HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26857, 9 October 1952, Page 2

HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION

MALAYAN WOMAN URGES SUPPORT

(New Zealand Press Association) PARAPARAUMU, October 8.

An appeal to New Zealand women to work for universal adoption -of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration was made at the conference of the National Council of Women today by Mrs Shirin Fozdar, president of the itfaiional Council of Women of SingaMrs Fozdar told the conference that women like those in Malaya, who had no security, were not able to fight effectively for their rights, but if all nations adopted the declaration they would get equality automatically. There were still countries, including Malaya, where “husbands are polygamous by nature” and could divorce their wives without any excuse. In such conditions women could not enjoy happiness or contentment and in seeking their rights they were not sufficiently courageous, because they were not economically independent. Mrs Fozdar said that the present chaos and confusion in the world was “more or less the handiwork of men.” She spoke of “the complacency of the men of the Western countries” about Asia, and said that she knew the rumblings that were taking place there. “The hungry do not believe in philosophy; they believe in bread,” she said. The idea that the hungry people of Asia would cease to think in terms of j revolution or of war, or would not tend to take up an ideology which did not have good as its basis had been exploded. “You should think in wider terms—not only of New Zealand and Australia, and such places—but for the welfare of the world.” she said. “We can each play our part by encouraging our men to do better. Only if the whole world is safe and happy can we be sa2e and happy.”