Young Bahamian females participate in UN gender equality talks

Young Bahamian females participate in UN gender equality talks

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A group of 12 Bahamian females, three high school students and nine representatives of the GirlCon organization, participated in the 63rd Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at the United Nations (UN) in New York March 9-15.

The delegation was led by Senate President Kay Forbes-Smith who is also Founder and President of the GirlCon Organization.

The three high school students were the top three qualifiers in the 2018 GirlCon Essay competition.

The competition provided the young females with the platform to discuss their views on women’s rights and equality in The Bahamas.

The trip to participate in dialogue at the UN was just one item on their list of prizes.

“We are just so pleased that we were able to deliver on what we promised these young ladies,” Forbes-Smith said.

“The CSW is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

“CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.”

The young female students participated in three key seminars during the UN summit, Forbes-Smith revealed.

“They are very important events because the whole conference is about how women and girls are treated globally and what organizations are doing to make sure that we are all on an equal footing,” Forbes-Smith explained.

“GirlCon was formed with its mission to help young women and girls realize their potential as contributing citizens, and overcoming barriers that pose as issues to their wellbeing.

“With this as our focus, we support the 17 Sustainable Goals of the UN with particular emphasis on goal number five which is focused on gender equality.”

Forbes-Smith told Eyewitness News Online that she is hopeful that the annual GirlCon event, which is held in Grand Bahama, will be able to stem the tide of inequality against women in The Bahamas.

“We really are a bit behind in The Bahamas in terms of equality,” she said.

“People see the word equality as a bad word but it’s really not about stepping up to the plate and taking the role of the male, it’s really about the full potential of women and girls in the country and what they can do to ensure that they are equal partners in our national development.”

Forbes-Smith confirmed that the GirlCon 2019 event will be held on November 14.

About Theo Sealy

Theo Sealy is an award-winning journalist who serves as senior broadcast reporter and weekend TV news anchor at Eyewitness News. He has achieved several career milestones, including his work as a field contributor with CNN, his coverage of four consecutive general elections, his production of several docuseries and his Bahamas Press Club Awards win for “Best Television News Story” in 2018.