CSW Highlights: Week 1
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), established in 1946 by ECOSOC, is an annual conference convening governments, civil society, and UN agencies to discuss gender equality and women's empowerment. The Commission is largely run by feminists who fixate on abortion access as a key component of women's empowerment, among other controversial ideas.
Amid the myriad of CSW events promoting controversial ideas such as abortion access, comprehensive sexuality education in schools, and the celebration of diverse sexual identities, a vibrant group of pro-life and pro-family volunteers are ready to share a different perspective on women’s empowerment.
Worst of CSW69 - Week 1
🚨 Countries adopted a Political Declaration in commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, also known as the 1994 “global agenda for achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls”. To the dismay of pro-life and pro-family groups, the document included no mention of motherhood. Gender, on the other hand, is mentioned no less than 44 times. On the positive side, it also does not contain language on “sexual and reproductive health” or “reproductive rights,” partly due to the United States’ strong position against these controversial terms.
🚨 Many events explicitly focused on how to combat the pro-life and pro-family movement, also referred to “global backlash on women’s rights.” They featured panelists who would casually refer to social conservatism as a threat to women's rights or worse and to conservatives as “personal enemies.”
🚨 Some of the event organizers silenced dissident voices by denying pro-life volunteers entry to events.
A C-Fam volunteer and her baby were kicked out of an event entitled, “Religion, Rights and Resistance: How to Reclaim Gender Equality in Times of Backlash” hosted by Sweden. The volunteer remarked that the room was far from being at full capacity and that ⅓ of the seats were still empty. She said she was silently standing at the back of the room when one of the organizers approached her 20 minutes after the event started to tell her she had to leave.
The volunteer in question carried a bag saying, “For Life and Family.” At the same event, four other pro-life volunteers were denied entry, the reason being that “the room was at full capacity.” One of these volunteers, said he had registered three weeks in advance.
🚨 At an event on eradicating poverty and achieving gender equality, Ishan Shah, the UN Women Youth Advisor, said that there is not a hidden agenda behind “sexual and reproductive health and rights” (SRHR) and proceeded to say that SRHR includes abortion. “It’s about sexuality and consent,” Ishan said.
🚨 At a parliamentary meeting on “resisting backlash and shifting paradigms towards gender equality,” Petra Bayr, a member of the National Council of Austria, said that the “pushback” is associated with male supremacy, slavery, and that it is “disgusting.” “It’s my body, my choice, and anybody who’d try to push back, that is my personal enemy,” she continued.
🚨 At an event on Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Uganda hosted by Oxfam and the Ugandan Mission to the UN, one panelist suggested that the current Ugandan Framework on Sexuality Education, which encourages abstinence and the idea that life begins at conception, ought to be revised. When a C-Fam volunteer asked what exactly is it about the framework that needs to be revised, the speaker was not able to give an answer.
Several attendees took the floor to express concerns about CSE as promoting inadequate materials that sexualize children at a young age. One pro-life volunteer shared a testimony of how she had to go through CSE education in Canada from elementary school through 9th grade. She said she her experience was traumatic and that she wishes she could erase some of the graphic imagery from her memory.
🚨 Talking bout financial abuse at “Breaking the Silence, ending stigma around health and violence,” Stella Kammitsi said that women sharing resources, including a bank account, with their husbands or not working outside the home could amount to forms of abuse. Reflecting on the event, C-Fam volunteer Jean Crocco said that it seemed as if they promoted the idea that “you really should not trust your husband because they can take advantage of you.” Jean shared her personal testimony as a success story of a stay-at home mother who shared a bank account with her husband whom she trusted.
🚨 At an event on the Equal Rights Amendment, which has been unsuccessfully proposed for inclusion in the U.S. Constitution, one of the panelists mentioned that if the poorest people cannot get abortion, that is a form of sex discrimination.
🚨 During an event on “sexual and reproductive health,” a Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) volunteer asked, “How do you define safe abortion? Is safe abortion when only one human being dies?” In response, one of the panelist said, “That is a very tough question to answer. First of all, you put me to a tight spot, one as a feminist but also, yea, because of the reservations from the country that I come from. I would define safe abortion for the right of the woman to have that choice and her right to be put first.” Following the exchange, the event moderator said that some people in the room are not there “for good reasons” and that panelists could skip answering their questions. Gideon Spevak, a pro-life CLC volunteer was kicked out of the room for asking “Why do you feel the need to categorize abortion as maternal health care, when abortion as a practice does not target the mother but the child in the utero?”
Reflecting on this event, Liana Gordan said that “asking questions to disagree with the status quo here at the UN, which is supposed to be a place where…different opinions can come together to convene to search for truth and fight for progress” is not welcomed. Liana continued “Apparently, disagreement is not allowed here and constituted harassment.”
🚨 At and event on “addressing backlash,” Caroline Gennez, Minister of Welfare and Poverty Reduction, Culture and Equal Opportunities of Flanders, said that “SRHR faces fierce resistance by the so called anti-gender movement” and connected the “backlash” to conservatism more broadly. Another panelists said that there is no point in engaging with “extremists.” When a C-Fam volunteer asked how productive it has been so far to label pro-life voices as “anti-rights” or “fascists” simply for sharing a different view which seeks to protect human life from conception, the panelists replied by stating that they cannot compromise on “human rights.”
🚨 At a “Transfeminist alliances against fascism” event hosted by Outright International, one of the panelists said that when “good conservative Christians” win, feminists lose. Another speaker said that they do not expect anything good to come out of Trump’s Office.
🚨 At an event on investing in girls hosted by Canada, UN Women, and Sierra Leone, the representative of Sierra Leone inferred that that they are "investing" in girls by decriminalizing abortion.
Best of CSW 69 - Week 1
Despite the hostile rhetoric against conservatives and the open and aggressive promotion of abortion, the conference still had its silver lining moments, thanks to the energy, enthusiasm, and dynamism of the pro-life and pro-family volunteers.
Susan Roylance wearing the same “I Choose Motherhood” blazer she wore while attending the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing where, together with a group of conservative delegations, she promoted motherhood and principles of “dignity of women, right to life, [and] understanding of love and marriage.
The International Youth Coalition hosted an event entitled “Voices Unbound: Fighting Censorship and Reclaiming the Public Square” where young panelists addressed how anti-conservative censorship occurs at the EU, the UN, US college campuses, and in Canada.
Picture of the panelists and moderator at “Voiced Unbound: Fighting Censorship and Reclaming the Public Square”
The event featured taped remarks from Javier Villamor from the European Conservative, who said that “conservative media and journalists face difficulties in carrying out their work freely, often accused of ‘disinformation,’ for challenging dominant narratives in Brussels. Even more concerning is the censorship of journalists investigating NGO interference in European migration policy, who have been banned from social networks and sidelined by traditional media.”
Liana Gordan talked about censorship in Canada and its existing “paradox of tolerance.” Liana addressed examples of Canadian infringements of freedom of speech and argued that this happens as “a result of an incoherent worldview (relativism leads to coercion used as persuasion since logical argument is disbarred).”
Chloe Ezzo, an Ivy League valedictorian graduate, shared her experience with being smeared, ridiculed, and labeled “anti-intellectual” at Dartmouth simply for being openly social conservative.
On Thursday, March 13, C-Fam hosted an event about Gender Ideology. together with the US Mission to the UN and Heritage Foundation.
Image of the hosts and panelists of “Amplifying Your Voice CSWF2025: The Gender Ideology Assault on Women and the Family”
The event featured testimonials from Maia Poet, “a 25 year old writer, and public speaker who detransitioned and now works to provide insights from her personal experience to parents, young people, mental health professionals and policymakers.”
Discussing the perils of gender ideology, Maia said that “We must understand that what started as a medical experiment confined to a few European Hospitals nearly a century ago has morphed into a widespread ideological assault on reality.”
Erin Friday, whose daughter was introduced to gender ideology in sixth grade said that “parents who are affirming are just affirming that their children are wrong and can only be fixed by a life of drugs and surgeries. The cruelty of this movement is incomprehensible.”
Reflections From Our Volunteers
“The world is full of courageous people willing to speak the truth, coming to CSW with C-Fam as a volunteer is filling me with hope again” - Jesús
“I’ve felt how people feel encouraged by my presence. People smile to me and my baby, they’ve come forward to tell me how they believe more kids should be present in these activities. My baby girl has made the conferences more cheerful, more fun for the people around. And none of this would be possible for me without the unconditional support of my loving husband. I’m able to participate and contribute thanks to his role as a father. His presence is essential to me, to my daughter, and my success. I’m confident my family has been inspiring for so many others here.” - Camila
“As as first time attendee of the CSW, this is such an eye opening event, especially as a pro-life French conservative and in this specific political context. It is both terrible to witness first hand ad-hominem claims made by influential speakers and very exciting to hear from the progressive movement that they need to react more strongly to the push back. There is a change happening, and I’m proud to be in it “ - Stephanie
“The CSW69 has once again demonstrated the ongoing global debate on fundamental values and human rights. From the perspective of Ordo Iuris, it is evident that pro-life and pro-family voices must remain vigilant and engaged in the face of increasing pressure to impose controversial ideological agendas. Our participation, alongside C-Fam and other like-minded organizations, reinforces the importance of building a strong international coalition to uphold the dignity of human life and a family. We remain committed to defending these principles in international forums and ensuring that the voices of those who value life and family are heard. - Julia Książek, The Ordo Iuris Institute for Legal Culture
“We've had an amazing, beautiful, and passionate week in such great company. When I was planning this trip to CSW, I never expected to make new friends, but each one of you has been an inspiration. I feel truly grateful.” - Tess
