CEDAW treaty from a Faith-Based viewpoint; history of coalition in Louisville

1. Women’s rights
as human rights
. . . neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor
female, for all are one in Christ Jesus.*
*Galatians 3:28, NRSV

2. Human rights are . . .
• respect for each
individual
• dignity of all human
beings
• equality without
distinction
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3. Culture and tradition . . .
• influence the way
we see and treat others.
• inhibit a woman’s full
access to the natural
rights of all humans.

4. Cultural biases and double standards
From an early age, we
treat our girls differently
from the way we treat
our boys.
• We expect boys to
fight, play hard, and
not cry.
• We want our girls to
be ladylike and
“sweet.”
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5. Cultural biases and double standards
We allow that “men will
be men,” but women are
“easy” or “ask for it.”

6. Cultural biases and women’s roles
“You have stept out of your place, you have rather
bine a husband than a wife and a preacher than a
hearer . . .”
—Hugh Peters to Anne Hutchinson,
in her church trial in Puritan
Massachusetts,1637
Cultural biases limit
possibilities for everyone
and confine women to
less powerful roles.
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7. Society violates women’s rights by . . .
• restricting freedom
• denying women self-determination
• violating physical safety
• denying women access to equal
opportunity
• blaming and shaming
• not tolerating individual differences
• holding women to different standards of
behavior
• disrespecting women’s dignity

8. • Sexual harassment
• Domestic violence
• Rape and incest
• Human trafficking
• Pay and other inequities
Leading to . . .
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9. • Genital mutilation
• Unequal access to education
• Denial of self-determination
• Exclusion from power
Plus . . .
Photo courtesy of Days for Girls

10. The violence of human trafficking . . .
• forced labor,
including sexual
service.
• in every country
and in every state.
In Louisville, sex
trafficking spikes around major events such as
the Governor’s Conference, the Derby, and other
athletic events such as the NCAA tournament.*
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* See research by Dr. Theresa Hayden, University of Louisville Department of Criminal Justice

11. • One in four women in
the U.S. experiences
gender-based
violence in her
lifetime.
• One in three world-
wide is a victim of
such violence.
Frequency of domestic violence
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12. • Abused children
are twice as likely
to become adult
abusers.
• Some abused
children become
abused adults.
Children learn from adults
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13. Violence against women and girls
• 85% of all domestic
violence victims
are women.
• Every two minutes,
someone in the
United States is
sexually assaulted.
• We meet many of these victims on Sunday
mornings in our churches, but they keep silent.
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14. Religious basis for
violence/discrimination
• Biblical texts reflect the culture
of the times and places they
were written.
• They tell stories of oppression
and abuse of women and girls.
“If ever one wishes to find an explanation of
woman’s inferiority to men, one only has to
look in the Bible.”
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton Thinkstock

15. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian tradition
“And the city will be taken and
the women ravished” (Zech. 14:2).
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16. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian tradition
“Therefore I will give their wives unto other men
and their fields to new owners” (Jer. 8:10).
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17. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian tradition
“Give me any plague,
but the plague of the
heart; and any
wickedness, but
the wickedness
of a woman”
(Eccl. 25:13).
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18. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian tradition
“Of woman came
the beginning of sin,
and through her
we all die” (Eccl. 25:22).
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19. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian
tradition
“Wives, be subject
to your husbands as
you are to the Lord.
For the husband is
the head of the wife
just as Christ is head
of the Church” (Eph.
5:22–23a).
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20. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian
tradition
“Let a woman learn in
silence with full
submission. I permit no
woman to teach or to
have authority over a
man; she is to keep
silent” (1 Tim. 2:11–12).
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21. Harmful texts in Judeo-Christian
tradition
“A man . . . Is the image
and reflection of God; but
woman is the reflection of
man . . . Neither was man
created for the sake of
woman, but woman was
created for the sake of
man” (1 Cor. 11:7, 9).
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22. Breaking the silence
• Abusers and victims come
from all walks of life,
religions, socioeconomic
groups, educational
backgrounds, ethnic
groups, and sexual
orientations.
• Seldom do we pray
about it in worship.
Shouldn’t we begin
to give voice to the voiceless?

23. Jesus came to return believers
to the purposes of God
Jesus preached love,
equality, kindness,
gentleness, trust,
forgiveness.
“The Spirit of the Lord . . . has sent me to
proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (Lk. 4:18–19).
Thinkstockimage

24. Fulfilling the prophecy . . .
“God has sent me to bring
good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and release to the
prisoners . . . the oil of
gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of
a faint spirit” (Is. 61:1, 3).
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25. Jesus says . . .
“You shall treat your neighbor as yourself”
(Mk. 12:31).
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26. New Testament dialogues
To Martha, in
response to her
frustration that
Mary is not helping
in the kitchen,
Jesus says, “Mary
has chosen . . . ”
to be a listener,
a learner, a disciple
—giving a woman choice in a society that denies
women choice (Lk. 10:42).
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27. God knows no partiality
• “God has shown that
I should not call any
other person unholy
or unclean” (Acts 10:28).
• “Immediately her
hemorrhage stopped . . .
[Jesus] said to her
‘Daughter, your faith
has made you well;
go in peace and be
healed of your disease” (Mk. 5:29a, 34).
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28. Called to justice
As guardians
of the Judeo-
Christian ethic,
we are called
to do justice,
to be in the
business of
healing and bringing wholeness to the
human family.
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29. Called to action
As leaders of our churches
and communities, we must
join our ancestors in strong
prophetic voice and
effective action.

30. Called by women of scripture
• We remember Deborah,
the first woman judge.
• We draw on the faith
of Miriam, who walked
beside her brothers
Moses and Aaron.
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31. Called by . . .
• Shiprah and Puah
who practiced civil
disobedience
• Jochebed when she
defied the pharaoh
to save her son
Moses
Photo courtesy of Laura Lee

32. Called by . . .
Hagar’s courage, Esther’s determination,
Ruth’s faithfulness
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33. Called by . . .
Anna (Lk. 2:36), who
was the first
to tell the
good news
of Jesus.
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34. Called by . . .
• Priscilla and
Phoebe, who
ministered
with Paul.
• Tabitha, Dorcas,
and Lydia,
who claimed
equality and
lived it joyfully. Thinkstock

35. Called by . . .
• the Gentile woman who insisted her daughter
be healed
• the woman who
wore down the
judge
• the bent-over
woman who
was healed
• the Samaritan
woman who
was transformed at the well
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36. Women and the cross
When we feel weary, we
can remember that women
always seem braver than
even Jesus’ inner circle.
“Where were you when they
crucified my Lord?” Mary
Magdalene, Mary the
mother of Jesus, Salome,
Mary the wife of Clopas,
the mother of the sons of
Zebedee, Joanna—all were
there at the cross. Thinkstock

37. Our call to equality
As women and men
of faith, we claim our
equality, live it, witness
it, and reveal it as God’s
ideal order.
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38. Our call to equality
The sacraments of
Baptism and Holy
Communion are
testimony to the
equality
proclaimed
by Christian
scripture.
Thinkstock photos

39. Our call to equality
And we join civil society
in working for a just and
peaceful world.
Anita Coleman at the UN, 2016.

40. An international bill of rights for women
• The UN General Assembly adopted
the Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979.
• CEDAW is the culmination of 30
years of work by the UN Commission on the
Status of Women, which was established in 1946
to promote women’s rights across the globe.

41. An international bill of rights for women
The treaty has been
ratified by 187 of 193
UN member states.
Only Iran, Sudan,
Somalia, the U.S.,
Palau and Tonga
have not.
Senator Durbin holding a hearing on CEDAW in the
Senate judiciary subcommittee in 2010.

42. The treaty . . .
• explicitly acknowledges that extensive
discrimination against women continues
to exist.
• emphasizes that such discrimination
violates principles of equal rights and
respect for human dignity.
• defines discrimination and sets up an
agenda for national action to end it.

43. CEDAW affirms . . .
• women’s right to vote and
hold public office
• women’s right to non-
discrimination in education,
employment and economic
and social activities
• women’s equality in civil and business matters
• women’s personal rights and property rights
• equal rights regarding women’s choice
of spouse and parenthood

44. Each country determines how to bring its policies
in line to eliminate discrimination
against women and girls.
CEDAW is a practical blueprint for each
country to use in its efforts to achieve
progress for women and girls.

45. Eliminating gender bias
CEDAW asks ratifying nations to modify social
and cultural patterns to eliminate gender bias:
• revise school curricula to remove gender
stereotypes in the educational system;
• address modes of behavior and thought that
define the public realm as a man's world and the
home as a woman’s;
• affirm that both genders have equal responsiblities
in family life and equal rights regarding education
and employment.

46. CEDAW has
improved women’s
lives on the ground.
In ratifying countries, women
have partnered with their
governments to change
laws and policies, creating
greater safety and
opportunity for women
and their families.

47. How can CEDAW can be a catalyst
for change in the U.S.?
CEDAW provides a framework for
women’s rights at the grassroots
level, rights to
• health and family planning
• education and work
• an adequate standard of living
• access to decision-making
• freedom from violence
• marriage choice
• citizenship and political participation

48. Cities for CEDAW was launched in March 2014 during
the UN Commission on the Status of Women. CEDAW provides a
frame-work for women’s human rights policy. Local adoption of
its principles allows for the development of policies that
improve the lives of women at the local level.
Cities for CEDAW

49. • In April 2014, the Louisville Coalition for CEDAW
was formed.
• In November 2014, Louisville
passed a resolution affirm-
ing the principles of CEDAW,
and committing Louisville
to using those principles
to inform policy decisions
in the Louisville Metro area.
Louisville is a City for CEDAW

50. Louisville mayor signs resolution
Members of coalition watch as Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer signs
the resolution on November 17, 2014, just days after its passage.

51. What is in Louisville’s resolution?
• Louisville is committed to eliminating all forms
of discrimination against women and girls.
• Louisville is committed
to promoting the health
and safety of women
and girls.
• Louisville is committed
to affording women and girls
equal academic, economic
and business opportunities.

52. Coalition’s first two and a half years
• Resolution written, introduced, passed
• Public relations materials developed
• Website launched, social media active
• Series of events to raise awareness held
• Ongoing coalition-building
• Bylaws and articles of incorporation written
• Nonprofit corporation status achieved
• Gender study of city government completed
• Louisville coalition represented at UN Commission
on Status of Women
• Louisville coalition participated in meeting of international
committee in Geneva

53. What’s next
• Fundraising
• Evaluate gender study, recommend
policy to address issues
• Launch education campaign
• Continue events to raise awareness
• Draft ordinances as needs are assessed
• Continue to deepen and broaden coalition
• Hold a summit with local partners
• Reach out to faith community and others

54. Coalition meetings at Bon Air Public Library
second Tuesday of each month, 6:30–8 pm.
www.louisvillecedaw.org
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Email us!
louisville.cedawcoalition@gmail.com
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PO Box 221361, Louisville, KY 40252