Recently, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority hosted its 12th annual Delta Day at the United Nations with a “Special Briefing on Empowerment and Opportunities for Women and Girls.” Delta Day at the United Nations started over a decade ago when Delta Sigma Theta Sorority became an ECOSOC-NGO as designated by the United Nations. The focus is to protect and empower women, with a special emphasis on the girl child. By working closely with U.N. Women, Commission on the Status of Women, UNICEF, Black Girls ROCK! and the Jamaican Mission, among others, we partner to develop concrete solutions for the daily challenges girls face while also focusing attention on the next generation to come.
This year, the theme “Transforming the Girl Child into the Empowered Woman in the Post-2015 era” featured a panel of experts from local and global organizations that are working on opportunities for advancement for girls through health, education, training and economic opportunities. Over 125 members of the sorority were in attendance.
The Deltas emphasized that a challenge and roadblock for the advancement of women and girls is the prevalence of domestic violence. Who can forget the kidnapping of the Nigerian girls, the rise in human trafficking and recent high-profile cases of domestic violence right here in the United States that have put at risk the protection and empowerment of women and girls? They wanted to ensure that their dialogue contributed to crafting real solutions to these issues.