Thursday, February 24, 2011

Geena Davis hits out at Hollywood at UN Women gala

womensconf Geena Davis hits out at Hollywood at UN Women gala

UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Oscar winner Geena Davis hit out at Hollywood stereotyping as she joined stars, royalty and politicians at the launch of the UN’s new super agency for women.

Davis, fellow Academy winner Nicole Kidman and Spain’s Princess Cristina demanded greater efforts for equality as they on Thursday welcomed the creation of UN Women.

Davis, who won an Oscar in 2004 for her role in “The Accidental Tourist” and played the role of the US president in the television series “Commander in Chief” has set up her own institute to bolster the number of women in the media and entertainment.

“Gender stereotypes remain deeply entrenched in today’s entertainment and there has been no significant progress over the last 20 years,” she complained at the gala at the UN headquarters.

Davis said there currently is one female character for every three males in films and TV dramas.

“Our research shows that from 2006 to 2009 not one female character was depicted in family films in the field of science, as a business leader, in the law profession or in politics.”

“What message are we sending to girls if there are so few female characters. If the characters are devalued, stereotyped, sidelined or simply not there at all,” Davis said.

“And what message are boys taking in about the importance, value and worth of girls.”

Kidman appeared by videolink and called the UN agency “an historic opportunity to be able to do more for women.”

“Women’s empowerment is vital,” added Princess Cristina of Spain who bemoaned the lack of progress on women’s health. “We renew our commitment to the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime.”

Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile who is the first head of UN Women, was given a standing ovation as she set out the agency’s agenda.

The creation of UN Women “reflects global concern at the slow pace of change,” she said. “It is no longer acceptable for young girls to be taken out of school or forced into early marriage.”

She vowed that the agency, a merger of four other agencies for women and given a 500 million dollar a year budget, would be a “global champion” pressing governments for “a new era of gender equality.”

Hundreds of women politicians and activists have gathered in New York for the launch of UN Women and to take part in women’s commission meetings.

“We have really been fighting for the establishment of UN Women for such a long time,” Ingrid Fiskaa, Norway’s State Secretary for International Development, told AFP.

She said UN Women has a strong mandate and must be “a watchdog and a constant reminder that all countries must do their part.”

“We have a lot of declarations and resolutions that have been agreed upon at the UN. Governments have committed to work for gender equality, for women’s rights but when it comes to action there is so much to do.”

Fiskaa said the priority must be given to greater participation for women in business and decision-making.

But in a sign of the multitude of pressures that will face Bachelet, rights groups such as Oxfam say the priority should be preventing violence against women, especially in developing countries.