Section 3 - Educating and Partnering for CEDAW

Chapter 1
Discovering CEDAW
Among the first CEDAW awareness-raising campaigns of CEDAW SEAP in 2005 is
a “Learning Dialogue and Partnership for CEDAW and Rights-Based Governance”
dubbed as “March-to-Ten.” The concept is explained in its brochure:
‘March-to-Ten’ means ‘to march’ or to advance
women’s human rights starting in the women’s month
of March and to engage the ‘rights-based approach’
to governance, an agenda highlighted on International
Human Rights Day, December 10. It builds on the
UNDP ‘Ten-to-Ten’ Campaign for transparency
and accountability in governance. ‘Ten’ connotes
excellence and fullness that can only be achieved
by weaving in women’s human rights and women’s
participation. The inverted heart is a feminine symbol
‘ba’ from ancient Philippine writing that denotes
‘bayan’ (country), bahay (home), baranggay (village),
balangay (boat), baybay (sea). It is root word for
‘babaylan’, a priestess-healer-leader.
A swing through eight cities in the Philippines was co-hosted by local governments,
schools, non-government organizations and was co-sponsored with other UN
agencies, CIDA, the World Bank Knowledge Development Centers (WB-KDC) and
their partner universities.
For many who attended these workshops, it was their first time to hear about
CEDAW. For the few who have heard of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and Gender and Development (GAD), they just realized the connection between
these two policies, and how these are further linked to their local government
policies and programs on violence against women. After the forum, many felt
enlightened on their human rights and recommended that more information on
CEDAW and support services be brought down to every household in the villages.
Many realized they needed skills training on organizing women and enhancing the
delivery of gender-responsive services.
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