Horizons magazine is published by Presbyterian Women (PW) the national women’s organization of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Issue link: http://horizons.epubxp.com/i/481579
22 I t is easy to overlook the harsh realities that impact women and girls in the United States. Young girls attend school just as their male counterparts do. Women can vote, own property and work in any sector. Yet, throughout the United States, overt and subtle vio- lence and discrimination diminishes the quality of women's lives. The international media publishes reports of shock- ing instances of human trafficking, sexual violence, killings and other violence against women in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. But the United States suffers these ills, too. The Violence Policy Center ranks my home state, Kentucky, 11th in killings of women by men. 1 In 2014, Kentucky reported 74 cases of young girls being trafficked, up from 51 in 2013. 2 And women are less compensated for their work than men in the United States. Women make $0.78 to every $1 earned by a man. This figure reflects both the inequities of men dominating higher-paying fields and men earning more than women for the same jobs, despite equal experience and education. 3 While this amount could be dismissed as the difference of pennies, realizing that the difference continues throughout a career, impacting retirement savings and pensions, it is troubling. Even more troubling is that the 78 percent is an average for all women; women of color earn even less. 4 Furthermore, women are underrepresented in many fields. Any high school teacher has accounts of girls shying away from STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes because those classes are "for boys." Discrimination against women and girls persists throughout the United States—big cities and small towns alike. Women and girls need to know they have a voice, and the world needs to respect those voices. A movement in our nation is working toward that goal: Cities for CEDAW. What Is CEDAW? The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), was adopted by the United Nations in 1979. It is commonly referred to as an international bill of rights for women. The treaty requires that a member state or country promise to "incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish all discrimina- tory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting dis- crimination against women; to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protec- tion of women against discrimination; and to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons, organizations or enterprises." 5 The treaty was developed through the UN's Com- mission on the Status of Women (UNCSW), and has been ratified by 187 UN member nations, with only 7 neglecting to adopt the treaty. The United States stands alongside Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Nauru, Palau and Tonga in its refusal to ratify this treaty supporting Why 100 U.S. Cities Are Embracing CEDAW BY SARIENA SAMPSON