<#MeToo Action 2018> held its first protest on 22nd and 23rd of March after its launch.

Women's had <2,018 Minutes of #MeToo Filibuster>, a wave of speech prosecuting the experience of gender violence which lasted for 2,018 minutes(34 hours) for two days in a row, following with a protest named <Ending Gender Discrimination/ Sexual Abuse> at Chungye Square, located in the heart of Seoul, Korea.

 

Korean Women Workers Association(KWWA), in solidarity with <#MeToo Action 2018> participated as the operation staff of the events, assisted the team in arranging the Filibuster from the early morning of the 22nd, installing the stage and walls for participants to post their support and experience regarding gender violence.

 

 

 

 

 

<2,018 Minutes of #MeToo Filibuster> had an outset in the early morning, 9:22 AM, gathering lots of participants as time went by. These are some of the testimonies spoken and collected from the event.

 

 

 

The 15th #MeToo Testimony:

"I majored film and wishes to work in the production team. After working in the field, I was always lashed out by blames from coworkers that I am ‘being sissy’, ‘acting like a girl’ and not working as hard as the men do, and was belittled by thinking that my mistakes would shame all other women. I was scolded and depreciated for not being kind enough like a girl should, and often heard reckless remarks including ‘that’s why we don’t hire women in this field’. These words make the women working in the film industry suffer and feel insecure during their entire working hours, often forcing them to quit pursuing their careers.“

"In many occasions, directors force actresses to make more nudity without a former consent. I remember a director who ripped off the clothes of an actress urging that the actress ‘should look like that she is being raped’. They justify their deed as adding reality to the movie, but their films are a mere reflection of their own libido. Those perverted filmmakers keep making movies and their creations had been on screen in the theater until now. "

 

The 16th #MeToo Testimony(Kim Seung-Ha, KTX Stewardess manager) :

"Employment of KTX Stewardess started from sexual discrimination from the very first. There was a strong prejudice that females are more appropriate for care services and that they can be hired only shortly before their marriage, and this accounts for hiring KTX stewardess separately as an irregular employee with less wage and less career opportunity. No matter how hard we worked, we were not able to gain job security and compensation that the male employees were able to achieve doing the same work. We started working with pride and diligence, but faced a poor working condition at last."

"Our work environment was very unsafe. There was this stewardess who was electrocuted and hospitalized, but the Railroad Corporation(KORAIL) directed the stewardesses to not to make an interview with news channels or broadcasts. Since the stewardesses are hired in second vendor companies, male employees from KORAIL often forces us to accompany them for drinks, or dance with them. Some of them forcefully hugged or harassed us, but we were not able to say no to them since they could possibly be in charge of our job contract.“

“Those men are not changing, only the harassed victims are resigning from their jobs. No matter how hard those women try, they are not able to gain the same rights as their male co-workers and this mysogynic situation is still in progress. We are struggling but will never give up fighting against this injustice against female workers and discrimination on the job. From this year, we hope to work as the rigtful employee of KTX as well as protecting the safety of the cabin.”

 

The 26th #MeToo Testimony:

“We existed as a thin thread of voices as we were exposing our victimhood. However, it is now turning into a thicker twine with the advent of the #MeToo movement. Still, we are living with anger from discrimination and injustice, yet we are not afraid of it like we did before since hopefully, it will work as a drive to eliminate gender violence from now on."

 

The 53rd #MeToo Testimony:

"The chairman in my former workplace harassed me constantly, and I quitted working after six months of terrible experience. Victims are often blamed for being atypical, having lower work efficiency or giving the reasons for the accusers. These happened to me in the same way and it was my boss who blamed me for not working hard enough. How can I work so well and efficiently in such a condition, when someone is constanly harrassing me?“

 

The 73rd #MeToo Testimony:

"I would like to say that you have to be very sensitive and furious against people who speak out their mysoginic prejudice. When I meet such people, I ask them back: “Don’t you think that is very discriminative? I think it is very outdated to have such prejudice”. Or you can point out that it is “uncool” to do so. Those accused of being prejudiced or uncool from lots of audiences are very likely to have self-observation. I believe that those indicating words can change the world at last.“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The speech continued even during the midnight regardless of shivers from freezing weather, completeing 1,000 minutes of the filibuster.

 

 

Some even were wearing vinyl ponchos to fight off the cold wave, but the participants were never able to stop since they were desperate for the fairer world without gender violence which existed for years. Participants were also singing their wishes out with their own lyrics showing their will.

 

 

 

The #MeToo testimonies were posted day and night, and sexual violence in workplace caught our eyes. When sexual harassment happens in the workplace, victims face a hard time exposing their victimhood since they must risk their social status and survival. KTX stwardess who had a speech also posted testimony regarding her hardship exposing the sexual harassment in the workplace.

 

 

The participants made it through the night and the sun came up, while the filibuster was still running for its last minutes.

 

 

 

The 115th #MeToo Testimony:

“We had to erase all the names of the accusers while making #MeToo testimonies since the accusers can sue the victims for defaming them although the victims were speaking out of truth. I still cannot understand why someone could be guilty of speaking the truth. This strange law system of ours makes the victims of sexual assaults become a defender in courts. Thus we were only able to make testimony in vague terms. Should it be wrong to say the victimhood outloud?”

 

The 127th #MeToo Testimony:

“As I am preparing to get a job, everything is frightening. When I get hired, I will be the youngest of the company, evidently making me an outsider due to ‘Pence rule’. Is it that hard to coexist in the same world while admitting that women are the same human as the men? Aside from this stupidity, women in Korea were always discriminated and objectified. It is very pathetic to see males who are afraid of being accused of their wrongdoings and urge such thing as ‘Pence rule’ should be done. These came to my mind as I was preparing for CVs.”

 

The 135th #MeToo Testimony:

"My husband’s family is very partiarchial, that it is very common for males to dine separately from the female members of the family. One day we were dining and when male in-laws of the family heard the news report on MeToo movement, they said many things that were intolerable to me. ‘Why are those womens raising their voices afterward?’, ‘I am sure that those women are gold diggers’, ‘Those are rumors made for political reasons’ and so much more. I could not stand that conversation. My hands were shivering……. This week I am going to refute them: ‘I had to experience all those sexual harassments in daily life, and does that make me a gold digger?‘“

 

 

The 159th #MeToo Testimony:

"I am here on behalf of someone else, but the former (testimonies) made me remind the incident that I kept for a long time. Therefore I am speaking on behalf of another woman while speaking for myself. Women are not treated as the equal human being in this society. We are insulted at school, in our own house, and workplace and exposed to violence. We were born in a rape culture, grew up with it, and face the gender violence in everyday life. Most women have to smile and be gentle in everyday life, but that is an unpleasant job only burdening women. #MeToo movement made me realize that what I experienced through life should not be belittled and forgotten. How did I ever lived silenced? I also silenced myself to survive in this society and struggled. This makes me remind of other womans who are also remaining silence and struggling to survive and then it breaks my heart. From now on, we shall struggle to make a better world lest there would be another woman belittled and discouraged.

 

The 175th #MeToo Testimony:

"I was a victim of sexual violence from an instructor. I was not able to hear any word of apology or explanation from him until now. I blamed myself for years for bringing such misfortune to myself, that it is a shame to not behave properly and let myself become an easy target for the predator. Gender violence is a result of exploiting women, and again it suppresses the victims even after experiencing such a traumatic event. Victims face the stale patriarchal system and authoritative power that are unseen yet highly hampering, resulting them to surrender and remain silent. Patriarchal culture, male-centered society, and even ourselves internalizing the norms of patriarchal society can act against the #MeToo movement. This is the movement that can make a small, yet meaningful fissure in this misogynistic culture where the danger of gender violence is present at all times. Everyone is watching the #MeToo. I am suggesting to the perpetrators to apologize and deeply regret their assaults. I am honored to unite with such courageous people like you today.“

 

One of our sister agency, Korean Women's Union‘s newcomer recited a poem by Moon Chung-Hee, named <The Crying Servant>:

“Okrye’s mother, who was always pale and green like a thistle, was a servant who cried for the deceased/

She cried instead of the triste as if the world was trembling/

And gleaned countless meteors dropped from her cry/

Her hunger, her sad mourn/

Guided everyone dead to the underworld, relieving people from burden/

Only some wandered for a while. The mother who cried sadly feverishly/

Hung the meteors on the sky up upon her head to every pit/

When will her cry stop? Okyre, our poet’s daughter, thy resembles thistle /

You will soon learn how to cry like your mother/

You will learn how to cry instead of the triste in this world

 

 

 

Kwak Mila from <Co-op Sunnyside Care>, Ansan domestic workers’ cooperative also made her speech.

 

"Domestic workers, who only get paid under the minimum wage, are constantly under danger of being sexually harassed or experiencing sexual assaults while providing their service as cleaning, cooking or housekeeping. We cannot dare to report this traumatic experience to anyone since we need that least minimum wage for the living should not be paid under the minimum wage(She burst into tears). I do not see this as a mere vice of the perpetrators. I would like to accuse this country of not fulfilling its promises to offer stable and decent job conditions for domestic workers."

 

 

 

Jeune from Ansan Women Workers Association also spoke on behalf of a victim of domestic sexual abuse.

 

 

 

The testimony continues as the Lee Song-yeon from the student solidarity group with Seongang University’s cafeteria workers continues.

 

"University cafeterias often hire the elderly females, often outsourcing them or cutting back the wage, dangering the job security of these elder female employees. Relocation of female laborers in the position of the discriminated and disadvantaged position is likely to lead women as the weak, powerless employee at the workplace who can easily be disregarded, resulting them to be a target of gender violence. "

 

Testimonies from 193 courageous women continued for 2,018 minutes and much more participated with us in the Square.

“The World shall hear as we speak. We who changed will stand up to shatter your world! Women for Rights, Changes shall be made!”

 

 

 

 

These were the strong slogans that announced the very beginning of the protest, <Ending Gender Discrimination/ Sexual Abuse>. As we conclude the gathering, many others filled the Square and showed supports.

 

 

 

 

 

Son Yung-Joo, KWWA’s president, first opened the filibuster with a speech introducing the issue of sexual assaults in the workplace. She quoted and announced the results collected by KWWA. <Call for Equality>, KWWA’s hotline for female workers, published a statistics showing the increase in sexual assaults in the workplace, whereas the government and Ministry of Labor which are in charge of preventing such offense are neglecting their duty to regulate the abusers and companies. In some occasions, labor supervisors were responsible for causing a ripple effect on victims. Most cooperations had no systematic administration which ensures thorough inspection of the assault and restitution for victims.

 

 

Later, the representatives of women's organizations, #MeToo accusers from the theatre business and literary world also continued to raise their voices.

Quoting Choi Young-Mi, a poet and accuser, “We have brought down the ‘monster’ and we shall continue to fight”.

 

After the first half of the protest, participants marched out the Jongro together shouting out the slogans below.

 

The world after #MeToo that we shall make- Slogans for <Ending Gender Discrimination/ Sexual Abuse>

-I remember / I witnessed

-We remember / We are the proof

-We are here/ Here for you

-The World will hear / As we speak

-We testify / People shall hear

-We stand here / ready to change the world

-Gender discrimination and sexual abuse / shall be eliminated from now on

-Gender discrimination and sexual abuse / must be shattered right now

-The world with difference / that we will build

-The world that #MeToo will change / shall be built by us

- Now we are the waves of change

 

 

 

- We no longer vote for politicians who are charged for sexual assaults

- We boycott misogynic media

- We boycott misogynic game companies

- We boycott entertainers who are charged for sexual assaults

- We boycott enterprises discriminating female employees

- The perpetrators should end up in jail

- They shall speculate on their fault in prison

- If “gender equality” is too hard for you, first learn to respect

- We shall lead real democracy win

 

 

 

- Stop silencing the voice of victims / There are no politics in gender violence

- How can men pick up Pence rule when women raise their voices on gender violence?

- No one defamed perpetrators but himself / Stop countercharging victims

- “Gold diggers” don’t exist / Eradicate rape culture

- We shall fight against rape culture / right now

- Stop countercharging victims / right now

- Perpetrators to jail / Victims to everyday life

 

 

 

The world will greatly suffer and change after the #MeToo incident, and it is a change to be done. At the end of the protest, there shall be a society where “no one fears gender discrimination and gender-based violence and pursue their job in a safe, equal way”. KWWA will always withstand and join as the actor for a fairer society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by KWWA
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On a sunny day, March 8th, the rally of leaving office at 3pm for resolving gender wage gap was held in the Gwanghwamoon Square.

 

 

 

 

 

There were many banners from feminist groups as well as trade unions. Before the rally started, we set up the alarm for 3pm. Korean female workers wage average is only 64% of that of male workers, which means that female workers work without pay after 3pm. This gender wage gap has been the biggest among the OECD countries for fifteen years. When the alarm went off, we all typed “Stop at 3 O’clock” on the search engines to make it #1 real-time search word that people can be aware of on the first page of their internet access and get interested. (Not sure if we did make it #1, though. J)

 

 

We had three main rallying cries;

1. Never ask if a woman is married, if a woman has a boyfriend, or if a woman has a childbirth plan! Hire women at least a half!

2. Uproot sexual violence in the workplace!

3. The Government should observe minimum wage rule!

 

 

The first speaker was a college student Park Hweewon from Korean Students Rally.

Never ask if a woman is married, if a woman has a boyfriend, or if a woman has a childbirth plan! Hire half and half!

Never ask our family plan! It’s none of your business!

Do not discriminate by gender in the hiring process! Self-inspect your sexism!

She shouted out loud as a college student who soon would be directly concerned with the hiring process.

 

 

 

 

The second speaker argued for the removal of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Park Jiyeon, a worker from Daegu, shared her experience of sexual harassment at work and of co-workers’ support and trade union’s solidarity which ended up expelling the perpetrator from work.

Yes, change is possible by #MeToo and #WithYou!

 

 

The chairperson of the Cooperative Council of Care Workers, Yoon Hyeyeon, gave the third speech. She pointed out that the Government had set the wage of personal assistants for the disabled, senior caregivers, baby caregivers, and other sorts of care workers lower than the minimum wage. It has caused damage to care workers and care service providers as well as to care receivers.

 

The Government should observe minimum wage rule!

Minimum wage 10,000 won should start from the Government!

 

 

Then, we sang the official song for Stop at 3 O’clock Rally and danced.

 

 

 

Equal labor but without pay after 3pm

Stop there

The biggest gender wage gap among the OECD countries

Can’t put up with this

Give me the money

Same wage gap for the fifteen years

It’s time to change

Let’s stop at 3 O’clock

 

 

 

It was fun to dance, but the lyrics exactly fit the depressing reality of the gender wage gap. Same wage gap for the fifteen years and the sexist labor/wage structure needs to be transformed!

 

We recited the declaration of The Second Rally of Leaving Office at 3pm.

 

 

 

 

 

[Declaration of Struggle]

2018 International Women’s Day Joint Action of Feminist and Labor Groups Stop at 3 O’clock Declaration

Stop at 3 O’clock, once again in 2018.

 

Listen to women’s voice! Women still have to stop at 3 O’clock this year.

 

Today last year on the International Women’s Day, female workers stopped working at 3pm and gathered in the square. While male workers earned 1,000,000 won, female workers earned 640,000 won only. Given the eight-hour labor a day, female workers worked virtually without pay after 3pm. Many women held the first Stop at 3 O’clock Rally against this reality last year.

 

Online and onsite participants argued that this gender wage gap was not only about the wage system but also the product of the unreasonable labor process that female workers had to be engaged in. For example, many female workers were not considered for promotion just because they were women. Many female workers experienced career breaks because women alone had to be responsible for childcare. Care work and service work, in which female workers dominate, had been undervalued. All these female-labor-related problems resulted in the average gender wage gap, which women could easily witness and experience. Gender wage gap attracted social attention last year. However, how much the female workers’ realities have changed since last year’s rally? Against the surprisingly firm irrationalities, women today, once again this year, left their offices at 3pm and are crying for change.

 

Never ask if a woman is married, if a woman has a boyfriend, or if a woman has a childbirth plan! Hire women at least a half!

Many women face sexism at work from the hiring process. Last year Korea Gas Safety Corporation failed seven female qualified job applicants, because the then president Park ordered “Never hire women.” Moreover, many women get private and sexist questions including if a woman is married, if a woman has a boyfriend, or if a woman has a childbirth plan. Being asked these questions in every job interview, women can realize that companies do not hire women just because they are women! Why is the hiring ratio not commensurate to the population ratio—half and half? This society presumes marriage and childbirth as all the women’s natural duty, and attributes the responsibility to give birth and care children only to women. Companies avoid hiring women for this reason. The society and companies should change.

 

#MeToo. Uproot sexual violence in the workplace!

Prevalent sexual violence in the workplace prevents women from continuing their career. Recent courageous wave of #MeToo has revealed sexual violence cases in the Prosecution Service, the Police Agency, the media world, the art world, and so on. It clearly shows to the whole society that sexual violence is not just an individual and unlucky event to a small number of women, but a prevalent phenomenon many working women have faced in their everyday workplaces. 

 

Sexual violence in the workplace directly menaces female workers’ right to live, but it continues under the connivance of male-centered organizational workplace culture. The courageous victim of the sexual harassment in Renault Samsung Motors was disadvantaged by exclusion from work and co-workers’ bullying. As Hanssem Corporation represents, companies deal with sexual violence incident in the workplace by criticizing the victim’s attitude, by threatening the victim to change the testimony, and by stigmatizing the victim as a gold digger or a false accuser or a revengeful woman who failed in love life. Companies do not try to resolve this prevalent problem but rather attack the victim in an organizational way. The courageous victims have to endure secondary damages. The male-centered organizational culture and companies’ problem-resolving system should be entirely transformed. Companies should not do another violence on victim with organizational schemes. Companies should take the responsibility! The Ministry of Employment and Labor should take the responsibility to inspect, manage, and punish the problematic companies!

 

The Government should observe minimum wage rule!

The minimum wage has fairly brought up in 2018 based on the Government’s resolution to raise the minimum wage to 10,000 won by the year 2020. The minimum wage issue is critical to female workers’ right to live, as a large portion of female workers are hired as temporary workers or low-paid workers. In reality, 63% of female workers are paid under the level of minimum wage. Thus, the increase and actual protection of the minimum wage will improve the quality of women’s lives and will help resolving the gender wage gap.

 

However, the reality of care workers and service workers, which are dominated by middle-aged women, still has a long way to go. The Government did not apply the minimum wage rule to their Social Service Worker Wage Index in 2018. It resulted from the general underestimation of women-dominating care work and from the State’s irresponsible attribution of social service to social service workers’ individual sacrifice. We should change this reality. The State should improve the poor labor condition and actual wage of social service workers.

 

We hereby point out this firm reality, which makes us leave the office at 3pm again on the International Women’s Day this year, and we urge three demands for change mentioned above.

 

 

2018 International Women’s Day The Second Rally of Leaving Office at 3pm

 

Joint Action of Feminist and Labor Groups Stop at 3 O’clock on the International Women’s Day

 

Korean Green Party

Korean Council of Trade Unions

사회변혁노동자당

People’s Solidarity for Social Progress

Women Labor Law Support Center

여성엄마민중당

Korea Women’s Trade Union

전국여성연대

Justice Party

Korean Women Workers Association

Korean Women’s Associations United

Women Link

Korean Students Rally

 

 

 

After the declaration, the participants marched down the Jongno street. Look at these determined faces!

 

 

 

 

Korea Women’s Trade Union had wonderful banners with great signs!

 

 

UP the minimum wage! OUT the gender wage gap! NO sexism!

 

 

 

 

We asked in advance the participants to bring some stuffs to make noisy sound during the march on the street so that people can be aware of us and the issue. Some brought a plastic bottle with pebbles inside or a small gong. Korean Women Workers Association brought whistles.

 

 

 

In the middle of the march, we organized small performances as well. We blew whistles and tore a banner with a sign of “sexual violence in the workplace” in front of the building of Kumho Asiana Group near Gwanghwamoon. We denounced the President of the corporation having called young female flight attendants into his room and harassed them.

 

 

 

Also, Korean Public Service and Transport Workers Union smashed a coffin symbolizing glass ceiling and gender wage gap with hammers. The rubber hammers could not easily break the strong coffin, which seemed to represent the firm glass ceiling of our society.

 

 

Activists and volunteers from regional branches of Korean Women Workers Association joined the rally from Ansan, Suwon, Incheon, and Puchon. Bright future of gender equal labor will arrive soon thanks to them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year’s rally was in line with the #MeToo movement, a desperate disclosure and counterattack on the male-centered culture and sexual bullying in the workplace! Gender wage gap clearly exposes the sexist nature of capitalism.

 

 

 

The rally was finished in front of Seoul Regional Office of Employment and Labor in order to criticize the Ministry of Employment and Labor for not properly reacting to working women’s ceaseless #MeToo disclosure. Joint Representative of Korean Women Workers Association Bae Jinkyung pointed out the various sorts of sexism in labor relations in Korean society.

 

 

 

Seoul Women Workers Association and Women Labor Law Support Center took the examples, in which the Ministry of Employment and Labor has not thoroughly investigated and dealt with sexual harassment in the workplace but rather has done secondary violence on the victims.

 

 

The Ministry of Employment and Labor should wake up to uproot sexual harassment in the workplace!

Hire more labor investigators with gender equality consciousness!

We will not just stand by and do nothing anymore!

 

With shouting out loud, The Second Rally of Leaving Office at 3pm was over. Thank you very much for all the support!

 

 

Posted by KWWA
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Last Sunday, March 4th, the 34th Korean Women’s Rally on International Women’s Day was held in Gwanghwamoon Square. The agenda of the rally this year was Life-Changing Gender Equal Democracy for Gender Justice.”

 

Six main rallying cries were:

#Life-Changing Expansion of Female Representativeness,

#Life-Changing Removal of Gender Wage Gap,

#Life-Changing Repeal of Abortion Ban,

#Life-Changing Enactment of Anti-Discrimination Act,

#Life-Changing Removal of Sexual Violence,

#Life-Changing Gender Equal Constitutional Amendment.

 

 

 

A stage was set up in the middle of the square, and many feminists and NGOs put up interesting booths with feminist souvenirs and various programs.

 

In the Korean Women Workers Association’s booth, we held a survey event, which we had done online last time, called “Gender equal labor is OOO.” Visitors could answer the question either by putting stickers representing their experience of gender-based discrimination in the workplace or by writing down what gender equal labor means to them.

 

 

 

 

 

More than a hundred people put stickers and wrote down what they think of gender equal labor.

 

People could choose from twenty-eight different stickers, out of which most popular answers were “I have heard (or experienced) that woman of more than certain age are hard to get a job,” “From young, I have been burdened to help domestic labor during holidays as a daughter,” “I have a lot been ordered to cook for father or brothers.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other answers like “I have been pointed out my appearance, make-up, or attire in the workplace,” “I have heard ‘woman should not be crude like you’ in the workplace or at home” occupied a lot too. We will soon publish card news about this survey.

 

Moreover, participants defined the seemingly vague phrase “gender equal labor” in their own words, such asShared domestic labor,” “No childcare by myself,” “Equal domestic labor is the prerequisite of gender equal labor,” “Equal labor, equal pay” and so on.

 

 

 

Korean Women’s Rally in 2018 had a special meaning because it was held in the high tide of the #MeToo movement. Thus, we organized a #MeToo Shouting-Speaking Rally, putting off the official opening ceremony of the anniversary to the last.

 

 

 

Speakers, who had applied in advance, shared their previously-silenced or -neglected experiences. They shouted it out in the square without any restriction but with other participants’ solidarity and support.

 

 

We sincerely hope that the perpetrators be punished, and the victims go back to their peaceful everyday lives. Thanks to the victims’ courageous disclosure and declaration, society without sexism and sexual violence will arrive soon.

 

After the #MeToo Shouting-Speaking Rally, the participants marched down the Jongno street with the banners representing the contemporary Korean women’s main issues. Thousands of feminists shouted out rally cries along the street.

 

 

Democracy cannot be accomplished without gender equality!

 

 

Uproot all sorts of sexual violence! Your era has ended!

 

Protect women’s reproductive rights! Repeal the Abortion Ban!

 

Half the population is women! Expand female representativeness!

 

Korean Women Workers Association put emphasis on “Resolve gender wage gap!” Volunteers helped holding the banners.

 

 

 

 

 

We also picketed with signs, crying Sexual violence in the workplace has not been uprooted because the Government has not properly inspected and punished! It is because of the state system!”

 

 

The one-hour-and-a-half march was followed by award ceremony in the square.

 

 

 

 

Feminist Movement of the Year Award went to Park of Renault Samsung Motors. She reported in 2013 a sexual harassment incident she experienced in the workplace and has fought against the company since then. Renault Samsung Motors has disadvantaged her and her supporters by every possible measure such as exclusion from work, disciplinary punishment, suspension of performance of her duties, and forcing her to wait to be assigned. In response to these disadvantages, Park claimed the compensation for damage against the company. After five years of lawsuit, she finally won from the Supreme Court. We hope this award can be comfort and energy for her.

 

Obstacle to Gender Equality Award went to;  

Korea Gas Safety Corporation, who failed female applicants by manipulating job interview score.

Hanssem Corporation, who provided the worst case of coping with sexual violence in the workplace.

Africa TV Corporation, who promotes and aids and abets misogynistic broadcasting contents.

Full bench of Jeju District Court of the first instance of domestic sexual violence on an immigrant woman, who forced the victim to look like victim.

Daegu Catholic Hospital and Hallym University Hospital, who sexually objectify nurses.

Daegu Bank, who cause re-victimization by tepidly reacting to sexual violence incident in the workplace.

 

 

 

Steppingstone for Gender Equality Award went to;

Elementary School teacher Choi Hyunhee (Majungmulsaem), who established a feminist teachers’ group called Research Group for Gender Equality in Elementary School Education and tries feminist education.

Accuser 5 and Deviation (Talseon), who brought up the prevalent sexual violence in the literary world.

The defense council of the US military camp comfort women’s litigation to request compensation for damage by the state, who induced the court’s judgement to contend the state’s responsibility on this state-driven prostitution.

Six writers of a book It Is Not Trivial At All: The Stories of the Female Survivors of Domestic Violence, who drove social change by speaking and writing.

 

Planning group of Stop at 3 O’clock Rally on the International Women’s Day, who broadly publicized the serious gender wage gap, won this award too. Korean Women Workers Association as the organizer of this plan was so proud of it!

 

 

 

Representatives of regional Women Workers Associations congratulated us with love and solidarity.

 

The 34th Korean Women’s Rally ended as such. Though it was a bit rainy, many women and feminists crowded the square and the streets with mutual support and solidarity.

 

 

 

 

 

Until the Life-Changing Gender Equal Democracy arrives and until all kinds of sexual violence disappears in our society, Korean Women Workers Association will stand by women with passion of solidarity and support.

See you again on the next feminist holiday!

 

 

 

Posted by KWWA
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