|
|
|
|
|
Emily Lau
Every time the Hong Kong public is asked to choose its most admired local
person, male or female, Emily Lau wins. From 1991 to 1995 she was the
first and only woman to be directly elected to the Legislative Council;
she was overwhelmingly re-elected in September 1995. Her previous career
was as a journalist, and she lectured in journalism at Hong Kong
University between 1987 and 1990. She is also the convenor of The Frontier
(www.frontier.org.hk),
a non-governmental political organization established in Hong Kong in
August of 1996, which is dedicated to fighting for democracy, human
rights, the rule of law and the people's right to draft their own
constitution.
Professor Marie Smallface Marule
Professor Smallface Marule was born and raised on the Blood Indian Reserve
in southern Alberta and is a member of the Blood Nation of the Blackfoot
Confederacy. She was an Assistant Professor of Native American studies at
the University of Lethbridge for several years in the field of politics
and economic development, has taught at the Nicola Valley Institute of
Technology, and was community and literacy officer in Zambia, Central
Africa, under the auspices of CUSO. She has served as executive director
for National Indian Brotherhood and as chief administrator of the World
Council of Indigenous Peoples. She is currently the President of Red Crow
Community College, where she is developing a curriculum designed to meet
the needs of Aboriginal students. Known for her work as an educator and
advocate of human rights for Aboriginal people around the world, she is a
recipient of the 1995 national Aboriginal Achievement Awards for
education.
The Very Reverend The Honourable Lois Wilson An author, minister and internationally-known authority on human rights issues, Dr. Wilson was the first woman Moderator of the United Church of Canada.
Her expertise on human rights issues has seen her serve as advisory board
member (1978-88) with Amnesty International; with the Canadian Institute
for International Peace and Security (1984-88); 1997-98, as chair of the
board of the International Centre for Human Rights and
Democratic Development. In 1985, she was awarded the Pearson Peace Prize
by the United Nations Association in Canada. That same year, she was
awarded the World Federalists Peace Award, and has been President of the
World Federalists (Canada) since 1996.
Professor Kathleen Mahoney Professor Mahoney's first career was as a writer and journalist. Following law school she articled and practised for two years in Vancouver. In 1987 she received a Diplome of the International and Comparative Human Rights Institute in Strasbourg, France. She has taught in the areas of Human Rights, Torts, Legal Process and Advanced Legal Functions. For several years she has been involved in judicial education on gender, race and class issues in the Courts in Canada and internationally.
Her research is primarily in the areas of gender equality, freedom of
expression, judicial neutrality, constitutional law and international
human rights. In 1997, she was elected to the Royal Society of Canada,
and in November of 1998, was appointed Chair of the Canadian-based
International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development.
Naina Kapur
Ms. Kapur is a lawyer and human rights activist with a specific interest
in violence against women in India. She is Director of the SAKSHI Centre,
which has evolved as an intervenor on violence against women issues
through the development of lateral linkages with the health, legal,
educational, NGO and governmental sectors. She has also been co-ordinating
the Gender and Judges Project in five metropolitan cities in India to
determine gender bias in the judiciary in addressing violence against
women. She has also recently authored a paper and a training module on
sexual harassment in India.
Zohra Rasekh
Ms. Rasekh was born in Afghanistan and now lives in Boston and works as a
researcher for Physicians for Human Rights. Her research centres on
women's health and human rights in Afghanistan, and in a recent research
project, she interviewed 200 women living in Afghanistan as well as
refugee women living in Pakistan. She will presenting findings from this
research at the conference.
Joyce Piliso-Seroke
Ms. Piliso-Seroke took over as Chairperson on the South African
Commission on Gender Equality in March of 1999. The Commission on
Gender Equality is one of the six State Institutions Supporting
Constitutional Democracy called for in the 1996 Constitution.
The aim of the Commission is to promote gender equality and to
advise and make recommendations to Parliament or any other
legislature with regard to any laws or proposed legislation which
affects gender equality and the status of women. Prior to this
appointment, Ms. Piliso-Seroke served on the Human Rights Violations
Committee of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Margarette Macaulay
Margarette May Macaulay is married with five step-children and one
daughter. She is a practising Attorney-at-Law in Jamaica and a member of
some other Commonwealth bars. She has been a women's rights activist in
Jamaica since 1976 shortly after emigrating there. She is active in the
Jamaican Bar Association, is Past President of the Association of
Women's Organizations in Jamaica (AWOJA) and is presently the Chairperson
of the Caribbean Association for Feminist Research and Action (CAFRA). Ms.
Macaulay has published and presented upwards of 100 articles and papers
for educational and lobbying purposes on women's fundamental and legal
rights, violence against women, domestic violence, sexual harassment and
orientation, sexual and reproductive health and rights, family law,
children's and adolescents' rights, political participation and women's
property rights.
Special Guests:
Vivienne Poy Senator Poy will be our special guest emcee for our opening evening of activities. A fashion designer, entrepreneur and author, Vivienne Poy is the first Canadian of Chinese descent to be appointed to the Senate of Canada. Ms. Poy has been educated in her native Hong Kong, England and Canada. She has earned an Honours B.A. from McGill University, a Diploma in Fashion Arts from Seneca College and an M.A. in History from the University of Toronto, where she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in History. She founded Vivienne Poy Mode in 1981 and over the following fourteen years enjoyed great success in fashion design, manufacturing and retail. She is currently President of Vivienne Poy Enterprises, President of Calyan Publishing and Chairman of Lee Tak Wai Holdings Ltd..
Ms. Poy has also authored two books: "A River Named Lee" and "Building
Bridges: The Life and Times of Richard Charles Lee, Hong Kong, 1905-
1983." Among her extensive community endeavours, she is currently Governor
of McGill University; Honourary Patron of the Chinese Cultural Centre
of Greater Toronto; and, Member of the Women Entrepreneurs of Canada.
Ms. Poy has received an International Women's Day Award (1996) and the
Arbor Award, for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the University of
Toronto (1997).
Marilou McPhedran Ms. McPhedran will be giving us a report on an international study on the impact of CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.) Marilou McPhedran is a Canadian lawyer specializing in health and equality. She was the Co-Chair of the 1996 International Conference, "Promoting Women's Health," and served as the Coordinator for the Washington-based 1996 Summit of Women Leaders for Mental Health. Ms. McPhedran is a founder of Canadian NGOs, including LEAF (The Women's Legal Education and Action Fund) and METRAC (Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children) and continues to volunteer much of her time working with NGOs in the non-profit sector. |
