NEW DELHI — Dozens of women have been denied visas to attend a major United Nations women's conference in New York.

According to campaigners, women from African and Middle Eastern countries that fell under Donald Trump's travel ban were disproportionately affected.

The US is obliged under a 70-year-old treaty to not restrict people or NGOs from attending the UN headquarters.

In protest, women’s rights campaigners are petitioning the US Mission to the UN to streamline visa procedures for those traveling to the UN.



The Commission on the Status of Women is an annual conference, running this year from March 11–22, where representatives from member states, NGO workers, and women’s rights activists gather to evaluate the global progress on gender and equality.



According to the petition, an "unprecedented" number of visa denials for women hoping to attend CSW has been witnessed.

The International Service for Human Rights, a UN-affiliated organization, said it was aware of at least 41 women who have been denied visas to attend the conference this year — but this figure is said to be only "the tip of the iceberg" and likely to increase.

According to the data gathered by ISHR, more than 50 visas were rejected for CSW in 2018 — but this final number was tallied after the event, as individuals came to know later that ISHR was gathering data on visa denials.

"One has to be connected to our groups through networks to even hear about the fact that we are collecting the data and then one has to submit it voluntarily to us," said Madeleine Sinclair, the director for ISHR's New York office. "We can only assume there are more unreported cases of denial."

BuzzFeed News is yet to receive a response from the US Mission to the UN regarding the total number of visas that have been denied this year.

Women who wanted to attend CSW this year from countries like Iran, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Syria were asked to provide supporting documents like marriage certificates, proof of property ownership, letters stating employment status, proof of finances, and even proof of birth certificates or proof showing that they have children, according to the petition.

The issue of visas and travel bans came up repeatedly during conversations at the conference. At a town hall meeting, Farirai Gumbonzvanda, a delegate from Zimbabwe, asked UN Secretary-General António Guterres why women from rural backgrounds — who were represented at the UN “on banners, as footnotes, and as case studies” — weren’t permitted to attend and speak for themselves.

It was also brought up in an address by CSW’s Woman of Distinction this year, Gharsanay IbnulAmeen, the cofounder of the Afghan Girls Sustainable Education Project.