grow, to make the story yourself. Love, learn, grow, accept” And from young Indian women Chineye, “How do Civil Societies make themselves visible.  Governments are making decisions. “ How do we as Soroptimists take the conclusions from CSW and action at our Club or Regional level?

Online bullying was a major concern by civil society groups, how about finding out if your police force has a dedicated team which will receive reports and take action? Does your country have an E commissioner? A commission which take action or you can make a complaint to. Many women have difficulties using smart phones or devices to complete online forms for access to health, education, financial assistance, consider setting up a booth at your local shopping centre 4 hours a month, advertise that you will be there to offer assistance for women to log onto services. There are many similar actions members can do to ensure equity and equality for women to achieve equality. 

Let’s be the voice for Clea and Chineye, Soroptimists are visible, amplify your voice at all levels of government to ensure that by 2030 we reach the goals.    

Christine Johnstone
President 2022 - 2024
Soroptimist International South East Asia Pacific
swppresident2022@siswp.org