Taking Girl Power to the United Nations
A burning desire to improve the lives of girls everywhere has catapulted 17-year-old Saba Ghahari from her Stoney Creek home to New York City today where she is at the United Nations fighting youth gender inequities and injustices…

The war on baby girls: Gendercide
Killed, aborted or neglected, at least 100m girls have disappeared—and the number is rising…

Gender Matters!  Can the UN Bring Change?
Blogger Wendy Harcourt suggests that “There is a sense that Beijing promises were great on paper but the implementation has not brought women’s rights nor freedom and autonomy to the centre of development.” She concludes her comments on the recent conference by saying “As usual, I and most of the women here have many more questions than answers.”

Also check out:

IPS TerraViva is a special site created for the Commission on the Status of Women meeting in New York by the IPS news site that “gives voice to gender equality” (put it in your bookmarks!).  Here are some of the stories that they reported during the conference on issues faced by women, including lack of access to income, sexual violence, water shortages, maternal rights, and access to land.

And if you didn’t hear enough from the Speakers’ Bureau’s visit to New York, check out all their posts here.

It was good to relax and walk through Central Park.  I have always wanted to visit central park and I was so glad that I could finally experience this. Even though, I am sure it would look nice in the spring I loved it just like this. So now I am trying to rattle my brain for what I did next….ummmmm….oh yes! We went to the girl-boy dialogue where Donnady would be speaking on a panel. I love to watch my friends participate in events. The event was really interesting because I had never really gotten a boy’s view on girl’s rights and having gender equality.

After the event we headed back to the hotel. I love this hotel, I must say. It is so comfortable.  All three of us talked and talked. I really am going to miss Donnady! We had the Plan evaluation to go to next.  I pigged out on pizza and salad. I really liked how Plan takes into account everything that everyone has to say. I shared my opinions and then we left so we good get ready for bed. 

All in all, as much as I love sight seeing nothing can compare to the whole UN Conference experience. Attending the CSW has been really rewarding and inspiring. I hope that in the future I will be able to attend and that hopefully changes will be made.

So I bid New York farewell! Goodbye UN Conference! Goodbye UN Plaza hotel! Goodbye Fifth Avenue, Lexington, Madison Avenue, and Broadway! Goodbye to all the amazing people that I had the honour of meeting! Try not to miss me too much!

1. Tell your friends what makes you proud to be a girl in your Facebook status. And tell them to check out BecauseIamaGirl.ca.
2. Sign the ePetition to create a Day for Girls.
3. Use your phone to text a donation to the Because I am a Girl campaign
4. Buy a Because I am a Girl t-shirt (like our girl Jenn Heil!)
5. Check out the Because I am a Girl YouTube channel to learn more about issues facing girls around the world

Or, tell us what you’re doing to celebrate International Women’s Day in your community or school.

To get into the mood, check out these great links:

An opinion piece at AllAfrica.com asked a good question this week: why does International Women’s Day matter?

Reuters News Agency has put together a great slideshow of women around the world in their everyday lives, which you can check out here.

So, what are you going to do to celebrate International Women’s Day?  Stay tuned tomorrow for suggestions!

I thought it might be useful to look a little closer at what exactly the Beijing Declaration is…

First and foremost, the Beijing Declaration is a platform for action.  Not a platform for sitting around and doing nothing.

The main goal is to ensure that women are able to fully enjoy “all human rights and fundamental freedoms.”  But the Declaration also acknowledges that women currently do not have full access to their rights and freedoms in all cases around the world.  So, it identifies several specific areas that need action – these are areas that act as obstacles to women enjoying their rights and freedoms.  The 12 areas that are listed in the Declaration are:

• Women and Poverty
• Education and Training of Women
• Women and Health
• Violence against Women
• Women and Armed Conflict
• Women and the Economy
• Women in Power and Decision-making
• Institutional Mechanism for the Advancement of Women
• Human Rights of Women
• Women and the Media
• Women and the Environment
• The Girl-child

If you want to read more, you can link to the full declaration here.

Every five years from when the Beijing Declaration was drafted, the world does a stop and check to see how its doing on reaching the document’s goals.  That’s what’s happening in New York right now, and the girls from the Speakers’ Bureau are there to weigh in on how they think that the world is doing to improve the status of women.

If you had the chance to weigh in, how would you say the world is doing in improving the status of women?

I woke up and looked across from me, there was Donnady sleeping, and then I looked the other way and there was Amy. Then a sudden realization hit me…I was in New York! This morning I had my interview live with CHML radio in Hamilton. I had never been live on the radio before and I was seriously nervous. The phone was handed to me before I could even think of what my voice would sound like or more importantly…what I would say. I think I answered the questions pretty well; I talked about Day of the Girl and the problems that I thought girls faced. My family was really proud of me (as they should be).

Saba, Donnady and Amy in New York

We went to UNICEF for my “supposed” interview but we had mixed up our schedule and it was not today. So we went to this café and I ended up having a not so yummy breakfast- warning: oatmeal doesn’t taste good. Today was the big day for me because today was our event for Day of the Girl! I was super excited and could not wait to present. However, first we had to rehearse and practice and practice and inevitably…practice.

Mid speech Dreeni walked in to tell me that I had another interview with the Hamilton Spectator! I was shocked, I mean since when was I getting interviews? So I rushed over and luckily I really didn’t have time to hyperventilate. The interview went alright, I felt sort of like a celebrity today being interviewed and such. I learned a lot about interviewing today, only answer what you want to and remember your answer doesn’t always have to be what they want to hear. By the time I hung up the phone, I was filled with enough energy to go back to Siham’s room and kill the participatory activity this time. Anyways, we got pizza for lunch!!! Yes!!

I have to say that I love event time and presentations…maybe it’s the actress kicking in or just the fact that we would be getting our message across to so many people. The event started of with the song “I am Super Girl” and it flew by. The monologues were my favourite part; we stood in a circle “making the world” and turned each time so the next girl could say her part. Hearing everyone’s opinions of why they want a Day for Girl’s was great and the audience was engaged. I am really happy because I think we got the message across and when the time came a lot of positive feedback was given. I greatly appreciated everyone’s feedback and people seemed to want to sign the petition. Of courses, we ended up taking lots of pictures on this awesome statue; I know for sure that these are the pictures that I am going to cherish for the rest of my life.

To celebrate we headed off for dinner. I could tell you what I had but then I’d probably make you hungry. So guess what I did next? Okay, think reception…the Canadian Reception! I’d never been to one of these kinds of receptions so we all got ready and headed off. The reception was in the UN building so it was really close. I love the UN building, there is so much in it and it’s extraordinary- filled with art and sculptures of all kinds. When entering the reception I finally got to meet the Canadian Minister on the Commission on the Status of Women for Canada. She was really nice and we got to take a picture with her. What I found odd at the reception was that Amy and I were the only girls there. I met a couple of people and they all had some message to share. I think that’s what it so great about these receptions is that you can mingle and meet all kinds of people!

On our way out, I looked around just to make sure that I was actually still in New York and I had not just walked out of a fantasy. The life I have here seems unreal and I love every minute of it. Maybe it’s because I am not used to this kind of city with lots of tall buildings and where so many opportunities are available. Being here has giving me lots of chances to think which is perfect because when we got back after the reception I had to partake in a research study. The atmosphere for this was not as demanding, and I felt really comfortable answering her questions. I am getting used to this whole interview process, and who knows maybe this will one day come in handy!

I do not take anything that has happened to me here for granted, even as I sit here and blog. I have a voice and whether you want it or not I am going to use it.

Tomorrow looks like it is filled with a lot of awesome events- I will be watching my friends rock on!

Saba

This week, the United Nations is meeting to look at how the status of women has changed in the 15 years since creating the Beijing Declaration, a commitment to achieve greater equality and opportunity for women. Three of the members of the Because I am a Girl Speakers’ Bureau are in New York to learn and contribute.  We’ll be following the girls as they make their voices heard in this international forum!

Today, 16-year old Amy from Toronto shares her first impressions:

The UN opening session. A girls-only workshop. A tour around the Big Apple to top it off. And a press interview! What else can a girl ask for?

And that is exactly how I felt the whole day. Today offered me an amazing chance to see the UN in action! Yes, there is a lot of jargon I don’t understand but I pride myself in knowing and getting a couple of jokes here and there. The opening session really opened up an opportunity for me to see how the people at the UN level see the problems in gender inequality and the problems girls are facing today. I definitely can’t wait to come back!

Facing the UN building, high on the 11th floor of the Church Centre, I attend the girls-only workshop. This workshop was, in a word, absolutely fantastic! The girls at the workshop have drafted an official “Girls’ Statement” to present at the end of the UN session! Each one of us got to put our opinions and inputs into the document. The discussion also stirred up some issues girls are facing today and how we can solve them.

But in between, we got to tour around the Big Apple by foot! Yes, despite the wind, the cold, and the aching feet, we all got to see the amazing landmarks in New York. Madison Avenue, the Rockefeller Building, the Fifth Avenue, MOMA, and so much more! The city is, to sum up, absolutely amazing and I will definitely come back!

And of course, the amazing, fantastic, and absolutely thrilling press interview! So there I was, sitting at the workshop and listening attentive when a cautious Siham crept up to me… and told me that, she found out this twenty minutes earlier, I have an interview with a Mandarin Torontonian newspaper in ten minutes.

Well, THAT was unexpected! Was I nervous? Scared? Shocked? Yes, yes, and absolutely yes! But at the same time, excitement was bursting from my chest! Despite the initial trepidation, I was able to take control of myself and, if I do say so myself, rocked that interview by the end! And so, my first ever press interview! (And hopefully not the last!)

Wow, what a day! But I can’t wait for the next! What will tomorrow bring? I don’t know, but I will welcome it with open arms.

Amy

Stay tuned for more as the girls attend sessions and meet Secretary General Ban-Ki Moon later this week.

Lower down on the page it gets interesting, with an article about how Canada’s women are dominating the Canadian men on the podium: 12 of our 16 medals so far have been won by women! This is despite the fact that women make up only 43 percent of the Canadian Olympic Team.

Long story short, girls are kicking butt in these Olympics, and are even going beyond the sport (like Jenn Heil and Hayley Wickenheiser) to make their mark on the sport.

Jenn and teammate Alexandre Bilodeau both decided to give money to charity after their big wins, with Bilodeau’s going to help children with cerebral palsy. Jenn, who has supported Plan’s work with girls overseas for several years said

“I’ve always felt as though I had the power in my own hands to build a future I could imagine. And I hope that there can be many millions of girls than can have the same power in their own hands.”

Well, we don’t all have quite that much sitting around, but there’s a way to help Jenn give girls around the world power over their future. Link here to join the Jenn Heil Challenge.

And, on the topic of Olympians, we want to give a BIG shout out to the Canadian Women’s Hockey Team competing tonight against the USA tonight at 6:30 (EST). The team is led by Captain Hayley Wickenheiser, a Because I am a Girl supporter and an awesome girl herself!  Go Girls and Go Team Canada!

“To survive on the streets, girls have to join one of the hundreds of gangs in Alexandria, whose joining fee is sexual abuse by older gang members. The authorities in Alexandria believe that girls who are not virgins, who are now ‘ladies’ are automatically the responsibility of their non-existent husbands. And this blind presumption means that the girls are officially invisible, leaving them often with their own babies, at the mercy of all the predators on the street”

Each country has different ideas about what makes someone a citizen or the responsibility of the government. Usually, it involves being registered at birth as a citizen of that country, or become a citizen later through immigration. Or, like we saw in the example above, for women status is sometimes determined by whether or not they have a husband. This process of registration may seem like just a formality, but in reality, it can mean the difference between being able to be seen and heard, versus being invisible.

With a birth certificate, passport, or some other official document of existence, a person is more likely to be able to access essential human rights. You need documentation to go to school, take exams, go to university, get married, get a job, get health care, vote, get a driving license, or open a bank account.

Each year, approximately 51 million children go unregistered, leaving them vulnerable to child labour, informal work, trafficking, sexual exploitation, and becoming a child bride or a child soldier. Women, who already face considerable challenges making them selves seen and heard, are particularly susceptible without documentation.

Imagine if you weren’t able to get your drivers licence, or travel outside of Canada, or graduate from grade 12, all because the piece of paper that said you existed didn’t exist.  I bet you would stand up and yell, BUT I AM RIGHT HERE…CAN’T YOU SEE ME?  Part of Because I am a Girl’s challenge is to make sure that women can claim their rights, including the right to documentation and registration. And then their rights to full and active citizenship in the world, where they can be seen, heard and counted!