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2009.4.7 No.9
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Press conference regarding the evaluation on 1 year
women’s
policies by Lee Myeong Bak government
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 On February 18, 2009, a press conference was staged regarding the evaluation on
women’s policies by Lee Myeong Bak government for the past one year. In a word,
the current government ‘failed’. Evaluators by sector saw the women’s policies
by the current administration as “loss of gender equal policies,’ “absence from
the awareness of women’s human rights and gender sensitive governance,’ ‘retreat
of family and childcare policies,’ ‘nominal job creation for women.’ Many women
veteran activists such as Kwon Mi-hyuk, chairperson of the Korean Womenlink,
Nam-Yoon Insoon, the KWAU, Jeong Moon Ja, chairperson of the KWWA, Jeong
Choonsook, chairperson of the Korea Women’s Hot Line, Lee Yoon-sang, chairperson
of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, Han Kook-yeom, chairperson of Women
Migrants Human Rights Center, and Jang Myeongsook, chairperson of Differently
Able Women United, participated in the major evaluation session.
1. Major policy tasks for women are as follows:
Since the current government
was launched, Worries have been raised that the Korean democracy and human
rights are absent, and violence and discrimination by the government are also
far more serious. In addition, the communication and cooperation with the civil
society have reached not only the level of cessation but also that of
suppression, surveillance and split. Under these social circumstances, the
recent heavy crimes have showed the worsening discrimination and violence
against the social weak such as women and the disabled. Amidst the economic
crisis in which things are tough and there are no emotional rooms, the
government should take more care of human rights, providing social security for
the social weak.more>>
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<Seed managing activists learn! Play! And their energy become recharged!>
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 Between February 19 and 20, 2009, nationwide seed managing activists held a
‘Workshop of 2009 for Seed Managing Activists for Exchanging Hope,’ visiting to
see the Wonju Cooperative Movement and listening to the history of the
cooperative movement and its current state and vision.
Wonju is an important place in the Korean history, where the democracy
movement against dictatorship has been waged, led by Moo-wi-dang Jang IL-soon
and Bishop Ji Haksoon, and Kim Ji-ha, since 1970s, and where the cooperative
movement is already flowered based on self-government and cooperation amongst
local people. To deepen their understanding on the cooperative movement and
discuss ways to boost the movement for exchanging hope, the activists visited
Wonju.more>>
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<Publishing ”Weaving Tapestries of Hope:
a herstory of 20 year of the KWWA”
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Since 2007 when it was 20 years of the KWWA, the publication of its herstory had
been planned, and finally “Weaving Tapestries of Hope” in Korean was published.
There were two sections in the book: In the first section, 20 year activities of
the KWWA between 1987 and 2006 were described; and in the second section, the
lives of 12 women workers were depicted vividly.
The first part regarding KWWA’s 20 year of activities, outcomes and tasks
were written by Sohn Young Ju, a previous secretary-general and the evaluation
team. Ms. Sohn collected data and wrote the draft, and the evaluation team
consisting of 8 previous and present fulltime activists had evaluation and
discussion several times. It contains various important moments in details: the
social atmosphere and live testimony when the KWWA was created in 1987; and how
to organize unemployed women and how to socially raise their issues in face of
the Korean economic crisis in 1997; since the economic crisis, KWWA’s reactions
and countermeasures regarding women workers who became irregular and in poverty,
and in 2008 new vision set in the course when its herstory of 20 years was
arranged. You can feel the heartbeats and breaths that KWWA have taken for 20
years. “Weaving Tapestries of Hope” enables you to listen to so vivid and
dynamic situations as to a herstory of 20 years of KWWA that you
can draw pictures about the herstory.
more>> |
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<88CC golf caddies want to work!>
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 In the cold morning of March 10, 2009 in front of the Ministry of Patriots and
Veterans Affairs, a press conference amongst women’s organizations was staged to
demand to stop collective dismissals and violence against 88CC golf caddies and
to settle down the matter through communications between the labor and the
management. It was the press conference to show views of women’s circles
(Korean Women’s Associations United, Korean Women Workers Association, Korean
Womenlink, Korean Women’s Trade Union) regarding the collective punishment and
dismissals against 88CC golf caddies unsettled for 5 months. The Korean women’s
circle highlighted suppression against the labor union and violence against
women specially hired workers, especially golf caddies which are women
concentrated work.
88CC golf caddies are specially hired workers. However, they established the
first trade union amongst golf caddies and it is a legal trade union. Since
1999, their collective agreement has been renewed three times. Nevertheless,
when directors and field managers were changed in June 2009, after a new regime
was changed, the matter has arisen: as soon as the new field manager was
appointed, he threatened trade union executives saying “Because of the change of
administration you are in hard times. more>> |
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<A happy world without any poverty and violence, let’s create?
Women’s Rally
in commemoration of 101 year anniversary of
International Women’s Day>
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 On March 8, 2009 Women’s Rally was held in commemoration of 101 year anniversary
of International Women’s Day. The KWWA also took a part in this rally as an
important organizer with its regional organizations. First of all, djembe was
performed as an opening performance. The djembe performers are 60 KWWA members!
They learned in a very delightful joy, how to play the drum just one hour
earlier than the opening ceremony.
A major slogan in this rally was “Women create, a happy world without poverty
and violence!” It contains the shade of the poverty in face of the economic
crisis and the voice of women who are exposed to a variety of violence. The main
slogan of this year in the rally was “1,00,0000 decent job creation,
objection to the decreased taxes of the rich, expansion and increase of
education and welfare, and protection of democracy and women’s human rights.”
About 800 participants made these demands together. The congratulatory address
by Hahn Myeongsook, previous prime minister encouraged participants a lot to
wiggle out of difficulties and songs by Kang Sahn-ae, a famous singer cheered us
a lot. more>>
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