WO=MEN in New York

  Riekje Kok of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters has been attending the CSW for the first week. Below she reports on her activities in the promotion for the 3 rd World Conference on Womens’s Shelters, coming up in November 2015. In the afternoon of March 10 th all Dutch NGO’s present, joined the lunch for Dutch NGO’s with Minister Jet Bussemaker and two of the ministers from Aruba and St Maarten. It was a lively lunch with a lot of questions. Jet Bussemaker especially mentioned the success of LGTB side event of the day before. I used the opportunity to offer the three ministers a Red Heart, as a symbol against VAW. The red hearts are made by women survivors in Tunisia especially for the 3 rd World Conference and half of the price of a red heart goes to the 3 rd World Conference. From all over the world we want women to send us their picture wearing the red heart: to form a chain against Violence Against Women. (Red Hearts can be bought via the website: www.wordl...

At the CSW we talk a lot about emerging issues that affect women and men around the world. We also talk about the emerging themes that come up in our field of work. The role of men and boys in the fight for gender equality and empowerment of women has become increasingly popular topic. The importance of engaging men and boys is now officially recognized in the political declaration and several outcome document of CSW over the last years. Although the masculinities movement is not new at all, its visibility and the amount of attention for the role of men and boys is bigger than ever at this CSW. The room where the Panel discussion ‘ The responsibility of men andboys in achieving gender equality' was held on Monday was bursting out of its seams. Yesterday, Joni van de Sand, co-coordinator and advocacy manager of the MenEngageAlliance , presented the oral statement of the MenEngage Alliance. The statement lay bare the dam...