Thanks!

I'm looking for a group! Tried Talkabout this afternoon but didn't have any luck, just joined the Skype group. Gina, I'm in Seattle so maybe we could start a PST time zone group?

Those are great recommendations, I'm adding them to my list! I watched "The Ascent of Woman" on Netflix. Very interesting.

Thank you for sharing that Myoshka! Sometimes I feel that I can't be of much help because I have not experienced the suffering and hardships, in this case of many women, but I can see it is important to take the time to listen and learn about what is going on. Everyone wants to be heard!

I currently reside as a citizen in the US but since they have not ratified CEDAW I thought I would take a look at my country of birth, South Africa. South Africa signed onto CEDAW in 1993 and ratified it in 1995. I found a country report they submitted to the UN in 1998 which outlined quite a few very good ideas and practices. They had established an Office on the Status of Women within the Presidential Office that would monitor and ensure that the constitutional objectives for gender equality where actually being carried out at the program level. There was also the Comission for Gender Equality which would focus on the society as a whole and change attitudes. The report outlined there continual work to repeal discrimenatory laws and to put into place laws that would address family violence and guardanship. While this all seemed very good I also came across another report from the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation People Opposing Women Abuse Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women. This organization based in South Africa put together a report addressing the progress made in South Africa as it relates to CEDAW. This report found the country lacking. For one, they haven't issued another country report since 1998 (this shadow report was from 2011 so I'm not sure since then if a country report has been issued), falling behind the expectations of CEDAW. There also seems to be a lack of change in the laws of the land in regards to discreminatory and offensive laws and creation of new laws promoting gender equality. Where there are some laws and policies in place, there is a lack of monitoring and enforcement. This report did note that part of these issues stem from a lack of funding and personal.So perhaps South Africa is a case of a country willing to ratify CEDAW but lacking the capacity to enforce it to it's fullest potential. However, I don't think South Africa can really get away with that excuse because they are one of the most developed countries in Africa.

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I found the interview with Helen very interesting. One part I found especially interesting was the CRC and the view families have of children. That children are seen as an asset to the family, to work and provide further income or future income to take care of aged parents. That girls can be used to sexual satisfy family members or to sell for further income. Her point that children take orders well and therefore make good factory workers, soldiers and concubines was very sad. I am glad that something like the CRC came about but it is so awful that it was even needed. That the treatment and view of children like this was not something rare or unheard of but rather it is so common the international community actually has to create a system of boundaries to protect the children from these human right violations.

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