Commission on the Status of Women
CSW Introductory Letter
CSW Topic Guides
Director: Danielle Lambert
Topic A: Abortion Rights
Throughout the various nations of the world, the rights of women are continually stifled by the laws, societal norms, and religious beliefs that are established or accepted. A major topic that affects the lives of women worldwide in various ways, from their legal rights to their personal health, is abortion. Laws and cultural acceptance of the controversial medical procedure vary by nation. There are countries that simply accept abortion as a woman's personal choice, countries that allow abortion under certain circumstances, and countries that completely ban the practice altogether. Each year, an estimated 45 million abortions are performed. Of these, a surprisingly low percentage, approximately 25 million are done so legally. An estimated 70,000 women die annually due to complications resulting from illegal, and inherently unsafe, abortions. Although the United Nations (UN) is not a proponent of any abortion-related activities, the UN, and thus the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), has an interest in increasing both healthcare availability and educational practices of nations around the globe. Additionally, the UN and CSW are both concerned with decreasing instances of sexual violence against women. Increased instances of rape may contribute to higher demand for abortions, and thus sexual violence remains closely tied to the issue of abortion.
When considering the topic of abortion rights, there are a multitude of questions that can be addressed. First and foremost, it is important to understand the specific laws instated by your nation in regards to abortion. Are legal abortions available to your country's women? If so, are there any restrictions on determining whether or not the procedure can be performed? What types of sexual health education is provided to the women of your nation? Are there refugees in your nation? (This is an important fact to take into consideration as between 25-50% of maternal deaths in refugee camps result from unsafe abortions.) What is the quality of healthcare available to the women in your country? And to the refugees residing in your nation, if there are any? What affect does the culture or predominant religion of your nation have upon the practice of abortion? Lastly, what steps does your nation take to decrease instances of sexual violence against women?
Topic B: Women in the Media
Within the 1996 Platform for Action, adopted at the Beijing Conference of that year, it is noted that “global communication networks have been used to spread stereotyped and demeaning images of women for narrow commercial and consumerist purposes.” Research has repeatedly displayed that women models are about twice as likely as their male counterparts to be shown in their underwear or swimsuit in advertisements. Furthermore, women are rarely portrayed as heroines in videogames, but instead as sexual objects. Additionally, as Women's Human Rights Net notes, “ (I)n Japan, women are only 8 percent of media employees; in India and Malawi, they are 12 percent; and in Argentina and Mozambique, women are 16 percent of the media workforce. In Africa, women are 8 percent of broadcasting managers and 14 percent of managers in the print media. In Latin America, the figures are 21 percent for broadcasting and 16 percent for print.” It is the role of the Commission on the Status of women to therefore address this issue not only to improve how women are portrayed, but also to increase job availability for women in the communications industry.
How does the role of women in the media affect the sexual behavior of young girls? If there is a correlation, should the media be responsible for displaying an increased amount of sexual education material? How does the way women are treated in the media affect violence against women? Should the media take action to bring attention to this critical issue? What percentage of media employees in your nation are women? What actions can be taken to alter these figures?