Gender inequality a global issue: minister
Cochrane comes back from UN conference determined to help end gender stereotypes
John McFadden
Northern News Services
Friday, March 25, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Gender inequality is not just a women's issue, it is a global issue and will only be rectified when society comes to terms with that. So said Caroline Cochrane, minister responsible for the status of women.
Caroline Cochrane, the NWT minister responsible for the status of women, attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at the UN building in New York earlier this month. Cochrane said it was a honour just to be on the floor of the general assembly where the conference's opening was held. MLA Julie Green also attended the conference. - photo courtesy of Shaleen Woodward, GNWT |
Earlier this month, Cochrane and Yellowknife Centre MLA Julie Green, the only two female MLAs in the territory, attended the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at the UN building in New York City. Cochrane, who became a politician last fall when she won the Range Lake riding, said that she was in awe just being at the UN.
"It was the most amazing thing that has happened in my whole life," said Cochrane, who is also the Range Lake MLA.
"The United Nations has always been this entity where people from all over the world get together and they have a common ground and common causes and they have this vision of what life should be like."
Indeed, delegates to the commission shared common goals when it came to advancing gender equality globally and preventing gender-based violence, particularly against indigenous women and girls, and ensuring their rights are protected.
Cochrane said that the next such conference may deal with indigenous women only because they still lag behind Caucasian women when it comes to human rights. She added that it is important to reach out to children, both boys and girls, indigenous and non-indigenous and explain to them that their gender should not be an impediment to their social development and neither should their race.
"My father's generation taught us all you need is a good man - you need to be a good wife and you'll be happy. That never worked for me, although I do have a wonderful man, but it took me a long time to get there," Cochrane said. "When I look at my (adult) children - they are way more inclusive of diversity, women's issues, diverse cultures, gay and lesbian and all of that. It's the youth that are actually going to save us and it's the youth that we need to focus our efforts on."
Cochrane said parents can start teaching their children about gender equality before they even start school. She said at that age stereotypes can be broken.
"Staying away from girls get Barbie dolls and boys get trucks. Why can't a girl play with a truck? Why can't a boy play with a Barbie doll? It's not going to make him gay," Cochrane said. "All those stereotypes and opinions have to be thrown out. We need to start fresh and say children are children and they are all equal."
From a policy perspective, Cochrane reaffirmed her commitment to the A New Day pilot project in Yellowknife, which works with men who have used violence in their relationships, or believe that they might. Cochrane said she intends to lobby on behalf of the program which has no firm financial commitment from the GNWT past the end of the year. She also wants to explore paid leave from work for victims of domestic violence.
However, she said that type of legislation is good in theory but comes with complications.
"If you happen to be a female and have experienced family violence and have children and you come to your employer and say, 'I need to take time off.' Then my obligation as an employer and a citizen of Canada is to report (the abuse) to child protection," Cochane said. "It is important not to victimize the victim."
Like Cochrane, Green said it was inspirational and enlightening to sit down with women from all over the world and discuss common issues.
"The most important thing is that violence against women is not inevitable and is preventable. That's a big message for the NWT where violence against women occurs at the second highest rate in the country and has been at that rate for quite a number of years," Green said.
"I felt like there was a lot of hope and hope is not something that you are accustomed to feeling in family violence or violence against women. It tends to be an all bad news all the time area."
