Maggie: One Billion Rising

Did you know...

In February 1946, during the inaugural meetings of the General Assembly in London, US delegate Eleanor Roosevelt read an open letter to the "women of the world":

"To this end, we call on the Governments of the world to encourage women everywhere to take a more active part in national and international affairs, and on women who are conscious of their opportunities to come forward and share in the work of peace and reconstruction as they did in war and resistance."

Eleanor Roosevelt's letter had such an impact that a few days later, a Sub-commission dedicated to the Status of Women was established under the Commission on Human Rights (today known as the Human Rights Council).  And only a few months later, in May 1946, this Sub-commission was granted full commission status by the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), thus becoming the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).*

*Adapted from the United Nations Blue Book Series on the United Nations and the Advancement of Women, 1945-1996.

With Eleanor Roosevelt and all that she did for the advancement of women's rights in mind, please spread the word and encourage the girls in your life, who are of high school age, to apply for the Eleanor Roosevelt Girls Leadership Worldwide - a transformational 9-day summer program which empowers girls to become principled and socially conscious global leaders. The registration deadline is March 21, 2014.  Info on the FAWCO website.

 

Also this:

 

One Billion Rising (www.onebillionrising.org) events around the world on 14 February  

 

One Billion Rising for Justice will take place on February 14, Valentine’s Day, in more than 200 countries worldwide, focusing on the issue of justice for all survivors of gender violence and the impunity that protects perpetrators all over the world. The One Billion Rising and V-Day campaigns were launched by playwright Eve Ensler, creator of "The Vagina Monologues," and highlight the startling statistic that one in every three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime.