Guiding Light
View(s):The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS) took a delegation of 14 Guides from around the world to the United Nation’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) which was held from March 4 to 15, 2013. Chamathya Fernando was invited to represent WAGGGS as a Youth Delegate from Sri Lanka at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
As a 19 year old volunteer of the Sri Lanka Girl Guides Association (SLGGA), she was able to join in with representatives of member states, representatives of other International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) and Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women worldwide.
Chamathya had the privilege of sharing her project experience and expertise at the 57th CSW where she was invited as one of the panelists at a UN Foundation Event with two other panelists from New York and El Salvador to speak about her perspective,
experiences and projects in Sri Lanka under the Stop The Violence (STV) campaign. The STV campaign is not limited only to Girl Guides and Girl Scouts of over 10 million girls around the world in 145 member countries.
On this year’s International Women’s Day UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Michele Bachelet, Former President of the UN Women spoke at the UN Sessions urging governments to put the Agreed Conclusions in to action in order to create safe spaces for girls and women around the world, who face such violence; to protect their rights and to support victims of such violence.
On her way back from New York after an incredible experience and training, she has promised herself that she will use her fullest
potential to protect the rights of girls and women by speaking out and saying “No to violence”. They are planning to hold
awareness campaigns to educate and make the public aware of this issue which needs immediate attention as well as to make support services available for victims of such violence.
They also request everyone to join them, to show that we care about girls and women in our society by speaking out and saying no to violence.
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