PRESS RELEASE
Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Committee for Asian Women (CAW) and The Asian Women Workers Festivals (AWWF) 2002
Organized by Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) and The Working Committee of AWWF 2002

Women have always for several centuries bee the backbone of society and the economy-both the paid and the unpaid economy. Women have always worked. Even today women are said to produce 80% of the food for the world. When economies began to industrialize over a century ago, women were an important part of the economy. However, it was around the 1960s and later, with export-oriented industrialization that women became the main contributors to the economy all over the world, including Asia.

The last four decades have witnessed young girls from the rural hinterlands of Asia being transformed into mature, responsible and adult women workers. More often than not women workers have been denied their rightful share of their fruits of labour. Women have been denied labour as well as human rights. Women have been denied a fair wage. They have had to live in basic insecurity of livelihood, incomes and a tomorrow.

Women make up 45 % of the paid workforce and do almost 95% of very crucial but unpaid work ?giving birth to and looking after the children, cooking, cleaning and making a home out of a house. Yet, women constituted 70% of the world뭩 population living in poverty. Women and girls I several countries of Asia have been denied the basic right to education.  Two-thirds of the illiterate populations of the world consist of women.  

Middle-aged women in East Asia have experienced blatant discrimination in employment.

Southeast Asian women workers have braved loss of jobs through retrenchment as well as lack of social security.

In South Asia, women face discrimination right from cradle to grave. Girls are denied education and training while boys are encouraged to advance in education, even when they have no aptitude for it.  Denial to girls and women in India can often go to the extent of denying nutritious food to girls and women, while giving it to men and boys.

The recent phenomena in the half-decade see the increasing of retrenchment or unemployment.  Subcontracting is deployed to push women workers out of the formal economy. Thus, they are pushing more and more out of the formal economy to the informal economy throughout the Asian region. Women worker leaders and the union뭩 members were unfair treated and retrenched so that their organization can be destroyed. Women suffered family pressure, violence and health deteriorated with the increasing of economic difficulties and poverty. In some countries in Asia there is increased militarization and this brings with it the systematic use of violence against women. For example, in Burma increased military spending means decreased budget for basic amenities like health and education.

CAW and her network groups, this, demand for employment and job security, legal protection for the informal economy, social security protection and a right to livelihood without harassment and victimization.

Women workers have resolutely, collectively, and individually, stood for defending their rights. It is this spirit and optimism that we are sharing and celebrating by getting women workers form different Asian countries together and by crating space for the cultural expression of these women workers?organizations and troupes.

Salute to Women Workers?Struggle in Asia!
Posted by KWWA
|