PUBLIC POLICY

Ambassador Swanee Hunt has been at the forefront of the protection, encouragement, and advancement of women in US and across the world.

Appointed by President Clinton to Austria, 1993-1997, during the Balkan War, Hunt has worked in 60 countries and is known worldwide for her work with grassroots activists, inspiring them to political and civil society leadership and advocating on their behalf at the highest levels. She developed those skills in Colorado, where she headed a successful reform of the mental health system; co-chaired two community-based initiatives (for Mayors Federico Pena and Wellington Webb); and created, then chaired, Governor Roy Romer’s Coordinating Council on Housing and Homelessness. In addition, she was co-founder and president of the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, which has lobbied the State legislature to reduce the "cliff effect" facing women leaving the welfare system for jobs.

Demand Abolition, a program of Hunt Alternatives Fund, supports the movement to end modern-day slavery by combating the demand for illegal commercial sex in the US. By convening key stakeholders, conducting and disseminating research, raising public awareness, and educating policymakers and law enforcement officials, Demand Abolition is catalyzing systemic social change that reflects the dignity of all people.

Individuals who assume the right to purchase another human being fuel the market that traffickers and pimps supply with victims. The sex trade is inherently dangerous to victims, degrading to perpetrators, and harmful to society. Until demand for commercial sex is eliminated, the sexual enslavement of children, women, and sometimes men will continue.

Security
Advancing women’s well-being and ultimately their leadership is a form of "soft power" based on transformational values that ensures human security. The concern here is not "women’s issues," or even "women’s rights," but security. The UN, G-8, and World Bank have adopted (if not implemented) resolutions demanding women’s full participation in peace processes, yet the US has no mechanism to involve women in that work. Instead, though warriors are usually welcome, women are routinely shut out of negotiating teams and are less than 10% of those contracted for post-conflict reconstruction. Civil society organizations in conflict areas receive a pittance compared to military operations and newly constituted judicial and executive branches are almost exclusively male dominated. Women’s leadership, especially at critical mass (25% to 40%), is vital to developing a sustained secure world.

Development
Women in developing nations should be among the highest priorities of the US foreign assistance program. Women are critical drivers of economic and cultural progress, yet they are disproportionate victims of poverty and state fragility. Women suffer significantly higher rates of illiteracy, mortality, underemployment, and under-representation in decision-making structures, yet they receive a smaller share of assistance. That discrepancy is counter-productive.

Political Progress
Facing family pressures, corruption, cultural expectations, financial barriers, and physical danger, women eschew politics. Across cultures women instead move into civil society leadership, where they lack public policy-setting authority. Though in most countries they head the majority of NGOs, they average only 19.3% of legislators and 18.4% of ministers (mainly overseeing gender or other marginalized groups). Increasing their political representation is of critical importance.

The foundation for these priorities – development, political progress, and security—is women’s fundamental rights and the rule of law. Without protection from brutality or enslavement, women cannot fully achieve success as entrepreneurs, politicians, or peace builders. We must be their advocates.

As women gain standing in their local settings and on the global stage, we will find that our investment is self-perpetuating: women as a group support the elevation of women. Within several years, the world could see substantial positive change and economic pay-off from women’s advancement.