By Kathy McMillan Wilhelm, AIWC Cologne
Attending CSW65 was a powerful experience, and I am grateful for those at FAWCO who not only encouraged us to join but also guided us during the convention. The WhatsApp group made it feel like we were a team.
The term “Outrage and Optimism” was ever-present in my mind. I was shocked, and deeply disturbed by so many things: how this global pandemic has disproportionately affected women, how women journalists and leaders are subject to overwhelming threats and violence, how child marriage (even in the USA!!!), FGM, and trafficking are all too common, how cultural and even legal structures keep so many women and children in a state of abject poverty without access to decent healthcare or education, how women in many cultures have little bodily autonomy or much say at all in how they live their lives, how racism and other forms of discrimination make the burden even more crushing, how unpaid labor is yet another roadblock to women’s being able to enjoy basic human rights, and how women’s voices are silenced.
But then, optimism.
I have been uplifted by being in discussions with women (and men) from around the globe who are using their voices, wherever they are and in whatever situation they find themselves, to advocate for the marginalized. I see progress, even if painstakingly slow. The energy of the leaders and participants was electric. Someone asked what good it is to “preach to the choir”. My response is that if enough people start singing, societies and the governments must react.