Three UNC students will join the ranks of international leaders as they present their findings on eliminating violence against women at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City today.
Yolanda Fair, Brian Min and Molly Williams completed research projects as fellows of WomenNC’s Student Fellowship Program, meant for university and college students interested in women’s rights.
WomenNC, a local nonprofit dedicated to helping young people stop injustice against women and girls, will sponsor the students at the UN’s annual Commission on the Status of Women session. It costs $2,300 per person to fund the eight-day trip, and students were only required to cover about $400 of that.
“I’m not sure if everyone dreams of this, but this is a big deal,” said Min, a senior majoring in women’s and gender studies and psychology. “Not many people get to go to the UN and present their research.”
Beth Dehghan, founder and president of WomenNC, said the purpose of attending the UN conference is to connect local efforts to global issues, and to bring global issues back to North Carolina.
Students looked at their topics on international, national and local levels and found community examples of organizations that combat discrimination.
The students will be on a five-student panel, with students from UNC-Greensboro and Meredith College, and will each present for 15 minutes to representatives from nongovernmental organizations.
Fair, a third-year law student, said the panel will focus on what practices have worked in North Carolina.
Fair researched human trafficking policy and legislation. She said sex trafficking and forced labor are prominent in North Carolina.
