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Department on the Status of Women
The Department on the Status of Women aims to ensure equitable treatment and foster the advancement of women and girls throughout San Francisco through policies, legislation, and programs, both within City and County government and in the private sector, that focus on populations in need. * SHOP SF - GET MORE: As part of Mayor Newsom’s economic stimulus plan, San Francisco has developed a city-wide incentive program to encourage local and Bay Area residents to visit, shop, and stay in San Francisco during November, December and January. The campaign offers special discounts and promotions exclusively for residents of the nine Bay Area counties. Shop SF - Get More officially launched November 19, 2009, and will run through January 31, 2010. Find out more at the Shop SF - Get More website.
* The 2010 Census is just around the corner, and it's important that everyone is counted. The Census determines representation in the legislature and state and federal funding levels for the City. Find out more about the 2010 Census and how you or your agency can support these efforts at www.sfgov.org/2010census.
* New from our Partners: In August 2009, Mujeres Unidas y Activas (MUA) released a new bilingual report, “Echoes from the Silence: Raising Our Voices,” that shares the results from a 2008 study conducted by MUA members to understand the experiences of Latina immigrant survivors of domestic violence in the Bay Area, explore the types of domestic violence services currently offered, and evaluate the barriers that impede Latina survivors from accessing these services. The report also offers recommendations on how to improve services for Latina immigrant survivors of family violence. The report can be accessed at http://www.mujeresunidas.net/english/newsevents.html. For a hard copy or to schedule a presentation by MUA members and staff of the report's findings, please call 415-621-8140.
* 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Resources: The Commission held a hearing entitled "The Current Economic Crisis: Impact and Recommendations forSan Francisco’s Women and Girls" on March 25, 2009. Over 75 women from the community participated. Learn more about how the Department is working to ensure the needs of women are being met during the economic crisis and through the Stimulus Act by visiting the Employment and Economics page of this site.
* The Domestic Violence Response Cross-Training Institute has been nationally recognized! San Francisco has received a National Association of Counties 2009 Achievement Award for our innovative training. Read the Press Release issued July 1, 2009.
* The Department has launched a groundbreaking partnership with the private sector, the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles (GEP) Initiative. To find out more please visit the GEP page. The United Nations Global Compact is creating a set of Women’s Empowerment Principles based on the San Francisco Gender Equality Principles. The Global Compact website features the GEP, translated into the 6 official UN languages, and highlightsSan Francisco's GEP tools.
* On March 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed an Executive Order creating the White House Council on Women and Girls. On August 7, 2009, Commission President Andrea Shorter, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Mayor Catherine Dodd, Executive Director Emily Murase, PhD, and Senior Policy Analyst Ann Lehman met with Tina Tchen, Executive Director of White House Council on Women and Girls to discuss San Francisco’s groundbreaking implementation of CEDAW, and other areas of possible partnership between federal and local efforts on behalf of women and girls. See the picture from this meeting below, and find out more about the Council at www.whitehouse.gov. The Department is so pleased that the needs of women and girls will be prioritized on a national level.
* CEDAW has been in the news recently: The Columbia Law School Human Rights Institute and the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies released State and Local Human Rights Agencies: Recommendations for Advancing Opportunity and Equality Through an International Human Rights Framework (external pdf). This report highlights ways in which an international human rights framework can advance the work of state and local human rights agencies. It recommends reforms at the national level to create a better system of accountability around the United States ' domestic and international human rights obligations and enhanced coordination and support for state and local efforts. San Francisco ’s CEDAW Ordinance and related efforts by the Department on the Status of Women have been featured in a case study in this exciting report.
Ms. Magazine put a spotlight on San Francisco's local Women's Human Rights Ordinance in the January 2009 edition. Read the article now (external link). Also, the International Museum of Women documents the power of the CEDAW Ordinance in its online exhibition, Women, Power and Politics, in the article, CEDAW in San Francisco: From International Human Rights to Local Policies for Women (external links). American City and County, an online resource, recently profiled Fulton County, GA (which includes Atlanta), for its Gender Responsive Budgeting Initiative. In 2008, the Department trained Fulton County officials on this valuable tool, and the article highlights the benefits this work has had since the Department began providing technical assistance.
REPORTS AND RESOURCES
* The Directory of Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking, 2009 is now available online, both as html and as a printer-friendly booklet in Word. Check out this and more on the Resources page of this site.
* The Gender Analysis of San Francisco Commissions and Boards, 2009 is now available. Though commissions represent the population in terms of gender and race, boards fall short of full equality, and both boards and commissions lack adequate representation by individuals with disabilities.
* The Commission and Department's FY2008-2009 Annual Report (pdf) is now available.
* The Family Violence Council has released the First Comprehensive Report on Family Violence in San Francisco, 2009. This report discusses the prevelance of child abuse, domestic violence, and elder/dependent adult abuse in San Francisco, as well as recommendations for making this a safer city for all residents.
* 2 New Reports Issued: The Report on the Status of Women in San Francisco (pdf) brings together selected data relating to women's lives and well-being. For a quick snapshot, view the Executive Summary (Word) . The 2009 Census of Domestic Violence Services (Word) outlines the findings of a 24-hour survey of domestic violence service providers conducted by the Department to gain a better sense of the help-seeking patterns of victims of domestic violence. Find these reports and other Department publications in the Reports section of this site.
* Check out the Service Directory for Girls (pdf): The Commission on the Status of Women's Girls Committee teamed up with Assemblywoman Fiona Ma's office to put together this resource list of services for girls inSan Francisco. This useful guide can help young women in San Francisco locate everything from afterschool programs to health and legal services, so take a peek! Also see our 2009 Directory of Social Services for Women in San Francisco! Browse online by category or agency name.
* Newsletters - Find out what the Commission and Department have been up to! POLICY AND PROGRAM AREAS WOMEN'S HUMAN RIGHTS * CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women), a UN Treaty, became a local ordinance in 1998. Find out about:
* The Department provides information to individuals, community organizations, businesses and government related to women and girls' employment and economic independence. Find out about:
* The Department believes in ensuring the advancement of sound policy that meets the needs of girls. Find out about:
WOMEN'S HEALTH AND SAFETY * Increasing public awareness and understanding of violence against women is a priority service area for the Department. Find out about:
* The Department is working toward universal health care, and creating equity in access to health care for all San Francisco Women. Find out about our work in women's health. |
Internship Program
The Department is happy to support the development of future policy makers through our Summer and School-Year Internship Program.
Get on our list!
The Department sends out updates about upcoming meetings and events, and keeps constituents informed about news affecting women in San Francisco. Stay informed by getting on our contact list.
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