Fairfax Board of Supervisors Adopts Resolution on Women's Rights

Joint Statement by Members of the Fairfax Working Group for CEDAW

(League of Women Voters of the Fairfax Area, Fairfax County Commission for Women, Zonta Club of Fairfax County, American Association of University Women of Virginia (AAUW-VA), United Nations Association-National Capital Area , Reston-Dulles Section- National Council of Negro Women, Inc., ReflectUS, ASHA for WOMEN/Ashiyanaa, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International for Key Women Educators, Beta Delta Chapter, Fairfax NAACP, and the Human Rights Special Interest Group)

On March 8, 2022, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors adopted a Resolution in support of CEDAW, the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women. The Fairfax County Resolution, adopted on International Women’s Day, calls for the review of existing initiatives and identification of additional measures necessary to raise awareness of the status of women in our community.

The resolution resulted from the year-long campaign of the Fairfax Working Group for CEDAW to take measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls. “We have expectations of our elected representatives, and those expectations include their support for promoting and protecting women’s fundamental universal human rights,” said Jill Follows, Fairfax Working Group for CEDAW.

The Working Group calls for the collection of data, disaggregated by gender, from all County boards, authorities, commissions and County staff. It also calls for the creation of a committee to oversee the implementation of CEDAW principles and receive notice of claims of discriminatory practices, and for a review of County laws, policies, and practices to identify discriminatory practices affecting women’s economic security, safety, health, education, and participation in our democratic system of government. “We agree with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Former Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court, who said, ‘Women belong in all places where decisions are being made,’” said Follows.

The Working Group extends an invitation to Fairfax County organizations and residents to join the Group in this vital effort to improve the lives of women in our community. Contact Jill Follows at jill.follows@lwv-fairfax.org for more information.