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for example, that 2 out of 3 illiterates are females — we re often as shocking as they were significant. The need for immediate action to improve the lot of women and girls on a world-wide scale could not be ignored by any one who was listening to the testimony being presented before the international body of witnesses. But not everyone came to Copenhagen to listen, or even to talk about, women. Certain countries — most notably the Arab states and the Soviet bloc — sent delegates and observers to the women’s conference who were exclusively de dicated to furthering national agendas of their own. Like all United-Nations-sponsored conferences, the meeting in Copenhagen thus became a kind of rhetorical exercise with countries taking sides on issues according to time-worn and predictable patterns. As has been the case over the last 10 years, the Soviet Union was able to generate far more support for its positions than was the United States. The American position within the international community represents a most frustrating and ticklish predicament. Because criticism of the state and its policies is freely allowed, the United States finds itself an easy target for foreign criticism. A great giant of a na tion, it remains virtually helpless, beleagered by cen sure and hospitality of Third World and Soviet countries. The Russians, on the other hand, manage to avoid well- deserved condemnations of their actions but for small protests raised by delegations such as ours. Therefore, from a purist perspective, the Copenhagen conference must be viewed as a monumental failure of sorts. But this failure cannot be ascribed exclusively or even primarily to women. The political, moral and ethical shortcomings evidenced at the meetings reflect the power struggles among states and their allies. Women inherited, rather than created, this situation. Suffice it to say that the first site chosen for the Mid- Decade Conference was not Denmark. Before the Islamic revolution, Teheran was to serve as host for the international women’s meeting. The ascendancy of Ayatollah Khomeini sent the women of the world scurrying to northwestern Europe instead. Neverthe less, Iran — a country which flagrantly continued to flaunt international law by holding American diplomatic personnel hostage — was welcome at the UN-sponsored event. It was pointless for the Americans to expect justice at the hands of the international tribunal. Withdrawing in protest from participation would have been equally use less. Fundamental unfairness was operative throughout the proceedings. Such is the way of the world. So, when we judge the effectiveness of the WFUWO delegation, we must bear in mind, first of all, our power lessness as women. Second, we need to recognize the fact that international politics is an arena for dirty, un principled fighting. Finally, we should resign ourselves to the situation that staying away will only strengthen the hand of our enemies. Before traveling to Copenhagen, I was not sure what 22 women could achieve by attending the NGO Fo rum and the World Conference of Women. I had no real sense of the obstacles we would encounter or the friends we would find. Today, looking back on the ex perience, I would say in conclusion that we, like our American sisters, could not afford to stay away. MARTHA BOHACHEVSKY CHOMIAK Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak has recently been awarded the Founders Fellowship from the American Association of University Women Educational Founda tion for a study on the Ukrainian women’s movements. In her work, Dr. Chomiak will focus on the impact of the women’s organizations on Ukrainian society be tween 1884 and 1939, as well as on the role of women in the national, social, political and cultural life of the Ukrainians. Dr. Chomiak began her work on Ukrainian women at the initiative of the World Federation of the Ukrainian Women’s Organizations. She spent a year doing archival research in Poland and Austria under the auspices of a Fulbright Faculty Research Abroad Fellowship. The grant from AAUW enables her to devote a full academic year to the project, and to begin writing a book on the Ukrainian women’s movements. This will be the first comprehensive work on Ukrainian women based upon primary and secondary sources. It will be an important contribution both to the study of Ukrainian history and of women’s movements in general. Martha Chomiak is a professor of history at Man- hattanville College in Purchase N.Y. She is married to a journalist and the couple have two daughters, aged eleven and thirteen. Mrs. Chomiak, who is member of the Washington D.C. branch of SUA, has written several books and articles on aspects of Ukrainian, Eastern European and Russian history. Замість квітів Замість квітів на могилу бл. п. Романа Хойнацького, батька членки Екзекутиви Союзу Українок Америки Ірени Чайківської, складають на Пресовий Фонд "Нашого Життя” 60.00 дол.: Іванна Рожанковська, Леся Різник, Люба Волинець, Христя Навроцька, Марія Томоруґ, Марія Савчак, Леся Кіршак, Іванна Ратич, Оля Гнатейко, Уляна Любович, Еля Процюк, Марта Данилюк. Пані Ірені і родині висловлюємо глибоке співчуття. Замість квітів на свіжу могилу бл. п. Миколи Кізими, мужа нашої членки Анни, складають на Пресовий Фонд "Нашого Життя” 20.00 дол. Управа і членки 1-го Відділу СУА Замість квітів на свіжу могилу бл. п. Леонтина Маркова, мужа нашої членки Катрусі, складаємо 15.00 дол. на Запасний Фонд "Нашого Життя” 48-ий Відділ СУА, Філядельфія НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ, ЖОВТЕНЬ 1980 25
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