Giving Young Women of Aotearoa a VOICE at CSW59

From Tauranga to New York

Kia ora koutou katoa,

My name is Kimberley Kilgour and I am asking for your help to travel to New York to represent New Zealand at the Commission on the Status of Women.

I have been lucky enough to be selected by the YWCA of Aotearoa to attend this conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 6-20 March, 2015.

But, I need some help in putting together the travel money.

I am a 22year old student at the University of Waikato studying a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Social Sciences, majoring in Political Science. I am also first and foremost a single mother to my seven year old son, Dodj.

I fought hard throughout my secondary and tertiary education despite challenging life circumstances that would have made it easier to walk away. I don’t want to walk away from this opportunity.

I have a dream: to equip and position myself in order to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am challenged by injustice and inequality that occurs in our nation to make a difference, to lend a hand, to provide a solution.

Any contribution you make will not only be of significance to me but will be beneficial to our community. I intend to use this experience to inspire and engage other young women, particularly single mothers, to strive for their rights and to focus on developing their personal leadership potential, something that I believe we all hold within.

Earning this opportunity to represent our country is of great mana to me and my whanau and validates over seven years of ambition, determination and hard work.

I wish to thank you for your time and consideration in letting the voice of young women in Aotearoa be heard.

Nga mihi,

Kimberley

Background to session 59 of the Commission on the Status of Women

The subject matter of the session is predominately the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which includes reviewing targets and goals made twenty years ago when the declaration was created at the Fourth World Conference on Women. Two global objectives were set:

1) Eliminating all forms of violence against women,

2) Closure of the pay differentials gap between men and women and addressing ongoing workplace issues that women face

If we consider the increasing rate of violence against women in New Zealand, we conclude that this objective has not been achieved in our nation. Violence against women continues to grow from year to year, and while some believe the statistics are increasing due to an increase in women reporting instances, abuse against women is occurring at a rate that is intolerable and inhumane.

Although equality efforts have been made in New Zealand, they are yet to be at an acceptable standard. It is hoped that as a result of CSW that a robust programme will be adopted for gender equality and empowerment as part of a wider national action plan for women and girls in New Zealand. The official New Zealand delegation will represent the government; however the importance of having representation of civil society is undeniable. NGO’s who are actively engaged with their communities, such as the YWCA of Aotearoa, can unequivocally express the views and needs of the community without any political reservations and can influence the outcomes that will affect us all.

There will be just two young women (Under 25) attending from New Zealand. Given that there are approximately 860 million young women around the world and that young women are particularly susceptible to violence and discrimination, it is crucial that a young woman’s unique experience and perspective is adequately represented.