Why Women's Rights Are the Cause of Our Time

Letter to the Editor submitted by Rangita de Silva-de Alwis, S.J.D., to The New York Times Magazine in response to their special issue, Why Women's Rights Are the Cause of Our Time; published August 23, 2009. (unpublished)
August 24, 2009 

The stories of resilient, brave women and girls overcoming brutality and oppression and now working toward economic stability and education are inspiring (Why Women’s Rights Are the Cause of Our Time - 8/23/09). Clearly, the involvement of women at every level was the essential piece in creating lasting progress. So let’s not forget to bring women to the forefront of work to develop new public policies in these same countries. Together with women leaders in Asia, we are building networks of women human rights lawyers to share strategies that strengthen not only their independent, individual work but also their collaborative action across the region. Such networks augment women’s voices, provide a clearinghouse of vital information, and build platforms for cutting-edge legislative development work. The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 60 years ago. It’s high time women's knowledge and experiences are central in the development of human rights laws and policy across the globe.