National Organization for Women (NOW) and MADREThere are various women organization today worldwide that have their own objectives, strategies and philosophies with a vision of achieving certain stated objectives.
This paper will discuss two Women (NOW) and MADRE both of which are women organizations that are on the forefront in fighting for human rights especially those rights that concern women.The National Organization for Women (NOW) is a women’s rights organization consisting of more than 500,000 memberships and it is the largest feminist organization in United States. In addition NOW have more than 500 contributing members in both campus and local affiliates from the districts from the District of Columbia as well as in the remaining 50 states in United States. The National Organization for Women was founded in Washington, D.
C on June 30, 1966. Among those who established NOW were people who had attended a conference on the women status. The first president of NOW, Betty Friedan, an author of the feminine Mystique was also among its 28 founders. Others include the Episcopal priest and the late Rev.
Pauli Murray. In 1960s, NOW played a major role especially in establishing a number of women’s movements in United States. Today, NOW is focused on advocating for Women’s right through offering various roles for them in America (Barakso, 24-28).NOW has various goals that it champions to achieve as the organization strives on to fight for the right of women in United States.
One of its goals is the equality in the American’s constitutional Amendment. This equality concerns that of pay, political structure, education, job opportunities and social security to be provided for women in United States among others. Reproductive issues are quite serious when it comes to women. The organization approves the access for emergency contraception, birth control, safe and legal abortion, education as well as other reproductive services to be provided to women.
Any attempts to restrict these right regarding women in United States by means of regulation, legislation or constitutional amendments one often opposed by the organization. Another goal that NOW attempts to achieve relates to the issue of Racism on women. The organization fights hard in order to eliminate issues such as sex and race discrimination as may be inflicted on women of color in United States (http://www.now.
org/organization/faq.html). The organization is also committed in trying to fight off the barriers to justice and equality which are often created as a result of racism. It does so by fighting for the right to provide fair and equal employment opportunities for all women of color in United States.
Another goal that NOW strives to achieve is the rights for lesbians in America. NOW commits itselfin fighting against discrimination that most lesbians in United States face as a result of their gender identity and sexual orientation in issues that concern housing, health services, employment, child custody, accommodations and military policies (Morghadam, 46-50).The organization is also committed to provide education that will be helpful in combating serious effects from homophobia and also focuses on several issues and making sure that the media portray positive images concerning lesbians as well as ensuring that their civil rights are protected. NOW acknowledges the right for all lesbians in United States to lead their lives and carry out their daily activities with security and dignity as well as the assessment of the rights for marriage by all.
The other goal concerns violence against women which includes sexual harassment, domestic violence, violence that occur at abortion clinics , sexuality and race, sexual assaults, gender bias in various judicial systems, hate crimes among different genders as well as violence concerning poverty whereby poor children and women are often attacked. NOW is keen on the way it approaches these issues in order to ensure justice for all. Lastly, economic justice is also another goal that now strives to attain. It does this by advocating for justice as concerns the economic status of women.
Other reforms that now apply concerning the economic justice for women include livable wages, welfare reform, housing, pension reform and social security, pay equity, job discrimination among others (Berkeley, 34-38).In order to achieve its goals, NOW applies several strategies. Mass actions that include pickets, marches and rallies, non-violent civil disobedient as well as counter-demonstrations have been used. Others include political organization at grassroots, litigation by including class action lawsuits and lastly intensive lobbying.
In other words, the main goal for NOW has been its efforts to bring about equality among the women of United States hence, the organization has been on the forefront in tackling issues that affect women. In order to bring about change, the National Organization for Women has applied both non-traditional and traditional means (Kelly, 3).The organization through its actions has been able to become a major force in advocating for women’s rights in United States that concern it’s the election of more women into political posts, business opportunities, employment and educational opportunities and lastly NOW has been able to enact laws that fight against harassment, discrimination and violence. NOW has for many years fought for equal rights for women especially their reproductive rights and their rights as concerns abortion issues and as a result the organization has proved to be one of the most successful and effective institutions that has managed to create positive changes in the lives of the American women.
The National Organization for Women has its philosophy that is based on the humanitarian approach. The philosophy is in accordance with the realization that humane treatment means equality for all women as well as men.MADRE is an organization that is concerned with issues relating to human rights. MADRE mostly work with the women who have been victims of violence by helping them to receive justice for their treatment and also strives to provide a change in conditions that have often led to the abuse of human rights.
MADRE has also been able to establish a model that relates to human rights action which is recognized internationally. It has formed a partnership with other women organizations that defend women by communicating various policies that negatively affect women as well as families worldwide. MADRE was founded in 1983 by a group of poets, health professionals, and women activists as well as teachers who were on a mission to Nicaragua to observe the various implications of the contra war that the government of United States had established and they were angry and horrified by what they had witnessed in Nicaragua especially from the scenes they had observed in schools, day care centers as well as clinics. This prompted them into bringing forth attention to the government of United States of the impact of its policies on Nicaragua by mobilizing people to lobby against the existing policies of the United States.
There are various goals that MADRE aims to achieve. They include hunger and poverty eradication, women empowerment as well as gender equality, reduction in child mortality, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria among other diseases, improving maternal health, and achievement in universal primary education, establishment of a global partnership that deals with the development as well as ensuring that there is sustainability in environment. In order to achieve goals, MADRE offers training and resources so that other sister organizations can be able to access immediate help to enable them to meet urgent needs that exists in their communities and this also helps them to develop solutions that are long-term in nature hence offering alternatives to the cases that they face (www.madre.
org/).Moreover, MADRE has several programmes that assist indigenous women in creating a number of anti-violence strategies which offer channels in addressing issues such as women’s human rights, climate change, economic justice and other collective rights. Through its support, programs as well as training, women are able to play various leadership roles in their countries, communities, families as well as internationally. Social change is also achieved through its human Rights Advocacy Program.
The various programs that are formed by MADRE mostly focus on areas such as Trade, Economic Justice and Aid; War, Building Peace and Recovery; Women Sexual Rights, Health, Reproductive Rights; handling violence against children and women and lastlyrights relating to Resources and Indigenous people. Its philosophy stems from the belief that by people uniting together to achieve stated goals, change will occur hence creating a difference in the existing situation (www.madre.org/).
In conclusion, National Organization for Women (NOW) and MADRE are women organizations that have similar goals, strategies as well as philosophy. The two organizations are similar since they all advocate and fight for human rights as concerns employment, women violence especially domestic violence, sexual harassment and assaults. In addition, both organizations strive for the achievement of economic justice as they struggle to eliminate poverty by bringing about the required economic justice. However, the two organizations are quite different altogether.
The national organizations mainly focuses on issues relating to women who mainly focuses on issues relating to women who live in United States, whereas MADRE is an International and non-western organization which works under partnerships with other community based organizations as it fights the various grievarences that face women and children worldwide. While the National Organization for Women work by documenting and condemning abuses those women face, MADRE as a human rights organization perform further duties and this includes working together with women whose rights have been violated by developing a human rights action international organization. The National Organization for Women (NOW) concerns itself with the internal issues that affect women throughout the United States of America focusing on the equality on the constitution Amendment, Reproductive Rights, Racism, Lesbian Rights, Violence against women as well as Economic justice for women whereas MADRE works to achieve its goals that relate to the Millennium Development Goals aiming to promote gender equality as well as empowering women, fight against HIV/AIDS pandemic, eradication of hunger, improving maternal health, achieving universal primary education for all children as well as adult education for women, promoting environmental sustainability among others. These two organizations therefore are mainly concerned with the promotion of women rights all over the world.
Works citedBarakso, Maryann. Governing NOW: Grassroots Activism in The National Organization for Women. Cornell University Press, 2004. Dr.
Morghadam, Valentine. Globalizing Women: Transnational Feminist Networks. Johns Hopkins University, 2005. MADRE: An International Women’s Human Rights Organization www.
madre.org/Accessed on 5th August 2007. Berkeley, C. The Women’s Liberation Movement in America.
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