At the age of eighteen, general knowledge regarding the United Nations rarely transcends the limited opportunities provided by student organizations. We are essentially confined to a type of pseudo-involvement. In other words, we are told that our beliefs and activities truly play a role in the agendas carried out by governmental organizations, however very rarely do we see any element of truth in this concept. While often disheartening, it allows us to truly appreciate every opportunity we are given.
I am one of the lucky eighteen year olds, granted the experience to attend the 53rd Annual Commission on the Status of Women hosted at the United Nations in New York. Although only one day has passed since the official beginning of the Commission, I have already seen and learned so much. I have never met a more ethnically, socially, and religiously diverse group of women in my entire life. I encountered both young and elderly women from Swaziland, Mali, England, the Netherlands, Iran,Latin America, and many other countries and regions around the world. As I attended the Linking Caucus this afternoon and listened to several different international women describe their various panels and experiences, I began to understand that regardless of region, we face many of the same struggles.
Whether it be political or social equality, insufficient medical treatment, or the economic crisis, women from every part of the world have the ability to empathize with each other. This is the reason that the Commission is possible. By discovering how very similar we are, we in effect create a strong, empowered, international female support network. However, as a student very interested in past Civil Rights movements, I sense one weakness in the span of the CSW.
As a young female, I often feel pressure not only due to my gender, but also on accounts of my youth. For the modern feminist movement to truly thrive, it must not reject the youth movement, but rather embrace it. One simple method is to make these CSW conventions available and accessible to young women as well as young men. The sooner that our future generations are shown the necessity of gender equality, the movement will not only achieve a greater level of permanence, but also a stronger sense of urgency. By involving the youth, on both ends of the gender scale, we are instilling a level of empowerment amongst future leaders. We will undoubtedly see both agendas achieve a level success in their duality that would be impossible to replicate as a unilateral effort.
