News & Events    
Monday, February 26, 2007

Student from SSND delegation
shares youth views at conference


           Girls have strong opinions about how they want to shape their future, and governments should listen to them, a Peruvian student with the delegation from the School Sisters of Notre Dame told more than 500 delegates and representatives at a high-level round table Monday at the Commission on the Status of Women.

           Vanessa de los Milagros Juarez Arevalu, 15, presented the UNICEF report, "It's Time to Listen to Us," which includes the views of more than 1,300 young people from 59 countries in eight regions.

Watch a video of Vanessa's interview with UNICEF.
(hi resolution)   (low resolution)

           "The key finding of the survey is that unwritten laws still hold incredible power," Vanessa said. "Many cultural practices are responsible for the violation of girls' rights. The most frequently mentioned practices were dowry and bride price, child and forced marriages, son preference, 'machismo' and the female work burden."

           If a child is denied the right to attend school, she does not receive the education that would empower her to make a difference at home. She ends up silenced and alienated from her community and ultimately cannot voice her needs and the needs of all girls. She become invisible, Vanessa said.

           "Education is one of the most powerful methods of eliminating violence and discrimination against girls," said Vanessa, who is a student at Mother Theresa Technical Secondary School in Piura, Peru.

The report proposes several recommendations, including:

  • More youth representation with the groups that interact with governments and decision makers to make sure girls' rights are protected.
  • Laws that are clear, consistent, respected and enforced in all areas relating to discrimination and violence against girls.
  • Access to education for every girl.
  • Establishment of training programs to help community leaders learn how to identify "invisible girls."
  • More government sponsored resources to community organizations, in particular youth organizations that are working on gender equality.
  • More government investment in resources and youth organizations that engage, empower and educate their peers.

Vanessa's presentation was part of a high level roundtable moderated by the U.N. ambassador from the United Kingdom. Twenty-nine nations presented statements summarizing their concerns and their efforts to address violence and discrimination against girls.

The problems included the lack of access to education, early pregnancies that lead result in girls dropping out of school, violence against girls and pervasive trafficking in women and children.

The solutions included incorporating human rights issues into legislation, introducing new legislation to deal with violence, strengthening the methods of collecting data that would help identify victims, involving men and boys in the issue and working with NGOs at all levels.

 

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Notes from the CSW

A chance encounter
           When Agnes Agyemang-Barnie (above left) spotted the minister of women's and children's affairs for Ghana between sessions, she knew that she had a valuable opportunity to have her concerns heard by a high level official from her own country. She was even more inspired when the delegate took the time to listen seriously and then encourage 16-year-old Agnes' participation in confronting the issues.

           "It gives me hope," Agnes said. "If they don't interact with us, then we can't carry our problems to them. I was very happy because she was interested, and she was encouraging me.  It was empowering. When I return to Ghana, I want to travel to other places in the country and share what I have learned. I want to tell girls in rural areas about the need for education for the girl child."

           Agnes, 16, a student at Notre Dame Secondary School, is attending the conference with the delegation representing the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

A leader for change
           Listening to the German minister for family affairs, senior citizens, women and youth, strengthened student Nadine Binder's (above right) desire to be a leader for change in her community.

           "She said that there were problems, especially among immigrants that we don't notice," Nadine said. "The problem of violence against women is not just in developing countries but in the EU states too.
 
           "Now it is our task to put pressure on the government to not just say they will do something but to do it. I would like to start a working group at my school so that we can start talking about the problems of girls. We can send letters to government officials and remind them of what they promised us. I want to raise awareness."

           Nadine, 16, is in the 11th grade at Gymnasium Brede in Brakel, Germany, and is attending the conference with the delegation representing the School Sisters of Notre Dame.