Open Letter to Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota

Discrimination Lawsuits – There is a Better Way Sarasota County just paid $68,000 to settle a gender discrimination lawsuit, and reports indicate the City of Sarasota has paid $220,000 to settle similar claims in the past five years. The City is looking at ways to encourage employees to “express concerns” and will “emphasize the importance of speaking up.” This may be helpful, but there is a more direct approach. The City of Sarasota is already on that path. Cities for CEDAW* is a nationwide effort that provides tools and structures to help cities become more gender-equitable, proactively. The idea is…

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Take a look at Sarasota and Cities for CEDAW!

Here's a perfect collaboration: one of my favorite schools - New Gate Montessori IB in Sarasota, Florida - and one of my favorite causes - Cities for CEDAW. What a team! The New Gate students created a PSA about our local CEDAW initiative. They did a brilliant job explaining exactly how this global topic applies directly to Sarasota residents. Take a look and stay tuned for more on the Cities for CEDAW initiative. And thanks to all these 11th-year students who donated time to help the local Chapter of UN Women-USNC.

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United Nations Association – Tampa Bay

We started collaborating with the Tampa Bay Chapter of UNA very early on in our work for CEDAW Sarasota. They were also interested in a Cities for CEDAW movement. The UNA/ Tampa Bay Chapter is large, diverse, well-organized, and well funded. Their approach to an ordinance movement is necessarily very different, but our long-term goals are the same. See my short article in their most recent newsletter, below or here. CEDAW Update CEDAW – What is it and why should I care? By: Elizabeth Scott Osborne. Esq., Chair – Cities for CEDAW, Gulf Coast Chapter – UN Women/USNC CEDAW is the Convention on…

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CEDAW Presentation

At the UN Women-USNC Chapter annual lunch in Bradenton I presented a quick overview of CEDAW*. This is part of our Cities for CEDAW campaign - a movement which is picking up steam across the US!   * Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women

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Cities for CEDAW Sarasota: FAQs

CEDAW Sarasota  Promoting Women’s Equality in Our Community What is CEDAW? CEDAW is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. It is an international convention establishing principles of women’s equality. The Cities for CEDAW program works to implement these same principles in cities across the USA.  Who is behind Cities for CEDAW here in Sarasota? More than 200 civic and religious organizations have endorsed CEDAW nationwide. In each city, one or more non-partisan civic groups take the lead in advocating for its local adoption. In Sarasota, the Gulf Coast Chapter of UN Women/USNC is the…

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Cities for CEDAW: Sarasota

Cities for CEDAW Officially Launched in Sarasota! Quick quiz: - do you think men and women should have equal rights in America? - do you think women should have equal access to job opportunities? - do you think men and women should earn the same salary for doing the same job? If you answered yes to any of these questions, sounds like you support CEDAW! Which means you too can help make Sarasota - or New York, or your city - a CEDAW city! CEDAW is the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. It's been…

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CEDAW* Makes National News

Thanks to the attention of so many world leaders here in New York for the UN General Assembly, CEDAW – the *Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women - is back in feature articles of major newspapers. (See my earlier post on CEDAW here.) On Saturday, September 26, President Xi Jinping of China hosted a meeting to recognize a landmark women’s rights conference in Beijing 20 years ago. Presidents and Prime Ministers from all over attended the meeting. And, while China was criticized for jailing prominent female activists, the US was taken to task for failing…

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CEDAW – The International Women’s Rights Treaty You Never Heard Of

SEPTEMBER 2015 UPDATE Sarasota, Florida has added its name to the cities seeking local CEDAW ordinances. We hope to join San Francisco, Los Angeles, Louisville, and many other cities bringing CEDAW to their communities. Stay tuned and see here for more info on the Cities for CEDAW initiative. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ June 2014 A Primer: What the hell is CEDAW and why should I care? What is CEDAW? CEDAW – conveniently pronounced “see-daw” - is the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Admittedly, this is a mouthful, but most international treaties are, so we won’t let that…

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