Advocacy, Research and Communications — Women's Resource and Outreach Centre

Advocacy, Research and Communications

Goal - To support the national agenda towards gender equality & the empowerment of women.

WROC's Advocacy, Research and Communications sub-area focuses on activities aimed at influencing the implementation of gender-sensitive laws, policies and programmes based on the tenets of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

CEDAW Advocacy Project

The CEDAW Advocacy Project, which started in 2006, is designed to raise awareness, especially among women’s organizations, about CEDAW and to bring the Convention "to life" by linking the real struggles that women face daily to the provisions of the Convention. The project was executed by the CEDAW Advocacy Committee (CAC), a seven-member network of women's NGOs spearheaded by WROC.

"Rights a di plan wid CEDAW in wi han" conference

 As part of the International Women's Day celebrations in 2007, the CAC organised a public education programme under the theme Rights a di plan wid CEDAW in wi han' (Rights are the plan, with CEDAW in our hands). Approximately 250 women attended the one day information fair where they were educated about their rights under CEDAW through written and dramatic presentations.

Scandalous working conditions in Kingston wholesales

In May 2007 the CAC turned the media's attention to the exploitation of women in wholesale establishments based on the findings of a study entitled Gender and Labour in Jamaica, Modern Day Slavery?: The experience of women working in the wholesales in downtown Kingston conducted by Ann-Murray Brown for her Masters thesis at the University of the West Indies.

The study brought national attention to the poor working conditions being faced by some 600 women working in wholesale establishments in downtown Kingston and, due to widespread exposure to this issue in the media, the Ministry of Labour and Welfare agreed to remedy the situation by more stringent monitoring, by legal reform and other measures.

Display TableCEDAW for Jamaicans

On March 12, 2007 WROC launched CEDAW For Jamaicans, a booklet which explains CEDAW using simple, conversational and culturally relevant language that the average Jamaican can understand. The booklet was inspired by CEDAW Made Easy: Question and Answer Booklet written and published by UNIFEM in 2004 and is WROC's first published work.

Research Study - Gender and Governance

In 2007 WROC, with financial support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), commissioned a study aimed at:

  • examining the sex composition of Boards of Directors and Commissions towards understanding the gender-related factors that influence the structure of such bodies;
  • developing an understanding of the considerations, including gender-based psycho-social issues that influence women's decisions to participate at the highest levels of corporate governance;
  • highlighting the experiences of women who contribute at the most senior levels of organisations with a view to understanding the issues and challenges which they face in so doing and;
  • present recommendations to address the critical issues raised.

The study, entitled Gender and Governance: Implications for Women’s Participation on Boards and Commissions in Jamaica, involved a review of 44 public and private sector bodies and Trade Unions. The results are expected to strengthen the framework and networks for deepening democracy and assist the Jamaican government in fulfilling its international obligations under CEDAW.

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