Chronic Malnutrition from a Gender Perspective
Edith Coliver Intern Lindsay Freeman 3L
Despite the intense weeks of researching, writing, practicing oral statements, and lobbying through role-play with my classmates, there is nothing that could have prepared me for the excitement and terror of approaching my first delegate or having the floor for two minutes to address a room full of UN General Assembly members.
The priority theme for the 56th Commission on the Status of Women was the empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger eradication, development and current challenges. When asked to pick a topic for my research that fell within this overarching theme, I immediately thought of my past experience in Guatemala. Before law school I did research on violence against women and impunity in Guatemala as part of a task force with the Pacific Council on International Policy. During this trip, in the rural highlands near San Juan Comalapa, I learned the term “chronic malnutrition” from an American doctor running a health NGO to treat impoverished, sick, and malnourished Mayan women and children.
The Impact of Food Insecurity on Women’s Personal Security
Edith Coliver Intern Cassandra Yamasaki ’12
This past semester, I had the pleasure of being one of two students who participated in the 56th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women. With the one-year anniversary of UN Women, and the highest rate of NGO participation in CSW history, the energy at the Commission was infectious. Packed with women from every corner of the world, I felt even more determined to reach the ultimate goal of advancing women’s empowerment. However, I was completely unaware of the amount of strength, patience, and resilience it takes to make even the slightest step toward this end.
Children in the Judicial Process: Worrying Trends and Best Practices
Director of the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic Connie de la Vega
At the 19th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, I was honored to participate as a panelist at the all-day event on the rights of the child, which included one session on the administration of justice. My presentation on the panel, available below, was on inhuman sentencing of juveniles—including the death penalty, life imprisonment, and corporal punishment.
Advocacy at the United Nations
Director of the Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic Connie de la Vega
Eight students participated in the University of San Francisco’s Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic during the Spring 2012 semester, representing Human Rights Advocates at the meetings of two UN human rights bodies. Two Edith Coliver Interns attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York and six Frank C. Newman Interns attended the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva, Switzerland.