Copyright © 2000 Henrietta W. Hay

UN Conference on Women -- Then and Now June 23, 2000

Five years ago this summer every feminist eye in the world was on Beijing. The Chinese were a bit startled at what happened when they offered to host the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women. It turned out to be the biggest U. N. conference in history, and there were 30,000 activist females from 181 nations running around Beijing, or sloshing in the mud of Huairou, talking a lot and carrying signs. The Chinese were not used to that sort of thing.
But despite some Chinese hostility and protest from American conservatives -- Focus on the Family called it "the most radical, atheistic and anti-family crusade in the history of the world" -- the conference went on as scheduled. The delegates produced a formal document which addressed the major problems of women world-wide, such issues as education, health, economic opportunity and freedom from violence. One of the main speakers, Hillary Clinton said, "If we join together as a global community, we can lift up the health and dignity of all women. Human rights are women's rights, and women's rights are human rights."
Five years after the Beijing Conference set women's equality as an achievable world-wide goal, 4300 delegates from more than 180 nations met at the U. N. last week for Beijing+Five. And guess what! Rather than concentrating on expanding the basic rights of women, they had to fight to keep from losing some of the gains they had made in Beijing.
The main goal of the United States delegation at both meetings was to promote policies around the world --including our own country -- that improve the status of women, children and family.
We -- men and women -- in America are horrified at what women are suffering in some parts of the world, but these practices are commonplace. In India it is acceptable to douse wives with gasoline and set them afire because they don't contribute enough wealth to the family. The practice of genital mutilation of young girls is still prevalent in many African and Asian societies. Note: After five years of effort, the Colorado legislature by a thin margin finally made such practice illegal in our state just this past year. Thousands of women in Bosnia and later in Sarajevo were prizes for the invaders and were raped repeatedly. In Afganastan and many parts of Asia it is perfectly legal for a man to stone his wife, sister, daughter or mother if she appears in public with even her eyes showing. One Taliban leader clarified the issue. "There are only two places for Afghan women -- in her husband's house, and in the graveyard."
The New York conference which was concerned with such issues and many others ended with an all night session which capped a week of heated arguments. Despite fears that delegates would chip away at the Beijing platform, they did not do so. They didn't go forward much, but they didn't go backwards. The battle lines mirrored those drawn at Beijing: The Vatican and a handful of Islamic and Roman Catholic countries against the west and hundreds of women's rights activists.
The new document calls for tougher measures to combat domestic violence and sex trafficking, and to tackle the global impact of HIV/AIDS on women. It also added the statement that "women have the right to decide freely and responsibly on matters related to their sexuality." Although it does not have the force of law anywhere, it establishes international norms that may be used by women in efforts to change the laws in their countries.
Angela King, the U.N. official in charge of women's advancement said, "We have a very strong document that not only reaffirms Beijing and other relevant conferences on human rights and social development, but also moves forward."
Well, not very far forward, but every inch is worth the battle. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright said, "Some say this is all cultural and there's nothing we can do about it. I say it's criminal and we each have an obligation to stop it." Susan B. Anthony would probably have been a leader of Beijing+Five. She gets the final word. "With women such as these consecrating their lives, failure is impossible."