Visiting Women’s Rights Activist
A leading United Nations women’s rights activist will be giving seminars on international human rights for women on 30
September and 1 October 2002.
Dr Feride Acar is the Vice-Chair of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and Professor
of Political Sociology, Gender and Women’s Studies at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.
30 September: Dr Acar will be the guest speaker at a Human Rights Commission public forum. She will speak on women’s
human rights in the 21st century.
1 October: Dr Acar will be discussing issues of cultural relativism and the treatment of Muslim women at the University
of Auckland law school.
She will look at how these issues can be addressed by the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women. The role of the Convention in cultural transformation and communications under its Optional Protocol will also be
examined.
The Human Rights Commission is sponsoring Dr Acar’s Auckland visit.
Dr Acar is also visiting Wellington from 26th – 28th September. Her Wellington visit is sponsored by the National
Council of Women.