Section 3 - Educating and Partnering for CEDAW

to come right in and partake in the knowledge – made readily available in the
form of free literature on CEDAW. Anyone could even pick a CEDAW primer in
their translation of choice (see IEC Materials). There were even requests for a
Maguindanao translation. Of course, WFS had their own share of bodies of work
for give-aways – namely the Body and Soul publications.
Much to the astonishment of WFS, the first people to view the exhibit were actually
men – a seaman who wanted his wife to make decisions and not wait for him; an
ex-priest and a foreigner who said that more women should see the exhibit; a
father who insisted that wives can never be equal because “a good wife must be
submissive” according to the bible.
And there were women who wanted their daughters to be informed; teachers who
asked that the exhibit be set up in their school.
The History of Feminism in the Philippines photo exhibit was actually the crowddrawer,
given the charm of the vintage photos and the function of convenient
positioning, since it was the first thing people would see en route to the CEDAW
panels.
WFS had prepared a loungey seating area, thanks to Blims Furniture, making it as
cozy as possible for walk-ins. The comforts of the sofa was a way of encouraging
people to stay on as they perused through the available reading materials and
discussed the many things that came to mind upon viewing the exhibit.
There was also an interactive element to
the exhibit. Students and other visitors
took the CEDAW Quiz. Those who aced
the quiz went home with a CEDAW
button. Visitors were also encouraged
to answer the questions: “Have you
ever experienced discrimination” and
“What can you do about it” Some
wrote in metacards while others typed
them directly on the laptop provided
for browsing information about WFS’
intergenerational blog, OWN!
Exhibit-goers reading publications on
women’s rights
As it turned out, many were unaware about CEDAW prior to this exhibition. “Meron
pala nito At 25 years na Bakit ngayon lang naming nalaman ito” (“So it’s been
there for 25 years How come we learned about it only now”) was a common
reaction. Still, it was an auspicious turnout – people left the exhibit site informed
about the existence of CEDAW, more so about our laws protecting women and
their rights.
143