Much of the on-campus conversation of late among faculty and students has been focused on a certain New York Times journalist and the lecture he gave the Wednesday before last in our very own Evans Hall. Mr. Kristof’s talk was designed to be the keynote happening in the College’s semester-long “Striving for Global Justice” thematic emphasis. However, his visit to campus should by no means be construed to indicate a shortage of expertise right here at Conn on (as the College’s website describes them), “the compelling issues of global justice —… gender, environmental, socioeconomic, digital, and ethno-racial issues.”
Just two days after the Kristof event, the Connecticut College Women’s Center presented a symposium titled “In Our Hands: Global Women’s Health Today and Tomorrow” in order to more closely aim the spotlight on the specific issues currently affecting women’s health and well-being worldwide. The event, which was held in the 1941 Room, featured a team of knowledgeable and passionate speakers gleaned from the ranks of faculty, staff and students.
Attendees could experience the conference either as a daylong whole or individual lecture-by-lecture, the topics of which embraced a wide range of subject areas. Mimi Bangali ’13 opened the symposium, presenting both her own research and extensive information from outside sources on Obstetric Fistula and Female Genital Mutilation, the “two epidemics currently affecting African” females. Shannon Kelly ’13 was next, discussing the influence of “gender socialization within the animal protection movement” and upon “male dominated meat consumption.”
Casey Dillon ’14, president of the Slavery Ends Today student initiative here at Conn, addressed the many problematic facets of human trafficking and of sex trafficking in particular. While the reality of this form of modern slavery may seem alternately unbelievable and hopeless to citizens of the twenty-first century, Dillon emphasized that there is hope for improvement of the currently bleak worldwide situation through increased awareness of the facts and alteration of daily habits that may seem harmless. For instance, our casual, even joking, use of terms like “pimp” and “ho” makes light of a mostly illegal industry that is anything but a laughing matter—the average age of a newcomer to prostitution, Dillon said, is just twelve years old.
The next talk, given by Susan Turley from Health Services, shifted the audience’s attention from how best to help others to how they could help themselves. In “The Female International Traveler: How To Be Prepared to Travel Abroad,” Turley provided practical health and safety information for women headed overseas. Her talk covered many common-sense considerations—obtaining the proper vaccinations, remembering to plan for any preexisting health problems, and remaining aware of one’s surroundings while traveling. Perhaps more unexpected were her shrewd tips on how to blend in (read: not come across unmistakably as an American) in other countries and cultural/religious contexts: avoid logo tee shirts, dress conservatively, research any taboos governing women’s behavior or appearance and so on.
Class of 1943 Professor of Psychology Joan Chrisler spoke next, opening her talk with a timeline of recent gains in reproductive justice for women across the globe. She noted, however, that “rights violations are legion,” regardless of whether or not governments sign documents that will supposedly protect women. From there, Professor Chrisler outlined the broad reproductive justice goals for which activists are currently fighting—the right to become pregnant, access to prenatal care and childbirth education, safe birthing options, postpartum care/rest and healthy children.
Next, Colleen Bunn, Advisor to the Women’s Center, informed attendees about the #1billionrising campaign, an “uprising” dreamed up by Eve Ensler (of the Vagina Monologues and the V-Day movement) that brings “together all who wish to end violence against women.” After Bunn had finished, Lizzie Kaplan ’13 presented the results of her research on “the unique biopsychosocial consequences of infertility in men and women around the world.”
The keynote component of the symposium was a screening of “Orgasm, Inc.,” a candid and humorous documentary exploring the pharmaceutical industry’s attempts to treat a novel disease: Female Sexual Dysfunction. This screening was immediately followed by a question-and-answer session with filmmaker Liz Canner; the conference wrapped up with Colleen Bunn’s closing remarks.
“In Our Hands” constituted an informed and informative look at the various issues currently driving the worldwide inequity that stems from gender differences and gender-related concerns. Stay tuned as the semester goes on for other exciting events addressing the struggles of those who are “Striving for Global Justice.”
