Temma Kaplan

In the following viewpoint, Temma Kaplan contends that grassroots women’s organizations have helped bring greater attention to worldwide human rights abuses against women and girls. She argues that these activists have made the United Nations and women from industrialized nations more aware of problems in developing nations, such as sexual slavery and female genital mutilation. According to Kaplan, the efforts of these activists helped lead to the achievements of the Beijing Conference of 1995, where the majority of the participating nations supported the importance of international human rights for women. Kaplan is an activist,
historian, and author of three books, including Crazy for Democracy: Women’s Grassroots Movements.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. When and where did the “Decade of Women” begin, in Kaplan’s...