Seattle Women's Commission

2009 Workplan

Combat Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls

• Strengthen partnerships with anti-trafficking organizations and agencies
• Analyze areas of influence in legislative arena
• Raise awareness of services available to victims of prostitution and trafficking in the City of Seattle
• Advocate for increased services available to victims of prostitution and trafficking in the City of Seattle

Ensure that the voices of Seattle's women, especially those in lower economic areas are heard in the process to site a new jail.

• Monitor siting process
• Compile women's perspectives, especially in lower income, immigrant, and refugee communities

Establish a publicly accessible history of SWC advocacy that the community, organizations, other advocates, and government can reference

• Create a written record of SWC budget and policy recommendations
• Create and distribute quarterly updates on the Commission's work

Advocate for a City budget that prioritizes women and families

• Identify budget issues of concern to the commission & Departments likely to address concerns
• Meet with advocacy agencies
• Review Mayor's proposed budget / communicate with council committee's / attend and testify at hearings / thanks key supporting budget requests / Identify budget provisos and statements of legislative intent to track in the following year

Participate in Sweat Free Washington Campaign

• Present the issue of labor conditions in the apparel purchased by the city, and how the city (and eventually state) can set a precedent for ethically produced products
• Support the Campaign and make political progress within City re: viability of passing such legislation and instituting new practices

Monitor Child Care Voucher Program

• Understand and amplify the basic needs of this issue by educating SWC and City Council of the SWC's perspective on childcare and various means to address (govt. and private sector's) failures

Organize asset-building actions

• Organize educational, legislative, or other actions based on the needs of Seattle's marginalized communities (what tools are folks requesting with which to empower themselves?); determine how to institute and realize resolution passed by the MLK Labor Council

Address domestic violence in immigrant communities

• Focus on availability and adequacy of city provided/sponsored services related to domestic violence in immigrant communities
• Build awareness and key partnerships with city agencies and organizations on these issues
• Partner with key stakeholders on efforts to combat core issues such as availability, quality, and adequacy of materials, training law enforcement, services aimed at victims
• Audit the current distribution networks and adequacy of the materials
• Investigate claims of mistreatment from immigrants
• Raise awareness of services available to immigrant victims of domestic violence in the City of Seattle
• Partner with NIP on domestic violence visa
• If needed, increased services for this domestic violence victims

Address the need for an institutional structure from which local advocates for women may address threats to the well being of women locally that arise from international circumstances and national policies

• Explore the potential for such a structure by working with the National Association of Commissions for Women and the Northwest Women's Law Center
• Model Mayor Nickels' leadership of the National Conference of Mayors in response to global warming the creation of an effective, nationwide commitment at the local level to defend and advance the well being of women through municipal action

2009 Commissioners

Sonya Zilka

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