Soroptimist International Wales South - Olive Newton SI Coordinator for Environment speaks to Regional Programme Action meeting in Swansea about UN Crime Congress in Vienna

13 May 2000

Olive Newton SI Coordinator for Environment speaks to Regional Programme Action meeting in Swansea about UN Crime Congress in Vienna

Wales South clubs are fortunate that Olive Newton, Soroptimist International Environment Coordinator is also an Honorary Member of the region and frequently attends their quarterly meetings.

She was warmly welcomed to the Regional Programme Action meeting in Swansea on 13 May to report on her visit to the UN 10th Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders which opened in Vienna on 12 April 2000.

Olive and Kathy McElvany (Golden West Region, SIA) had been asked by International President Jane Zimmerman to attend this Congress and both felt honoured to be there to represent Soroptimist International. (The following report covers Olive's speech and some notes provided by Kathy McElvany.)

Olive Newton at the UN Crime Congress in Vienna

The Congress was attended by delegations from 119 countries. Seventy-six Ministers and other high-ranking government officials addressed the high-level segment of the Congress, which addressed international co-operation in combating transnational organised crime. As well as SI several other NGOs and observers attended the event.

The first of the Ancillary Workshops on Wednesday 12 April presented by SI focussed on Trafficking in Women. Olive presented an overview of Soroptimist International and our Where We Stand Position on Trafficking - including our successful SIAM project. She went on to say that the workshop was important in raising awareness, addressing the causes to enable an effective legal means to be found to combat international trafficking.

Olive Newton was the last speaker at the Friday afternoon UN Technical Workshop - Women in the Criminal Justice System. To discuss women who are victims of the criminal justice system she used the topic of 'Rape' for her focus and summarised how the word was defined around the world. She highlighted the enormous problem of trying to change attitudes to the way that rape is perceived.

This workshop on women in the criminal justice system concentrated on women as offenders and prisoners, as well as victims and survivors. Olive was concerned that victimised women and girls required the rights of protection and justice and that they should receive support to be reintegrated into community. She felt it is important to raise public awareness concerning women's victimisation.

Olive said that before the workshop started she was concerned as to whether they would have an audience. She need not have worried.....the room was packed and as Olive put it "you could have heard a pin drop". (This workshop was clearly a personal achievement for Olive, and also important for the standing of Soroptimist International who were the only NGO to have a speaker in the UN Technical Workshops)

At the close of the Congress on Saturday 15th the whole of the report and its recommendations to the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice was adopted. The Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice was drawn up to be submitted to the UN General Assembly.

Note: Olive Newton is a member of SI Neath, a past Federation President 1996-97 and an active Justice of the Peace.