By Frauke R-H, based on information by Arline C, president, and Kathleen S, 2nd vice president

Originally published in Currents, June/July 2004
Copyright © 2004-2005 AWC Hamburg
 

The Hague 2004 Conference was a big success with 46 clubs in attendance. Our FAWCO President, Arline C, and the Board presented an excellent conference. Special applause goes to Georgia R, chair of the planning committee, Anne v O, deputy chair/FAWCO rep, and Celeste B, president of AWC of The Hague for an exciting and well organized conference. These four days were an opportunity to meet FAWCO officers, fellow reps, club presidents and to make new friends.

Be sure to click here to see a photo journal of the conference.

In her letter to FAWCO reps, our president Arline said: “FAWCO’s 73 years of peace and friendship took us to The Hague in order to work and socialize in an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding. We addressed many topics, concerns and issues that are important to us as member clubs, FAWCO as an umbrella organization and to each of us on a personal level. We talked about the changing membership profile that many clubs are experiencing, as well as the demands placed on club and FAWCO volunteers.”

“During my opening remarks at the Conference, I noted that the theme of “Changing the Flow . . . Making a Difference” was appropriate not only for The Hague, the city of peace, but for FAWCO as well. I called attention to our roles of “Ambassadors of Goodwill” and remarked that member clubs and FAWCO are uniquely placed and well qualified to “change the flow and make a difference”. We all appreciate that membership in our clubs gives us the opportunity to be proactive volunteers. Volunteering not only plays a significant part in the welfare and progress of both industrialized and developing countries, but it also provides us opportunities to participate in our local community or beyond, to become more self-aware, and to voice an opinion through active advocacy. You will also note that many member clubs are dedicating time to FAWCO traditional concerns for education, awareness of environmental issues, human rights, and the rights of women and children in particular, health issues, mutual understanding and specific concerns to U.S. citizens.”

The Hague 2004 Conference was our second Carbon Neutral Conference, first proposed in Stockholm in 2003. The FAWCO Environment Committee sold ribbons symbolizing trees, and delegates had the choice of tree planting projects in Scotland, Morocco (the FAWCO Millennium Forest) or two tree planting options in our host country of the Netherlands.

A Panel Discussion entitled Women, War & Peace consisted of women from The Hague’s international institutions and included Judge Elizabeth Odio Benito from the International Criminal Court; Lisa Tabassi, a legal officer from the Technical Secretariat of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; Judge Ines Monica Weinburg de Roca from the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda; Chiseche Mibenge, currently engaged as a doctoral fellow with the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights; and Moderator Pia Dijkstra, a Dutch journalist.

Mary S B (AWC in Denmark) summarized the discussion as follows: “The facts and figures on the victimization of women in war – their limited access to the power structures that determine war and peace, and yet their great potential to make peace and to rebuild lives and societies after war, gained new immediacy at the panel discussion. The four electrifying speakers and chair each spoke from their own experience…the horrors they described should have daunted us, but no one could remain in despair when faced with so much fighting spirit, determined to make the world a safer place for those who are most common victims of modern warfare and the best hope for regeneration after conflict: women. They sketched the steps needed in both law and society at large, such as laws that recognize sexual violence as war crimes, and especially women’s entry into more and more powerful places on the bodies that decide between war and peace. As we in the audience leapt to our feet in an ovation, we all asked ourselves, what could I do to make a change?”

Workshop Highlights

Truths and Myths about Dutch Laws on Drugs, Prostitution and Euthanasia. Dr. Els Borst, former Dutch minister of health, presented this workshop. The innovative Dutch laws concerning euthanasia and prostitution were decided upon and implemented during her terms as Minister. Kate G, FAWCO representative for AWC in Sweden, summarized her words for us: “An underlying theme in Dr. Borst’s presentation was the striking difference between the Dutch reliance on ‘personal responsibility’ versus the U.S. litigious culture. Dr. Borst articulated a point-by-point argument for why the laws were passed and what the impact has been on legislation in other countries. On euthanasia, she talked about the very specific criteria that are used to determine its legal use. On legal prostitution, she talked as candidly about the mandated house rules as she did about the problems with pimps.”

Voting Assistance Training Workshop: Polli Brunelli, director of the Federal Voting Assistance Program in Washington, graciously returned to FAWCO for the fourth time to address a full General Session and then lead a half-day workshop on the intricacies of registering.

Equal Rights Amendment

Written in 1923 by the suffragist leader Alice Paul, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was introduced into every session of Congress between 1923 and 1972, when it was passed and sent to the states for ratification. It has since been ratified by only 35 states, leaving it three states short of the 38 required for ratification. FAWCO proposed the following resolution, which was approved unanimously in The Hague:

FAWCO (the Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas), as a non-partisan network with more than 17,000 members in 33 countries, endorses the Equal Rights Amendment and urges its timely ratification by all of the following states: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and Utah.

Lucy Laederich, U.S. liaison, adds this important message: “The Illinois House of Representatives ratified the ERA on May 21, 2003, and it now awaits ratification by the Illinois Senate. In keeping with the unanimous resolution passed at the 2004 Interim Conference (see above), FAWCO members whose voting residence is in Illinois are strongly encouraged not only to write to their state senators but also to pass on this information to family and friends (of both sexes) who reside or vote in the state of Illinois. If ratified by Illinois, the ERA will lack ratification by only two states.”

Illinois voters can contact their state senators by going to www.dnet.org and entering the zip code of their voting address to display all contact information for their state and federal legislators. Faxes and emails are still the best way to reach our legislators. When writing in support of the ERA, voters can simply say they are currently residing abroad and endorse the text of the resolution as stated in the earlier paragraph. They should add at least a sentence or two stating why they feel the ERA is important. All letters and emails should include the Illinois voting address. Thank you for your support – we may yet see the ERA ratified in our lifetime!

The text of the Equal Rights Amendment is as follows:

Section 1. Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2. The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3. This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.