Young UN Women Australia Perth Zine - February Issue by Young UN Women Australia Perth

Young UN Women Australia Perth

Imageby: Courtesy Martine Perret Photo Jessica of Lockhart

Runway for a Reason/Robert Foltz

Young UN Women Australia Perth â&#x20AC;˘ February 2012

From the YUNWA Perth Committee Chair|Chair’s Report

elcome to our first zine for 2012! Since I wrote my last Chair’s Report in December, the YUNWA Perth Committee has had a chance to catch our breath before we head into the second half of our term. Recently I had the opportunity to speak to women at the Young Women’s Leadership Forum run by Alicia Curtis and the Muslim Women’s Support Centre. Talking to a young people about gender equality truly is one of my favourite jobs as Chair of YUNWA Perth, and this was no exception. The outstanding participants at the Young Women’s Leadership Program reminded me yet again that we are rightly considered a generation of unusually committed and active citizens who are driven to make a difference in the world – not for personal gain, accolades or attention – but because it is right, and fair. This month, we’ve also been reminded that online collective feminist action can make a difference. There was an outcry by feminist groups when the Susan G. Komen Foundation in the United States announced that it would cut funding to Planned Parenthood, which has provided nearly 170,000 clinical breast exams to low-income women. The Komen Foundation reversed its decision, issued a public apology, and a Vice President resigned after it faced a deluge of opposition, particularly on Twitter. To read more about it, click HERE.

last event, Women in Diplomacy, which raised over $2,000 for the UN Women International Women’s Day project. We are delighted to include two articles by special guest writers – Tammy Solonec and Gillian Yudelman – and one of our Committee members wrote her response to the film and novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I hope to see many of you at our next event, “My Week With Marilyn” fundraiser. Our last couple of events have sold out, so please don’t miss out – buy your ticket sooner rather than later. And finally, happy International Women’s Day to all our members for March 8! Want to continue the conversation? Contact me on Twitter - @annaj21 Dates for your diary 16 February 2012 – “My Week with Marilyn” IWD Fundraiser @ Windsor Cinema 8 March 2012 – International Women’s Day 9 March 2012 – International Women’s Day Breakfast @ the Convention Centre 12 March 2012 – Feminist Book Club “Half the Sky” 18 March 2012 – YUNWA Perth Volunteer Orientation Session

Anna Johnson Chair

Young UN Women Australia Perth Committee

In this issue of the zine, read all about our

Want to get move involved in YUNWA Perth? Email our Memberships and Volunteers Coordinator, Anna Larson, at perthyouth@unwomen.org.au for an application form.

TABLE Of contents 2 ................... Chair’s Report: Anna Johnson 4....................... Event:Women in Diplomacy 6............................. Profile: Annabel Keogh 7.................................. Profile: Alice Farley 8........ POV: Supporting our Women to Lead 13......................POV: Mother’s Home Nepal 15. Review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 16.................................Why IWDIs Important 18................VolunteerOrientation Session

UN Photo/Martine Perret

EVENT Women in Diplomacy |by Anna Johnson

Many YUNWA Perth members are talented and ambitious university students and young professionals interested in exploring opportunities to use their talents and passions to work in the international and diplomatic arenas. In line with our goal of enhancing the leadership abilities of young women, we planned our Informs session on 2 February 2012 on the theme “Women in Diplomacy”. The event showcased the stories of four female role models who have significant yet varied experience in the diplomatic field: Ms Alicia Woodward, United States Consul General Ms Hamidah Ashari, Malaysian Consul General Dr Sue Boyd, Former Australian diplomat Ms Emma Kerslake, Diplomat, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Freehills Foundation for their generous sponsorship of Women in Diplomacy, which was held in their boardroom in the QV1 Building on St Georges Terrace, Perth. We also had three great raffle prizes from Venn Gallery, Behind the Monkey, and Avon, so thank you to those three businesses as well. The event provided an opportunity for our members and guests to learn more about what the diplomatic career involves and the realities of being a female in that field. It was a fantastic night all round, and we received some excellent feedback from attendees, including those on the twitter hashtag #womenindiplomacy. Thank you to everyone who attended, and thank you of course to our four fantastic speakers, who made the night.

The event sold out four days beforehand – a record for YUNWA Perth! As Ms Woodward said on the night, the ticket sales illustrate the demand for this kind of event in Perth. Each speaker was completely different, yet a few overarching themes emerged: the unbeatable opportunity to be right on the ground at enormously significant political world events, and the difficulties of moving countries every few years and maintaining a social and a family life. I was struck by the speakers’ honesty in their recommendation that diplomatic life is incredibly rewarding; however, they all urged the audience to think carefully about the career path, and weigh up the sacrifices which must necessarily be made by diplomats. This event raised $2,354 for the UN Women International Women’s Day project, Partners Improving Markets. This project works in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to make marketplaces safe for women. We are grateful to the

Women in Diplomacy/Athanae Lucev

Profile Annabel Keogh |by Athanae Lucev

After she was convinced to attend last year’s Women on Boards evening by her good friend (and events coordinator on this year’s committee, Tegan Smith), Fundraising and Partnerships coordinator Annabel Keogh was inspired to become involved with the push for gender equality herself. ‘It struck me that this sort of information (that was available at Women on Boards) is not easily accessible for the majority of young women – which then limits what they see is possible for themselves,’ she said. ‘I was also completely in awe of the group of dedicated and passionate women that I met on the Young UN Women Committee, and I knew I wanted to be more involved.’ In her day-to-day life, Annabel is a strategic communications consultant, providing advice for companies across government, media and community relations. Born and bred in Perth, Annabel graduated from the University of Notre Dame with Bachelors degrees in Law and Arts. Annabel believes education about gender equality for men and women is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to held eradicate the disparity in outcomes between men and women that exist both in Australia and overseas. ‘I am extremely fortunate to have grown up in a society where gender inequality has had very limited opportunities to impact my opportunities in life,’ Annabel said. ‘Despite all of the amazing progress that society has made since the days of women being treated as property, gender inequality is still a real issue. It is still vitally important to talk about gender inequality and the impact is has on life expectancy,

economic and financial security and personal safety for women, keeping hope that it will one day be a thing of the past.’ The biggest hurdle to overcome at the moment is the sense of laissez-faire that has overwhelmed the feminist movement, Annabel said. ‘It no longer feels that there is a sense of urgency to resolve gender inequality, despite the reality of women being severely impacted every day,’ she said. ‘I think to help overcome this state of affairs there needs to be more education of both men and women about where gender inequality still exists and why it is not only important, but necessary, to care about the status of women as part of achieving a more peaceful, and safer world.’ On the committee, Annabel is able to use put her valuable skills to good use by seeking out and fostering positive relationships with organisations and individuals with similar goals, values and aspirations as Young UN Women to the benefit of both organisations. She is also responsible for fundraising drives to support the broader UN Women projects, like the Pacific Facility Fund and the Partners Improving Markets project. Annabel has also been behind many of the incredible prizes we have given out at our events over the past few months, and we are all grateful for her invaluable work. ‘One of the things I most enjoy about being on the committee is the opportunity to truly enjoy the companionship of a group of intelligent, passionate women who are committed to making a difference in the world,’ she said. And we are lucky Annabel is dedicating her time, effort and substantial talent to helping Young UN Women and the greater organisation reach its goals.

Alice Farley

Profile

One of the most common reasons cited for joining Young UN Women is that it’s a great forum for discussing different ideas and perspectives on gender equality, and how it might best be achieved. And so it was for our events co-ordinator Alice Farley. After meeting then-Young UN Women Perth chair Holly Ransom at last year’s National Youth Week Planning Committee brainstorming session, she attended the AGM, applied for a Committee position and voila! Alice’s experience and skills in event planning combined with her tertiary qualifications in marketing, public relations, media and communications and her hunger to learn more about UN Women and gender equity made her a perfect candidate. Happily, Alice is among friends on the Committee, with one of her best friends Sandra De Witt also having joined this year. By day, Alice works for a boutique international touring agent and promoter, where she does everything from organising visas to compiling tours books and liaising with stakeholders, venues and support artists. Alice grew up mostly in Perth, but travelled in Europe with her family too, with stints in Italy and France. When she was 19 she moved to London. Alice said she wanted to become involved with Young UN Women because its ‘mission resonates with me’. ‘But also because I saw that this was a committee with young members who were proactively making a difference and not just the odd event here and there,’ Alice said. ‘I wanted to increase my awareness about these issues and contribute to a cause, and a greater movement, which I believe in.’ As events coordinator, a portfolio she shares

with Tegan Smith, Alice has been responsible for planning, coordination and running of events like the highly successful inaugural Runway for a Reason, and the Women in Diplomacy evening, held at Freehills as part of the Inform sessions. ‘Getting to organise events which contribute to the empowerment of women is the most enjoyable part about being on the committee I really enjoy working with such a passionate group of people,’ Alice said. ‘I also find myself inspired by other committee members and their passion for improving the life of women worldwide. Listening to the opinions of the committee I find really interesting.’ Alice said she sees gender equality as central to the prosperity of a society, of a nation and of the world. ‘It’s important because it plays such a crucial part in economic development, obviously societal development, as well as overall health and education of any society,’ she said. ‘I think one of the biggest hurdles is making people aware, particularly young women, that the fight for equality is still continuing and inspiring them to act. I think too many young women today are either not aware or unable to move from awareness to a stage of action. It’s a cliche but young people are the future and there is nothing like people power to create change. There are so many facets of our lives, like superannuation, which still favours men. And progress that we make in our society invariably has a follow on affect to other countries which leads to global change.’ We are so lucky to have Alice and her great enthusiasm and extensive event planning experience on the committee this year. The committee has taken on its most ambitious events ever and their success is largely to due Alice and Tegan’s work together.

|by Athanae Lucev

Supporting our women to lead |by Tammy Solonec

the disparity between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men and women in high level leadership is just as great as the mainstream statistics.

Image Courtesy of Tammy Solonec

Introduction Leadership is a journey. It’s not something that happens over night. It comes as a result of years of hard work, dedication, commitment, vision and selflessness. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, we have many leaders, many visionaries and many who have worked hard to hold the title of leader. It’s a journey I’ve been on for a while now and as my profile increases, the opportunities and requests for my help increase. I’m starting to find, as an emerging leader, that it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m also finding that there is a lack of practical support for leadership, and that is what I want discuss in this column. We are increasingly seeing women in leadership, however, in nearly all levels of high level leadership, women are still well under represented. For example, the Equal Opportunity in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) 2010 Australian Census of women in leadership show that only 8.4% of Board Directorships are held by women, and 54% of ASX200 companies have no women Board Directors at all. Similarly, in Federal Parliament in 2011, women only made up 24.7% of elected positions in the House of Representatives and 35.5% of the Senate. In academia women are doing well, accounting for over half of all lecturing staff in Australia, but they only make 39% of senior lecturing staff and 25% of staff above the senior lecturer level. This is similar to the study of law, where 65% of law graduates are female, yet in the Federal Court of Australia, women make up only 16% of the bench. I don’t know the statistics for Indigenous women in high level leadership, but would anticipate that the numbers are much lower, and that

Before I go on, its important to recognise that a person’s career path is about choice. Many women choose to be there for their kids during their infancy, before and after school and I’m not saying that they shouldn’t have that choice. Many women choose to devote themselves to their children and don’t like the pressure continually put on them to be active participants in the workforce, when their primary focus is raising their children. However, this doesn’t suit all women, and for those of us who do want to pursue high level leadership, mechanisms need to be put in place to allow it. Programs to support Indigenous Leadership There are many Indigenous leadership courses available these days. Of all the ones I’ve attended, I found the Certificate II in Indigenous Leadership from the Australian Indigenous Leadership Centre (AILC) to be the most inspiring. The FaHCSIA Indigenous leadership forums are also good, and for our youth, there seems to be a never-ending array of leadership training available. There are also many mainstream leadership courses and opportunities that are increasingly available to our people, and on the international level, there are a number of programs for Indigenous peoples that we can tap into. Some of it is Indigenous specific, like at the AILC, where we learnt about ‘leading from behind’ and Indigenous forms of collective leadership. Others, such as the Diplomacy Training Program, provide us with specific knowledge such as about the international human rights system and how to communicate with people from other cultures. And some, like Oxfam Straight Talk, are specifically designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. All of the programs introduce us to people outside our square and help us to be able to relate to and understand people from different walks of life. They are indeed empowering and useful. However, the issue with all these courses and pro-

grams, is that we generally have to leave our families, work and communities to attend them. Often, it is difficult to take the time off work or to arrange others to assist with community and family obligations. Many I know, including myself, have taken their annual leave or even leave without pay, to be part of these courses. And for leaders who are parents of young children, it is always difficult to leave children behind to pursue leadership opportunities, even for a short course. Leadership and Motherhood As a mother, and especially a single mother, high level leadership is very hard. The dishes still need to be done. The clothes still need to be washed. The bills still need to be paid. The kids still need to be dropped to school. Recently, I attended a CHOGM parallel event in Perth called ‘Empowering Women to Lead’. The week of CHOGM was a huge drain on me. As well as having the kids to look after, I was an active participant in the Commonwealth Peoples Forum, and there were events on every day and night. Mum came and stayed with us the whole week to help me through. On the night of this event, I was tired and the kids were fed up with me being out, but I went anyway, hoping to get some practical tips on being a woman in leadership. The event was an extravaganza at the Hyatt, which I’m sure cost a lot of money. There would have been about 400 people and it included pre-dinner drinks and a three-course meal. The highlight was a panel discussion by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other Commonwealth Nations female leaders about women in leadership. I found the event really disappointing because they said nothing about practical ways of empowering and supporting women to lead and left early. When I got home, I vented on my Facebook wall: “Just been to an empowering women in leadership forum with Julia Gillard and other World Female Leaders - a CHOGM parallel event. The panelists talked about various reasons why women are not in leadership, but only one, and only in passing, noted that a barrier was being a mother. I grew increasingly frustrated as they told us that education was the answer and that we needed to keep fighting for our rights. What I need is a nanny and someone to help with the washing and the cleaning and the cooking. I need quality and affordable childcare. I need support. I need to be supported in my career without continually facing guilt and anger from those who think I am a bad mother and should be ‘at home with my children’. I wanted to raise these issues and when the opportunity came to take questions from the floor I put my hand up straight away, only to realise that they would not take my question, because questions had to be submitted in advance and selected. I did not have that opportunity because I had not been selected for the event, I only got the invite after someone else could not make it. Despite my various leadership roles and being a single mother, the people in-

volved did not think to invite me. I left in disgust at the lack of understanding about what it means and how hard it really is to be a woman, and particularly a single mother, in leadership.” I soon got passionate responses from others. The first was from an Aboriginal female friend of mine who is an amazing woman. As well as studying law and working fulltime, she cares for her nieces and nephews and her own children. She is truly a leader. She wrote: “They are not interested in how a woman copes or is expected to cope. You are meant to be superwoman... The majority can not even relate to the everyday woman’s issues and challenges without a Nanny or simply not even interested in knowing = ignorance... Its all about outcomes and contributing to a Society focused on individual interests and successes, not for or about the people anymore nor any less than their ambitious political successes ... I’m sure Tammy they wouldn’t have even allowed you to ask those questions either, it would have been too confronting and possibly viewed as ‘political’ rather than important points of discussion on the topic of ‘Women in Leadership’ ...” Another female Aboriginal leader here in Perth, who sometimes helps me by looking after my dog when I travel wrote: “Probably did not want to know about the real issues- just all talking about fancy/political strategies to make themselves look all important. Why would they worry about what the real issues are for many women? No votes there, only if you talk their talk!” Another woman wrote: “Well said Tammy. I have heard this before from other women who want to provide leadership. I wonder if the old African proverb “it takes a community to raise a child” is one of the solutions to put into the mix.” And another female Indigenous leader and remarkable woman wrote: “Well done on the issues you raised Tammy, we can all relate to it. I have always said the greatest challenge for us is balancing our careers and being mum’s (particularly single mums). I too could not have done it without my mothers and sisters support.” So let’s talk about this. Let’s get real. Although education is important, in Australia, women generally do have access to education. And let’s face it, we’re doing pretty well. Girls out score boys in regards to education on many levels. Motherhood as a barrier to Leadership It seems so clear to me that in Australia, the pri-

mary reason that women find it so difficult to reach the higher levels of leadership is motherhood. We might do really well in school and start climbing the leadership ladder, but as soon as we decide to have children, all that is put on hold. Paid paternity leave was only introduced as law in Australia this year. When I had both my kids, there was no paid maternity leave and when I had my first child, no Baby Bonus. These things are good advancements for women, but they are new initiatives and it will take a while for these types of policies to have an impact. I think it is particularly good that the paternity leave policy was made available to the primary carer, rather than only women. There are many instances in heterosexual relationships where the woman’s career prospects are better than her partner’s or where they choose for the father to be the primary carer. One of the best role models and advocates for mothers in leadership is Federal MP Tanya Plibersek who gave birth to her third child on 1 October 2010. Ms Plibersek has been a strong advocate for women including holding the portfolio of the Status of Women. In an interview on Lateline on 27 July 2010, she said: “I think it’s terrific for mothers to have time with their new babies and that’s why we’ve introduced a paid parental leave scheme. But we also think it’s very important to allow Australian families and encourage Australian families to make those choices for themselves about who is the primary carer of the child and for how long each parent might like to be home with the child. We don’t think that that’s a decision that governments should make for families. We want to enable families to make those decisions for themselves.” I was pretty shocked when a friend of mine who is a devout Labor supporter spoke to me about Ms Plibersek soon after the birth of her third child. She said that Ms Plibersek should have taken longer than a month’s maternity leave and that she was doing the Labor party and her baby a disservice by her choice of actions. I was shocked by this young woman’s opinions and challenged her on a number of levels. Still, it showed the ingrained community perceptions, even from young women, that a mother’s place is at home with her child and not in high level leadership. Reverse up a few years and we have the story of Victorian MP Kirstie Marshall who dared to breastfeed her 11 day old infant in Parliament. She was asked to leave because the baby was a ‘stranger’ to the Parliament. This provoked fierce community debate. Susanna Scurry, wrote in The Age, on 28 February 2003, “Congratulations to Kirstie Marshall, a champion skier and now a role model for all young women. Shame on

those who would separate an 11-day-old baby from her mother. And how wet that the reason given for her to leave was that she had brought `a stranger’ to Parliament.” But then there were the negative comments, like this one from Inga Walton, written in The Age on 3 March 2003, “First, Marshall seems to be sadly lacking in basic notions of what is appropriate, respectful, and decorous behaviour in any given situation. She appears unconcerned that State Parliament is a formal venue for debate and political discourse - not for the furthering of her parental duties, or the aggrandisement of her profile. Children are not accessories for selfish parents to cart around whenever they can’t be bothered to make other arrangements. And the floor of Parliament was never intended to double as a creche - nor should it.” Attitudes like this seem to suggest that parental duties and a career cannot occur at the same time. Taking time out of the workforce to care for children is huge barrier to high level leadership and there is a lack of practical mechanisms to allow women to continue on a leadership path once they have had children. Those barriers continue right until the children are adults. When a woman does decide to return to the workforce after having children, she will often return on a part-time basis and this again is another barrier to leadership. How many CEO or other high level positions do we see that allow for part-time and flexible working conditions? Not many. Once a woman does decide to return to work, she will often look for work that fits into the school schedule. Usually this is work that is close to the school, or from home. And often, the work is not stimulating or good for advancing career prospects. My daughter’s school recently changed the school closing time from 3.00pm (with early close one day a week), to 2.30pm everyday. There was no consultation with us. It’s really difficult to fit meetings and work into the timeslots of 9.30am and 2.00pm each day, to allow time for travel to and from the school. Inadequate Childcare For women with children who need to work, and particularly single mothers, we either chose crappy jobs and live on the brink of poverty to be there for our kids, or we put them into childcare. In my experience, childcare in Australia is inadequate. My kids have never liked childcare centres. It was a big issue that they couldn’t take their shoes off – and

they never lasted long at a centre. Family day care had always been a better option for my kids, but even that is hard to find a place in and sometimes you need to shop around to find the right family. For me, the best option would be to have someone help out at my home – a nanny. There is an absence of a nanny culture in Australia (unlike many countries around the world) and there are limited tax and financial incentives to have home care. This applies not only to childcare, but also to caring for the sick, disabled and elderly. The preference always seems to be to have caring occur outside of homes, and so we face the struggle of getting to the centre on time, often through peak hour traffic, and then get home again. For a single parent, it’s exhausting to then get home to a house that needs cleaning and dinner that needs cooking after working a full day. No wonder take away food is such an ingrained part of the Australian culture. Like my Facebook friend said, Australian women are expected to be superwomen. Many women in Australia rely on their parents (usually their mother) to provide the in home assistance they need. We increasingly see grandparents caring for grandchildren, often in the home of their children. Although this is something many grandparents happily do, it is not paid, cannot be claimed on tax, and is often not fair on those grandparents who themselves have often lived a life of devotion and selflessness for the benefit of their children already. There is a lot that could be done through the tax system to assist us in our homes. I currently have a cleaner and a gardener and I’m looking for an au pair (and I so need a secretary), but I can’t claim any of that on tax and paying for all this support is a burden on my income. Whilst some may say that providing this type of tax incentive would be difficult economically, I think there is an economically rational argument for such incentives. It costs a lot less to pay someone to come to a person’s house to help out than it does to build and maintain an entire centre. Parenting in Australia In Australia, there is enormous pressure on parents in regards to their children. If children get up to no good – it’s the parent’s fault. If children don’t do well at school – it’s the parent’s fault. And this responsibility is held right up until the children are adults. As a mother of a 14 year old, I know just how hard it is to get a teenager to do as you ask. An example of this type of attitude is the recent initiative of the Federal Government in the Northern Territory, which proposes to take parent’s Centrelink benefits if their children truant from school.

I find it absurd that they would penalise people living on the brink of poverty by taking the little money they have if they cannot coerce their children to attend school, especially when many of the schools are culturally inappropriate to those children. In traditional Aboriginal cultures, children were the shared responsibility of the community. In a number of cultures, polygamy existed, where a man would have several wives, who would together raise the children as a collective. This is a bit like the African proverb my friend posted on my Facebook wall, that it “takes a community to raise a child”. We’ve diverted from these notions in Australia and all responsibility is put onto the parents. The Western notion of monogamous heterosexual relationships is embedded into our laws and any diversion of it, including single parenting, is ridiculed and attacked. Aboriginality as a barrier to Leadership For Aboriginal leaders, and particularly women (and double that for single mothers), the stress of leadership is even greater, because of the family obligations. Many, like my Facebook friend, will look after nieces and nephews as well as their own children. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders are leaders not only in the workforce, but also in their families. They are called on to mediate disputes, arrange funerals, assist family members, and then there’s humbug. Once an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person is appointed to a high paying position, they are often expected to help others in their family, financially and in other ways. That’s if they get a high level position. As a Western Australian woman, who is devoted to staying in Perth to be here for my children, I know that my career opportunities have been significantly reduced because of my decision to stay in Perth. I share the care of my children with my ex-husband and he has a business in Perth and is not interested in leaving, so I need to stay here. Most of the human rights work I specialise in is on the Eastern seaboard. The Australian Human Rights Commission is in Sydney. The National Congress is in Sydney. Parliament is in Canberra. Head Office of ANTaR is in Brisbane and so on. I’ve also not had the ability to apply for fellowships or scholarships overseas or with the United Nations, because again, it would require leaving my children. I’m so grateful that the Director positions for Congress were open to people from anywhere in Australia. I never applied for the position of Co-Chair because I am not able to move to Sydney, a pre-requisite of the position. This

dilemma applies equally to people who want to stay in their home communities for various reasons, not the least of which, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, is their connection to their country. Support for Aboriginal women in Leadership So, as I have articulated, there are enormous barriers to high level leadership for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women and particularly single parents. I would like to see research undertaken to document some of the barriers I’ve discussed in this article and see what other barriers are out there, and to find solutions that can support our people who want to lead, to be leaders. As I’ve mentioned, we need practical solutions – not more programs that take us from our communities, families and children. Big business and Government who are interested in supporting Indigenous leadership could offer programs that provide practical support to leaders. Initiatives including free or discounted home care, cleaning, cooking, tuition (for the individual themselves and their children), mentoring, secretarial support and financial and business assistance (there’s lots in the tax system that can be used to our advantage if we just know how) will all help.

the role. The structure of the Congress with Chamber Three open to individuals also allowed me to apply in my individual capacity, even though I was not a CEO or other high level staff member of a Congress member organisation. The appointment is also three days a week with flexible working arrangements. Significant efforts have been made to accommodate my needs as someone from the West and as a single mother. It is the most inclusive and supportive environment I have ever worked in and I am so grateful that the opportunity was there and even more grateful to the Delegates who voted for and believed in me, as a young single mother from Perth. Another Director, Venessa Curnow is a young mother of three young children and I’m sure that had the structure of Congress not been so inclusive and flexible, that she too would not have been able to commit to the appointment. I want to live up to the expectations of our Members in my four year term and know that the inclusive processes for election to this position mean that my and Venessa’s appointments, and the appointments of the other women, Jody Broun and Daphne Yarram, will allow a point of view that often is not heard or considered, to be at the forefront of Congress business.

Technology today also offers a lot of scope to assist people to do work from their home communities and in their homes. With smart phones, video conferencing and the Internet, there are good arguments for high level positions to be more flexible and therefore more available to women with children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who choose to stay in their home communities. I also believe that identified positions for women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are important and useful. If the positions are not identified, then there will always be someone who doesn’t face barriers like the ones I’ve presented here who will appear better suited for the positions. Appointments based on these characteristics do not recognise the value that people from disadvantaged backgrounds bring to policy and decision-making. Finally, I want to finish on a positive note by commending the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, of whom I am a Director for Chamber Three - individuals. The Congress is committed to gender equality, with a male and female Co-Chair and male and female Directors of each Chamber. The Congress opened the Director positions up to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from all over the country and did not require that we leave our home communities to take on

Tammy Solonec is a Nyikina woman from Derby in the Kimberley of WA. As well as being a qualified human rights lawyer, Tammy is a Director of the National Congress of Australia’s First Peoples, the Vice Chairperson of NAIDOC Perth and Shelter WA, the Chairperson of ANTaR WA and a member of the Aboriginal Lawyers Committee of the Law Society of WA. Tammy has written this piece in her private capacity. The views contained are not representative of any of the organisations she is associated with. 24 November 2011 Image Courtesy of Tammy Solonec

Mother’s Home Nepal |by Gillian Yudelman

Image Courtesy of Gillian Yudelman

In January 2011, I established Mother’s Home Nepal, after a chance encounter on an aeroplane with its founder Anuradha Koirala (pictured left). Ms Koirala is the founder and executive director of Maiti Nepal, which has been in operation since 1993. A former English teacher and victim of domestic violence, she started this non-profit organisation with $100 of her personal savings in a small house in Kathmandu. Anuradha’s aim was to provide services to children and women, who have been subjected to great pain and suffering, in silence, as a result of sex trafficking. Gender discrimination, poverty, illiteracy, and a porous border between Nepal and India provide ideal conditions for traffickers and parents and children are almost always tricked with promises of marriage, jobs or free education. Girls and women are often trafficked domestically, into massage parlours and dance restaurants in areas such as Kathmandu and Pokhara. However, the greatest problem remains the trafficking of girls and women to India and more recently to the Middle East and parts of China. It is currently estimated that there are 150 000-300 000 Nepalese girls in the brothels in India. Many are trafficked as young as 7 and have to service over 20 men per day. As a result, sex trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business and the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. The conditions in the brothels are horrific – girls are routinely locked up, fed once a day and only allowed to bath once a week. They are beaten and tortured into submission and suffer great physical and psychological damage as a result. Because they are not allowed to use condoms, many have multiple unsafe abortions, and the long term risk of HIV/ AIDS and cervical cancer is a certainty. Over the years, Ms Koirala and Maiti Nepal have

established a highly effective strategy against trafficking. In order to educate vulnerable villages, Maiti Nepal has developed an awareness campaign, using plays, songs and information booths, which allows the community to discuss the issue of trafficking. As there is no identification process for nationals of India and Nepal at the border crossings, it is easy for pimps to operate. Aware of the problem, Maiti Nepal employs personnel, who have been rescued themselves, who work at the border in conjunction with the police. Acting as a surveillance team, they have successfully apprehended many traffickers and thousands of vulnerable girls and women. When victims are rescued, they are taken to Maiti Nepal, where they receive shelter, food, legal aid, medical attention and psychological counselling. As part of their rehabilitation and social re-integration, they are provided with vocational training in areas such as baking, handicraft, flora culture, hairdressing, carpentry and mechanics. Ultimately, if able, they are encouraged to set up their own enterprises, which encourages financial independence and improves self-esteem. Maiti Nepal also operates a guest house run by survivors and a workshop which specializes in cotton, felt, silver and bead products. Ms Koirala has rescued over 12 000 girls and women who have been forcibly taken from Nepal and as CNN Hero of the year, has given an international voice to the victims of sex trafficking. Join her in her determination to put an end to this heinous crime and educate yourself about trafficking – www.mothershomenepal.org.au Ms. Anuradha Koirala will be in Perth for International Women’s Day (8th March 2012) if YOU would like the opportunity to meet the founder of Maiti Nepal and attend one of the fundraisers for her organisation please contact Gillian Yudelman on yudelman@westnet.com.au

Nepali girls, aged 7, in a brothel in India. Image Courtesy of Gillian Yudelman

My Week with Marilyn Movie Fundraiser |Come down and support the UN Women International Women’s

Day project. For 2012, the project is “Partners Improving Markets” which works in the Pacific to make marketplaces safe for women.|

How can you help? Buy a ticket by clicking HERE When: Thursday, Febuary 16 2012 Time: 6.30pm for a 6.45pm Start Where: Windsor Cinema, 98 Stirling Hwy, Nedlands Price: $20 BONUS - come dressed up to theme to be in the running to win the ‘Best Dressed’ title for the night.

NOVEL

FILM

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first I was honestly torn when watching the film. I novel in a trilogy written by Stieg Larsson. sat there during a particular scene where SaThe novel is written around the murder of lander is viciously raped by her new guardian Harriet Vanger that occured on a Swedish isand the only thing going through my head was land called Hedestad 36 years before the sto‘please make this stop, please make this stop’. I ry takes place. Mikael Blomkvist, the former was paralyzed in my seat. In shock and unable Editor of Millenium magazine is sentanced to to move. When it finally ended I felt violated. three months in prison for libel for an article In a way I was quite mad that I was made to feel he wrote about a billionair industrialist Hanslike that because it pushed me to a new level Erik Wennerstrom. In his frustrated state, he of discomfort that I’ve never felt whilst watchaccepts the task of solving the island murder ing a film before. On the other hand, I could case for Henrik Vanger, Harriet’s grandfaunderstand that the filmmaker might have ther and the CEO of Vanger Induswanted to give this moment the signiftries, in exchange for a monetary icance it desereved and, without compensation and evidence any sound effects or dialogue, to prove that the remarks he wanted the viewer to think exmade about Hans-Erik Wenactly what Salander would have nerstrom were true. This is been thinking at that moment. where the story begins to For those who haven’t read unravel. the novel or viewed the film, she does get her revenge in the Vanger hired Milton Security THe Girl with the end. to do a background check of Dragon Tattoo The novel has a high focus on Blomkvist before he hired him. The person put in charge of comfemale vulnerability and sexual viopleting this task was Lisbeth Salander, lence. The parallel story of the murder is a young odd-looking and perplexing woman. linked up with various other murders that happened in the area around the years before and In a parallel we being to find out more about after Harriet’s murder. All of them are women Salander and slowly make assuptions as to why and they were all sexually abused, tortured or she acts the way she does. She’s confronting, shamed. In a way, Salander is the hero for all of yet incredibly capable, she has a wonderful those women who could not save themselves. memory and, although quite slender, she could Her revenge is revenge for them all. fight her way out of trouble. It is made obvious that she’s had problems with the law in As a fan of any novel that is transformed into a the past since she’s had a legal guardian since film would know, there are always differences. she was a child. When her much loved guardIn this case, the differences were quite obvious ian, Holger Palgren, has a stroke and is incato the reader, but in the end enhanced the film pacitated, Salander is assigned a new guardian by cutting a few corners that would have taken who withholds her funds and threatens her longer than the 2 hours and 38 minutes it had unless she obliges to his sexual advantages. In already accrued. the novel, the dramas that unfold in this area Overall, although the imagery in the film was are confronting, but at the same time lighter superb, I would recommend the novel over to deal with than when watching the movie. I the film just because the way in which Larsson think this is because with novels you have the writes. He’s a well-paced storyteller - it’s almost liberty of imagining as much or as little as you like you’re waltzing with his words. can manage. |by Sandra De Witt Hemala

15 Photo by: Jessica Lockhart

Why International

women’s Day is Important

|by Anna Johnson IWD is important because everybody knows and loves a woman: your mum, your grandmother, a friend, your sister, your partner or your daughter. IWD is a great opportunity to celebrate these women, and their (often unsung) contribution to their families and communities. I think it’s important that IWD includes men, too. I believe that a more equal world will be better for everyone – men AND women. Issues like how to balance a career and family life, or the cost of childcare, for example, aren’t women’s issues – they are people’s issues. They are family issues. More and more men have come to see this. Many of my male friends and colleagues are passionate about speaking out against gender-based violence, and they want to play an equal role in child rearing. I think there’s a benefit for everyone in breaking down gender stereotypes and traditional beliefs about how men and women should behave. The day is also a good reminder to everyone that inequality still exists. Most people are aware of gender inequality in the developing world but it is easy to forget that even here in WA there is a 17% pay gap between men and women’s earnings and that 1 in 3 women will be affected by gender-based violence in her lifetime. This is why we need IWD. I think we have an obligation to use our voices and our skills to raise awareness of societal inequalities, including gender inequality. My hope is that one day we won’t need IWD any more because being male or female will be an unremarkable fact about a person and will have no bearing on that person’s rights or opportunities. I look forward to that day! To buy a ticket to the UN Women International Women’s Day Breakfast, go to www.internationalwomensday.org.au and click on “Attend an event”.

YUNWA Perth will have a table at the breakfast. If you would like to sit with us, please purchase your ticket online and in the “Comments” section, write “Please seat me with the Young UN Women Australia Perth Committee”. We would love to see you there!

Volunteer Orientation Session

|by Anna Johnson

Are you interested in getting more involved in YUNWA Perth? We are often approached by people interested in helping out, but in the past we have struggled with finding the resources to manage volunteer interest and channel volunteers into appropriate teams. As a result, we are currently revamping our system of recruiting, retaining and managing volunteer team members. Our structure consists of an 11-member Committee (which is technically a subcommittee of the National Committee in Canberra). The Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are elected by the members, and they then appoint the other positions, which aims to ensure that new people are brought on board. Underneath the Committee members, we have number of sub-teams of volunteers: in Events, Education & Policy, Media & Communications and Marketing. These volunteers are not required to make the same 12-month commitment as committee members, and can get involved just for one event or project. It’s great training ground for a Committee role – I began my involvement with YUNWA Perth as an Events team member. One of our teams is undergoing a change – “Policy” will become “Education & Policy” to better describe what the team does. Tanya Boyd is leading this team and will take on the content editor role for this zine, take charge of our Young Women’s Leadership Forums and create a Tumblr where team members can write opinion pieces on gender and development issues. In addition, we are currently on the lookout for Campus Ambassadors. Some of our most active members are students, so this is a really important role, and it is your chance to establish and lead a Young UN Women subcommittee at your school or university. You will be supported and guided by Emma Tormey, our Campus Ambassadors Coordi-

nator, who established the UWA subcommittee. Not only is the UWA subcommittee looking for members willing to sit on the Executive, but we’d love to start up new subcommittees at the other universities in Perth. On Sunday 18 March at 10-11.30 am, YUNWA Perth is holding its first-ever Volunteer Orientation session, probably at UWA (although venue is TBC). This is your opportunity to: • Meet the current YUNWA Perth Committee members; • Find out in detail what roles and opportunities are available for volunteer team members; • Meet likeminded young women and men (under 35) who are passionate about gender equality; • Learn about UN Women & Young UN Women; our mandate, goals and strategic plan; and • If you are a student, get trained in being a Young UN Women Campus Ambassador at either your school, university or TAFE campus. If you’re interested in applying for a 2012/2013 Committee role in June, we highly recommend you attend. This session is completely obligation-free, and we want it to be an opportunity for you to come along and find out more about what it’s like to volunteer with Young UN Women in a meaningful way. Morning tea is provided. To RSVP, please email our Volunteers and Memberships Coordinator, Anna Larson, at perthyouth@unwomen.org.au with “Orientation Session RSVP” in the subject line.

Image Courtesy of Peter Bui

Contributors Anna Johnson Anna larson Athanae Lucev Emma Tormey Gillian Yudelman Jennifer Mitchell Sandra De Witt Hemala Tammy Solonec

Chair Membership & Volunteers Coordinator & Treasurer

Communications Director

Campus Ambassador Coordinator & UWA President

Guest Writer Secretary Marketing Director & Editor Guest Writer

Credit: Jessica Lockhart

Young UN Women PERTH

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