I have just returned from this year’s The United Nations Conference on the Commission of the Status of Women, in review of Beijing +15 was held in New York City.   My experiences were nothing but positive, and reminded me of the many accomplishments women have made in the past decades.  Although, women have made many strides economically and socially the inequalities that exist between our male counterparts and us are still quite obvious. As a middle class American college student, I sometimes undermine issues that do not affect my local or regional community directly. However, being in an environment with comprised of representatives from over 192 countries issues like Female Genital Mutilation, child marriage, and human trafficking became more real than a fact sheet and almost tangible.

As the Women’s movement evolves it is very apparent that mobilization and advocacy strategies progress along with this movement.  The youth and male presence was lacking greatly at this conference and their role in this movement was rarely addressed throughout the conference.  Understanding that Violence against women (VAW) was an issue that almost every country considered a priority along with gender inequalities, I believe that the youth and men cannot be ignored as vital contributors to the new wave of activists in this movement.  The role of men in combating VAW is important in cultivating young and powerful men with a higher respect for women.  In some countries dialogue about issues concerning women will have a better response if men, due to gender inequalities, acted as the voice for women.  In addition, youth involvement is of the utmost importance in preventing many of the illnesses and inequalities that women struggle against. The youth provide great insight into current issues and will be the leaders that replace those who were at Beijing 15 years ago. 

 Maria Hinjosa, a New York reporter, was a moderator for the one of the panel discussions at the United Nations conference.  She was definitely a supporter of youth and male involvement in this movement and directed questions towards the panel concerning how the torch will passed.  One of the panelists suggested some type of mentorship, which to me seems logical.  However it was apparent at this conference that this older generation of women 1) isn’t ready to pass on these responsibilities and 2) doesn’t fully trust the capabilities of the youth and men.  How can the youth and men prove to this older generation of women that they are not only capable of continuing their legacy but also will the goals accomplish of their work.