Baltimore, MD (October 3, 2014): This fall, the Maryland Commission for Women (MCW) met in Annapolis to deliberate the status of Maryland women and to establish its 2014-2015 agenda. Senator Delores Kelley and Gloria Lawlah, Secretary Maryland Department of Aging and Chair of the Maryland Commission to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Passage of the US 19th Amendment addressed the group.
Senator Kelley identified several challenging issues that deserve attention, including the availability of rape investigation kits in emergency rooms around the state, sexual assault on college campuses and the increase in the number of women approaching their elder years providing home care to their own or their spouses’ parents.
Secretary Lawlah reminded the commissioners that MCW is still very important, “We know that the MCW is a force for change.” She said that MCW and the Commemoration Commission share a similar mission … to break barriers and to raise awareness of women’s issues as well as their accomplishments.
The MCW identified three major areas of concern for this year:
- Violence Against Women, including human trafficking, rape kits in emergency medical facilities and intimate partner violence.
- Economic Equity for Women including pay equity, financial literacy, job discrimination, paid leave, increased minimum wage, STEM education and careers and child care, and
- Health and Wellness for Women, including HIV/AIDS in the senior population, chronic disease, mental wellness and obesity.
The Commissioners also identified several strategies they will employ to address these issues, which included legislative and policy advocacy, partnerships with other public and private organizations and information sharing. In addition, the MCW will sponsor several events during the year including the induction ceremony for the Maryland Women’s Hall of Fame, a meeting of all the local commissions for women in the state, and the Women of Tomorrow Awards, recognizing teen girls of extraordinary character and achievement.
“We have set an exciting agenda that is fundamental to our overall mission,” commented Dr. Kathleen White, MCW Chair. “I’m very much looking forward to working with this wonderful team of commissioners who dedicate so much of their time and expertise to advocating for Maryland’s women and girls.”
For more information on the Maryland Commission for Women, visit www.marylandwomen.org.
