UN Practicum participant post #2
Published on March, 32 2013UN Practicum participant post - Ibitola Asaolu
NGO Consultation Day— March 3, 2013: The NGO consultation featured many stakeholders, policy makers, survivors, innovators, and activists from all corners of the world. This forum opened the 57th Commission on the Status of Women Meeting, the largest gathering on the elimination and prevention of violence against women and girls in the world. There were several panels on issues related to violence against women and girls such as human trafficking, prevention of violence, and best practices in tackling the problem.
The NGO consultation day reminded me of the need to speak up, and challenge the idea that women should be seen not heard. The panels provided me with resources on how I can stand against gender based violence through interrupting violence and sharing innovative ideas on social media. Also, I was reminded of the importance of collaboration among all stakeholders in preventing and eliminating violence against girls and women. In my efforts to eliminate gender based violence, I need to involve everyone in fight.
I left the consultation day with lingering questions. I wondered why organizations addressing violence against women and girls sometimes act in silos even though there has been a great push for collaboration among these organizations. Also, I realized that majority of the violence prevention programs discussed were implemented outside the United States. So, I wondered where the US based NGOs working on violence interventions were, and what were their efforts in reaching to global partners.
Add new comment