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"lighten and uplift
them, so that they may soar on the wings of the Divine verses"
-Baha'u'llah
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Royal
recognition for services to women
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LONDON,
United Kingdom, 13 January 2004 (BWNS) --
A member of the British Baha'i community, Lois
Hainsworth, will receive the award of Member of
the Order of the British Empire (MBE) at
Buckingham Palace on 11 February 2004.
The
announcement of the award for services to three
organizations that promote the rights of women
was made in the United Kingdom's New Year's
Honours List.
The
citation refers to Mrs. Hainsworth's services to
the Women's National Commission, the Baha'i
Office for the Advancement of Women, and UNIFEM
UK.
She
is currently a member of the international
working group of the Women's National
Commission, the official, independent, advisory
body that gives the views of women to the
Government of the United Kingdom. |
Mrs. Hainsworth. Photo by Kenneth J. A.
Brookes.
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She also
chairs the Women of Faith Coalition, a partner
organization of the Women's Commission.
As a
Commissioner of the Baha'i Office for the Advancement of
Women, which represents women from all walks of life
throughout the United Kingdom, she has participated in
conferences on such topics as people trafficking, human
rights, and the European Union.
However,
her services to those organizations represent only part
of her efforts in a myriad of women's groups dating back
to 1958 when she represented the Baha'i community of
Uganda on a subcommittee of the Uganda National Council
of Women.
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She
has also served in senior positions on the
International Council of Women, the National
Council of Women of Great Britain, the European
Women's Lobby, and the Women's Advisory Council of
the United Nations Association of the United
Kingdom.
Mrs.
Hainsworth has also been in the forefront in
Britain in the fight against trafficking in women,
and the spread of pornography and HIV/AIDS.
A
fellow of the Chartered Institute of Journalists,
she became, in 1996, only the second woman in 130
years to be elected president of the group.
In
her early career, Mrs. Hainsworth was an
accomplished classical singer. |
Mrs. Hainsworth (back row, fourth from
left) with Siberian women and members of the
National Council of Women of Great Britain. |
Mrs.
Hainsworth has served the Baha'i Faith in many
capacities.
"I
would not have been able to do any of these things had
it not been for a loving, totally supportive
husband," said Mrs. Hainsworth, referring to the
late Philip Hainsworth, with whom she raised their three
children, Richard, Zarin, and Michael.
Mr.
Hainsworth, who passed away aged 82 in 2001, served on
elected Baha'i institutions at a high level for almost
five decades, was a noted speaker, and the author of
several books and numerous articles.
Mrs.
Hainsworth cites as her motivation for her service the
following quotation from the Universal House of Justice:
"The emancipation of women, the achievement of full
equality between the sexes, is one of the most
important, though less acknowledged, prerequisites for
peace."
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| Published in Bahá'í
World News Service |
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