Reflections from CSW68: The journey towards gender equality

12 Apr Reflections from CSW68: The journey towards gender equality

Shahrezad Samiuddin, communication specialist with GMMP Pakistan national coordinator Uks Research Centre, participated in the 68th session of the UN’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) as a member of the WACC Global delegation. Here she reflects on her experience.

Attending CSW68 as part of WACC’s delegation was an inspiring experience that gave me insights into diverse perspectives and the complexities of gender equality.

While the Commission offered me the opportunity to meet and hear delegates from around the world, it also gave me an appreciation and insight into the global nature of gender issues. As a representative of Pakistan, I felt a sense of pride in being able to contribute to the discussions and advocating for the rights of women and girls in my country.

Women’s rights in digital spaces

The session “Digital Communication Rights: Empowering Women for the Digital Age” provided a platform for discussing women’s rights in digital spaces.  I had the opportunity to talk about the WACC-supported project Safewords, which is Uks Research Centre’s initiative to combat online sexist abuse in Urdu and Punjabi languages on an international forum.

The event was made more special by the fact that The Handbook of Gender, Communication, and Women’s Human Rights was launched on the occasion. And while all the speakers raised important points, one that really stood out for me was Jenny Sulfath of the Digital Empowerment Foundation in India who stressed the need to advocate for women’s communication rights at global digital governance debates.

Women’s economic rights

I was able to attend quite a few events both online and in person, but a few of the sessions truly stood out for me. One of these was the CSW68 side event “Economic empowerment of women and girls.” There were many honorable women speakers from around the world at this event, yet the one speaker who caught everyone’s attention in the room was also the one who was not mentioned in the list of speakers.

It was indeed an honor to be able to listen to a fiery speech by Dr. Haifa Al-Agha, Former Minister of Women’s Affairs of Palestine, who used the forum hosted in the General Assembly building to share moving stories about the determination of Palestinian women entrepreneurs who have lost their businesses and livelihood — built through years of sheer hard work — overnight to the conflict. 

Sexual violence and exploitation of women

The other session that left an impact on me was the parallel event “CRSV Alert! Global Rise in Sexual Violence in Conflict.” This event brought to the forefront the reality of sexual violence in conflict zones like Ukraine. Survivors like the Ukrainian activist Lyudmyla Huseynova talked about the plight of Ukrainian women who were imprisoned and the abuse that they suffer every day.

However, I believe that the most powerful of all the events I attended was a panel discussion on sexual and reproductive exploitation which was organized by the French Coordination for European Women’s Lobby (CLEF) and the European network of migrant women.

The eye-opening sessions brought to light harrowing insights and challenges that surround human trafficking, pornography, and surrogacy. Marie Josèphe Devillers, of the International Coalition for the Abolition of Surrogate Motherhood, talked about the traumatic ordeal of surrogate mothers, which was an issue I must admit, I was not fully aware of.

The other speaker at the same event who deserves a mention is Alyssa Ahrabare, the Advocacy and Legal Lead of the European Network of Migrant Women. She delivered a riveting presentation on the intersection of poverty and exploitation. She shared insights into how poverty forces women into exploitative situations like pornography. And more worryingly she talked about the devastating impact on society of the current exponential growth of pornography in the digital realm. 

Alyssa’s words hit close to home when shortly after I returned to Pakistan and learned about the chilling case of a young Pakistani woman who was filmed while being raped and killed by family members, which recently came to light in the local media.

Advocating for gender equality in Pakistan

I am grateful to WACC and Uks for giving me the opportunity to participate in CSW68. It definitely opened up my worldview and strengthened my resolve to continue advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment in Pakistan.

I live in the developing world which is lagging behind on several gender markers, yet I still see Pakistani women progressing albeit, slowly. Despite the long road ahead for my countrywomen, attending events like CSW68 brings home how the advancements made at such global forums have contributed to substantial progress towards gender equality back home.

—I would like to give a shout-out to Sarah Macharia, WACC’s Gender and Communication program manager and GMMP global coordinator, who further enriched my experience with her spirited support and guidance. Sarah was instrumental in helping me navigate the dizzying array of sessions (all of which seemed tempting) and helping me making the most of my time in New York City. It was my first time at the CSW, and I truly value her support.

Photos: (clockwise from upper left) “CRSV Alert!” Panel; side event on women’s economic empowerment; Shahrezad Samiuddin (r) with Sarah Macharia and Lynda Garcia (GMMP Philippines); panelist speaking about sexual and reproductive exploitation.