BuzzFeed News: The U.S. Denied Visas To Women From Africa And The Middle East Hoping To Attend The U.N.’s Women Conference
“Dozens of women have been denied visas to attend a major United Nations women’s conference in New York. According to campaigners, women from African and Middle Eastern countries that fell under Donald Trump’s travel ban were disproportionately affected. The U.S. is obliged under a 70-year-old treaty to not restrict people or NGOs from attending the U.N. headquarters. In protest, women’s rights campaigners are petitioning the U.S. Mission to the U.N. to streamline visa procedures for those traveling to the U.N. The Commission on the Status of Women is an annual conference, running this year from March 11-22, where representatives from member states, NGO workers, and women’s rights activists gather to evaluate the global progress on gender and equality. According to the petition, an ‘unprecedented’ number of visa denials for women hoping to attend CSW has been witnessed…” (Jha, 3/20).