Help End Violence Against Girls and Women

83% of girls in the United States aged 12-16 experience some form of sexual harassment in public schools, said Wendy Trager, the shore regional director of the UN Committee for Women, during a presentation at Trinity in Keyport.

Trager pulled her daughter, Sydney, to the front of the crowd. Addressing her, Trager went through statistics that show the inequalities that Sydney will face as a girl, young lady and elderly woman.

"You perform 60% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but only earn 10% of the income and own only 1% of the world’s property," Trager said. "You are outnumbered 4 to 1 in legislatures around the world. Only 17 heads of state or government are women. At the current rate of women’s representation, it will take to the end of this century, right about the time you turn 90-years-old, to reach the low end of the parity zone which is 40% for women in public office or legislation."

UN General Assembly established the UN Committee for Women in 2010 by combining various women focused agencies into one organization designed to support inter-governmental bodies in their formulation of policies, global standards and norms, to help member states to implement these standards with technical and financial support and to forge effective partnerships with civil society, according to Trager.

Ultimately, they have five goals. UN Women aims to end violence against women, expand women’s participation; strengthen women’s full participation in
conflict resolution and peace processes; enhancing women’s economic empowerment and ensuring gender priorities are reflected in national plans and budgets. This is the first time that a women's organization has had a place at the voting table in the United Nations.

According to Trager, it is important for American women to understand that even though women are closer to achieving equality here than in some less developed countries, inequalities internationally have an effect nationally.

She shared the following facts during her presentation:

• In South Africa, a woman is killed every 6 hours by an intimate partner.

• In India, 22 women were killed each day in dowry-related murders in 2007.

• Women and girls comprise 80 percent of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked annually, with the majority - 79 percent - trafficked for sexual exploitation.

• An estimated 150 million girls under 18 suffered some form of sexual violence in 2002 alone.

• 83% of girls in the United States aged 12-16 experience some form of sexual harassment in public schools.

• One-third of US women murdered here each year arekilled by intimate partners.

• As many as 1 in 4 women experience physical and/or sexual violence during pregnancy which increases the likelihood of having a miscarriage, still birth and abortion.

• In Sao Paulo, Brazil, a woman is assaulted every 15 seconds.

• In Ecuador, adolescent girls reporting sexual violence in school identified teachers as the perpetrator in 37 percent of cases.

If you are interested in become a member of UN Women, contact Wendy Trager via email at wendytragermail@gmail.com or via phone at (732) 500-5709. Trager said that membership is only as time consuming as the member would like it to be.