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/521232
32 I n 2013, with a scholarship from PW, I attended my first Commission on the Status Of Women. I was so moved by the j ustice and peace issues raised there that, this year, I paid my own way to attend. On the first day of CSW, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the delegates about the importance of gender equality, saying, "Our goal must be 50:50 by 2030."* This means that participating nations should pursue and create equal opportunities and respectful partnerships between females and males by the year 2030. My reflections on CSW are a tapestry woven of threads, patterns and colors of all descriptions. I met women from around the world— New Zealand, Germany, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India and Korea. All were warm, intense, empowered and thoroughly dedicated to finding peaceful solutions for their unique yet similar needs. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) made an oral statement to the Commission that wove together many of these threads. Ryan Smith, Presbyterian representative to the United Nations, delivered the statement, which said, in part: "Gender discrimination, lack of equality in education, unequal pay for equal work, sexual harassment, human trafficking, higher healthcare costs, lack of access to services, and inheritance laws that privilege men over women are underlying root causes of the cultural, social, and economic violence that demeans the dignity of women and girls." There were many vibrant, colorful threads of hope that offset the many gut-wrenching stories of discrimination and violence against women told at CSW. One such thread was "Love Notes," which offered pure love and celebration. Delegates visited the Love Notes area to pick up small, brightly colored rectangles of paper with uplifting messages. The lime green one that I received said, "You are a great listener! Your example makes a sweet difference in the world. Thx!" Another bright thread was the work of women as peacekeepers. At a morning event, I sat next to Deirdre Carbery. She serves in Ireland's Defence Forces, traveling to many parts of the world for United Nations peace support operations. This work is part of Ireland's Consortium on Gender Based Violence. There is so much to do that the violence against women and girls sometimes seems impossibly hard to resolve. But women, and some men, are coming together to find solutions and create a more peaceful and justice-filled world. I believe that we all can find threads and patterns and colors to use in weaving a more beautiful tapestry of justice and peace. Wanda Beauman is African American member-at-large on PW's Churchwide Coordinating Team (CCT). *"Adopting political declaration, UN urges world to 'step it up' to ensure gender equality by 2030," UN News Centre, March 9, 2015; www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=502 77#.VVIEbmC8ilc. Threads of Pain and Hope B Y WANDA BEAUMAN Wanda Beauman (left) participates with other CSW attendees at the Ecumenical Women's worship service.