Inter-American Commission of Women facts for kids

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Inter-American Commission of Women
Inter-American Commission of Women Comisión Interamericana de Mujeres Comissão Interamericana de Mulheres Commission interaméricaine des femmes
English-language version of the CIM logo (since 2020)
OAS member states where the CIM operates
Abbreviation	CIM
Formation	1928
Founded at	Havana, Cuba
Purpose	"Shape the public policy agenda from a rights-based perspective for the full citizenship of women and the elimination of gender-based discrimination and violence"
Location	Washington, D.C.
Region	OAS member states
Fields	Women's rights
Official language	Spanish, English, Portuguese, French
Executive Secretary	Alejandra Mora Mora
Board of directors	Executive Committee
Main organ	Assembly of Delegates
Parent organization	Organization of American States (OAS)

The Inter-American Commission of Women (Spanish: Comisión Interamericana de Mujeres, Portuguese: Comissão Interamericana de Mulheres, French: Commission interaméricaine des femmes), often called CIM, is an important group within the Organization of American States (OAS). It was started in 1928 at a big meeting called the Sixth Pan-American Conference in Havana, Cuba. Each country in the OAS sends one female representative to be part of CIM.

CIM was the very first international group created specifically to help women with their civil and political rights. It has been a leader in the global movement for women's rights. For example, in 1933, CIM was the first international group to suggest that women everywhere should have the right to vote. They also created the first international treaty about women's rights. This treaty, called the 1933 Convention on the Nationality of Women, made sure that a woman's nationality would not change just because she got married.

The women of CIM also helped get the first international agreement recognizing women's political and civil rights in 1938. They also researched and prepared the first treaty about violence against women. This treaty was approved in 1994 and is known as the Belém do Pará Convention. By getting these international agreements, CIM delegates can encourage their home countries to make changes and follow these important rules. Since 1955, CIM has also worked closely with the United Nations to improve the lives of women in the Americas.

CIM's History
How CIM Works Today
See also

CIM's History

How CIM Started

In the late 1920s, a famous feminist from the United States, Doris Stevens, learned that the League of Nations would discuss nationality laws. She realized it was important to study how these laws affected women. For example, if a British woman married an Argentine man, she might lose her British citizenship. But if Argentina's laws didn't give her citizenship through marriage, she could become stateless, meaning she wouldn't belong to any country.

Doris Stevens worked with Alice Paul to create a huge report. This report listed all the laws about women's nationality from every country, in their original language and then translated. Stevens traveled to Europe, meeting with women leaders and gathering information. She held public meetings and helped pass a resolution at the League of Nations. This resolution encouraged governments to include women in their meetings about international laws.

Because of this work, the Pan American Union created the Inter-American Commission of Women on April 4, 1928, in Havana. The plan was for a group of seven women from different American countries to study women's civil and political equality. The goal was to eventually have one delegate from each country. Doris Stevens was chosen as the first chair. The first delegates came from Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Panama, and Venezuela.

Early Meetings and Goals

CIM's main office was in Washington D.C., but it didn't have a big staff at first. The women decided to meet every two years to keep their work going. Their first meeting was in Havana in 1930. Many delegates had to pay for their own travel, so not everyone could attend.

In 1933, at a big meeting in Montevideo, Uruguay, the women of CIM shared their detailed report on the legal status of women in 21 countries. This was the first report of its kind, created entirely by women. They showed how women had fewer rights than men. For example, in 16 countries, women couldn't vote at all. In 19 countries, women didn't have equal rights to their own children.

Even though a proposed treaty for equal rights for women wasn't fully approved, CIM achieved something very important. The conference approved the Convention on the Nationality of Women. This agreement stated clearly that a woman's citizenship should not change if she married someone from a different country. It said, "There shall be no distinction based on sex as regards to nationality." This was a huge step forward for women's rights around the world.

CIM Becomes Permanent

At a conference in Lima, Peru, in 1938, the United States suggested making CIM a permanent organization. This meant CIM would become an official part of the Pan-American Union. This change gave CIM official funding and support, even though it meant the organization would be more connected to government goals.

At this same conference, a resolution was passed that recognized women's political and civil rights. This was a very important moment, as it was the first international agreement to acknowledge these rights. It paved the way for other international groups to follow.

CIM During and After World War II

During the 1940s, CIM continued to push for women's political rights, especially the right to vote. Countries like El Salvador (1939) and the Dominican Republic (1942) granted women the right to vote. CIM delegates worked hard in their home countries to achieve civil and political rights for women. By 1947, Argentina and Venezuela also granted women the right to vote.

In October 1945, CIM successfully pushed for the phrase "the equal rights of men and women" to be included in the United Nations Charter. This was a major achievement for women's equality worldwide.

In 1948, at a conference in Bogotá, Colombia, two important agreements were passed: the Inter-American Convention on Granting of Political Rights to Women and the Inter-American Convention on the Granting of Civil Rights to Women. When the Organization of American States (OAS) was created, CIM became part of it. This made CIM an important place to discuss women's issues on an international level.

From Mid-Century to the 2000s

CIM continued to work for women's right to vote in all member states. Paraguay was the last original member state to grant women the right to vote in 1961. As more countries in the Caribbean became independent, they joined the OAS and sent women delegates to CIM. By 1990, almost all independent nations in the Americas were part of CIM.

In the 1970s, CIM started focusing on "gender perspectives." This meant understanding that differences between men and women are often based on culture and society, not just biology. CIM realized that to achieve true equality, cultural, economic, political, and social systems needed to change. They started projects to help working-class and indigenous women, not just educated women. Between 1975 and 1985, CIM completed about 200 projects, from training women in business to helping them develop new skills and legal aid.

In the late 1980s, CIM began to focus on the issue of violence against women. As many military governments in Latin America changed to civilian governments, women pushed for laws to address this violence. In 1988, CIM decided to create an international agreement to fight violence against women. They held special meetings, and in 1994, the Convention of Belém do Pará was approved. This was the first treaty ever to specifically address violence against women. It has been supported by 32 of the 34 member states of the OAS.

In 1998, CIM adopted the Declaration of Santo Domingo. This declaration stated that women's rights are human rights and should be protected throughout their lives.

CIM in the 21st Century

In 2000, the first Hemispheric Ministerial Meeting on the Advancement of Women was held. Many important leaders attended, including the US Secretary of State and vice presidents from different countries. They adopted a new plan called the "Inter-American Program on the Promotion of Women's Humans Rights and Gender Equity and Equality." The main goal of this program is to achieve legal equality between men and women.

How CIM Works Today

CIM's main group, the Assembly of Delegates, meets every two years. They discuss important issues in the Americas and check on progress. Elections for new leaders happen during these meetings, and the new leaders serve for two years.

The CIM Executive Committee has eight delegates who are also elected every two years. This committee meets more often to handle urgent issues. Here's a look at some of the past Executive Committee members:

CIM Executive Committee
Years of Service	Title	Name	Countries	Notes/ Details
2013–2015	President	Maureen Clarke	Costa Rica
2013–2015	Vice President	Marie Yanick Mezile	Haiti
2013–2015	Vice President	Markelda Montenegro de Herrera	Panama
2013–2015	Vice President	Beatriz Ramírez Abella	Uruguay
2013–2015	Members at Large		Barbados, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and the United States

2011–2013	President	Rocío García Gaytán	Mexico
2011–2013	Vice President	Magdalena Faillace	Argentina
2011–2013	Vice President	Irene Sandiford-Garner	Barbados
2011–2013	Vice President	Sonia Escobedo	Guatemala
2011–2013	Members at Large		Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Paraguay and Trinidad & Tobago

2009–2011	President	Laura Albornoz Pollman*	Chile	*resigned in October 2009 and remainder of term was filled by Wanda K. Jones the United States
2009–2011	Vice President	Jeanette Carrillo Madrigal*	Costa Rica	*resignation in November 2009 and remainder of term was filled by Loretta Butler-Turner Bahamas
2009–2011	Members at Large		Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Colombia, Mexico and the United States

2007–2009	President	Jacqui Quinn-Leandro	Antigua and Barbuda
2007–2009	Vice President	Martha Lucía Vazquéz Zawadsky	Colombia
2007–2009	Members at Large		Brazil, Guatemala, Haiti, Peru and Uruguay

2005–2007	President	Nilcéa Freire	Brazil
2005–2007	Vice President	María José Argaña de Mateu	Paraguay
2005–2007	Members at Large		Argentina, Canada, Chile, Mexico and Suriname

2003–2005	President	Yadira Henríquez	Dominican Republic
2003–2005	Vice President	Florence Ievers	Canada
2003–2005	Members at Large		Guatemala, Nicaragua, Paraguay, the United States and Venezuela

2001–2003	President	Indranie Chandarpal	Guyana
2001–2003	Vice President	Nora Uribe	Venezuela
2001–2003	Members at Large		Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Uruguay

1999–2001	President	Dulce Maria Sauri Riancho	Mexico
1999–2001	Vice President	Indranie Chandarpal	Guyana
1999–2001	Members at Large		Argentina, Colombia, Jamaica, Paraguay and the United States

Every four years, CIM organizes a special meeting for the highest-ranking women in charge of women's advancement in each OAS member state. This meeting helps discuss policies and suggest topics for even bigger meetings, like the Summit of the Americas. CIM can also call other meetings, seminars, or educational events to help women's causes.