FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (San Francisco, November 5, 1999)
For More Information Contact: Latika Malkani, COSW, (415) 252-2570
Or Robin Levi, Women's Institute for Leadership Development (WILD), (415) 837-0795, x 302

SAN FRANCISCO RELEASES THE FIRST U.S. CITY
HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT ON WOMEN

In absence of federal action, San Francisco implements UN Women's Convention

The Commission on the Status of Woman and a City Task Force will release a report based on San Francisco's precedent-setting CEDAW Ordinance on Monday, November 8, 1999 at 3:00 p.m., Room 250, City Hall. The Ordinance, signed into law by Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr. in April 1998, implements the principles underlying the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The report found that the City has made excellent advances in protecting the human rights of women and girls, but much still needs to be done especially in the areas of nontraditional employment, family friendly policies and the delivery of gender-specific services.

Although 165 countries have ratified CEDAW, the U.S. still has not done so. Organizations in Seattle, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles are moving forward in passing similar initiatives in their own jurisdictions, but none has taken the step of implementing its requirements. San Francisco serves as a model. Many women are frustrated with the federal government's delay in ratifying CEDAW. Just last week, Senator Jesse Helms ordered police to remove Representatives Lynn Woolsey, Nancy Pelosi, and other House Democrats after they demanded hearings on CEDAW, telling them to act like "ladies." According to Krishanti Dharmaraj, Executive Director of the Women’s Institute for Leadership Development for Human Rights, "The United States has ignored human rights within its borders for too long. CEDAW in San Francisco represents the growth of an indigenous human rights movement in the United States."

The report provides a gender analysis for the two city departments examined, Public Works and Juvenile Probation, in the areas of employment, budget, and delivery of services. It also includes specific recommendations to remedy violations of women's human rights, for example:

• Educate staff members on human rights with a gender perspective,
• Collect comprehensive data relevant to evaluating gender equity, and
• Create a more fair and equitable workplace, including recruitment of women in nontraditional employment, and expanding flexible work options.

An executive summary of the report and personal interviews are available by calling the Commission at (415) 252-2570.