A delegation of five Seventh-day Adventists joined some 5,000 women at United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York this week for the organization's 51st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The session, which began Feb. 26 and ends March 9, gives voice to the plight of millions of women and girls worldwide for whom abuse and basic human rights violation is a way of life.

Reports from UN member states and experts indicated some 55 million girls do not attend formal school and more than 80 million will marry by age 13. A disturbing 2-3 million live in sexual servitude and will never have access to basic human rights, while 218 million are child labourers.

"Policies and collaborative efforts were among items on the agenda, but there remains a need for accountability at every level of government, home, society and institution," said Viola Poey Hughes, who led the delegation of Adventist women to the session.

Attending CSW for the first time, Dr. Linda Koh, director for Children's Ministries at Adventist world church headquarters, said the church must offer more than condemning words in the fight against violence. "As a church, we need to be more organized specifically to minister to the victims of this problem at all levels. In many parts of the world girls face harmful social and traditional practices, such as child brides, genital mutilation and denial of an education."

"It seems like our emphasis as a church is sometimes just on spiritual welfare and sharing the good news of salvation, but we also need to do more to address the physical problems [people face] that may hinder their accepting the gospel," Koh continued. "Right now there is not an official, predominant thrust to [do so]. There needs to be a bold, active movement to tackle social issues.

In its statement to the CSW, the Adventist Church stressed the importance of developing concrete and practical programs, such as literacy projects, Touch a Heart, Tell the World (an emphasis on ministry through women's involvement), and a multi-level leadership training program--all developed by the world church's Women's Ministries department.

"We have a strong conviction about freedom and responsibility, and the human rights of every person," said Dr. Jonathan Gallagher, UN liaison for the Adventist Church, who not only drafted this year's statement, but also pushed for the participation of Adventist women at the CSW forum. "Our theology mandates our support of attempts to aid the oppressed and violated, to bring comfort and healing [to] God's children."

UN deputy secretary-general Asha-Rose Migiro encouraged this year's CSW to take bold steps to improve the lives of girls worldwide. "Violence against women and girls remains pervasive--perpetrated by family members, strangers and agents of the State in all regions of the world, in the public and private spheres, in peacetime and during conflict."

Migiro also said the current Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination again Women (CEDAW) are inadequate because neither is consistently enforceable by law and States more often than not fail to voluntarily implement the treaties' provisions. Migiro called for the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators, increased resources, and a concerted campaign to reform stereotypical attitudes toward women and girls held by men and boys.

Koh agrees more must be done to ensure governments comply with UN mandates. "Summits like these do apply a lot of pressure on governments, but there is not as much accountability as there should be. For that reason, non-governmental organizations [NGOs] must take more of the responsibility in doing what governments aren't."

Koh believes the Adventist Church can make a dramatic difference by stepping up its involvement in social issues. "The church does do a lot to create awareness, but I feel like we aren't yet involved at the level of some other NGOs."

"Our women's ministries, children's and youth departments," Koh continues, "need to emphasize community impact. We need to alleviate these problems, set up shelters and fight [human] trafficking. A lot of individuals are doing this at the grassroots level and the church needs to fully support these laypeople in their efforts."

This year's CSW drew women from some 100 member states such as Morocco, China, Indonesia, Romania, Italy, Ghana, Kenya and Australia. Representing the Adventist Church along with Hughes and Koh were Nancy Kyte, marketing director for the world church's department of Adventist Mission, and Debbie Rapp and Yvonne Knight, from local church offices in the United States of America.