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2002-10-28 13:41:31, 조회 : 48 |
THE 2nd EAST ASIA WOMEN'S FORUM
AUGUST 22-24, 1996, SEOUL, KOREA
A REPORT
The Forum program consisted session 1. country report Presentation session 2. discussion on Hot issue: a). Comfort women b) Equal Employment c) Human Rights and session 3. Workshop on a) Political Empowerment b) Religion and it's Culture c) .Environment and Development Second Workshop on a) Economic Empowerment and Development b) Violence Against Women c) Peace movement.
There were about 400 participants from China, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Mongo, Taiwan and Korea participated in this forum.
The first session was about 7 speakers presented.
Representative were bring out of the economic growth rate of East Asia, specially South Korea is in the top 11th in the world. Having come out from the absolute poverty of the past the general economic situation of the Korean people has been improved significantly. In 1995, 48..3% of all women are economically active, which amounts to 40.1% of the total economically active population. Most of women employees do service, sales, and office works, and it is rare for them to have jobs in professional technical administrative, or managerial areas. Women usually work, also, in small and low-paid enterprises. the 1992 statistics shows that 62.7% of women employees are hired in enterprises with less than 5 employees. The 1995 statistics shows that the average wage of women workers was only 59% of the men's. And As we know about China is the most populous country in the world. By 1995, the population of China has reached 1,21121 billion, of which women account for 50%, or over 600 million. A representative from China shared about current situation . In her sharing, she has point out on legal guarantee of Chinese women's rights, Women's rights to work and our expectations, education and women's expections, situation of women's health and women workers be re-employed. Among those I was most interested to know about process of transforming from planed economy to market economy and with the reform of enterprises and adjustment of industrial structures, unemployed women workers turned up in some big and medium-sized cities in China. These women together with those from enterprises which have suspended or partly suspended production need to seek new employments. Representative from Hong Kong was point out about Hong Kong political situation; Hong Kong will return to China on July 1, 1997. Many hong Kong people find the future uncertain and have decided to imigrant, causing numerous social problems. Family break-ups arise when women and children imigrate while the husband stays in Hong Kong working where he is assured of employment. The high cost of land and labour have seen factories moving out of Hong Kong to mainland China where land and labour is cheaper. Eighty percent of manufacturing plans is Hong Kong has subsidiaries operation in China. The number of manufacturing workers in Hong Kong has decreased . Women in their 30's and 40's with 10-20 years of industrial work experience have been thrust into a service industry where they lack skills and confidence. Many remain unemployed and unemployable due to sex and age discrimination in the service industry's labour force. And it is difficult for women over 30 to find jobs. Cutting down on labour cost often means a move on the part of the employer to hiring part-time labourers. The majority of part-time workers are women earning a wage of about HK$ 2,000 per month. Women had family responsibilities and roles to fulfill. the lack of child care facilities available keeps women at home at home with their children, where the women remain economically dependent upon their husbands. In report from Mongolian, Structural reform has has adopted. The government policy on women fails to address real problem in the transition period and to find solutions to improve the status and living conditions of women in Mongolia. Over the years of transition, mostly women working in the areas of education, health care, manufacturing agriculture, have become victims of job reduction. The policy measures for women retired early because of many childcare and single mothers is not fair. She was sharing about women's health problems and women and poverty etc.
On the issue Comfort women, It was focus on the tasks and achievements of the Movement to resolve the issue of Military sexual Slavery by Japan. specially, Korean representative focus on the characteristics of the Japanese military Sexual Slavery System. She was saying military sexual slavery by Japan constituted the most cruel and systematically brutal crime against humanity. According to international law, it is defined as a crime against humanity. It is also a crime in violation of the international Treaty of Banning the Forced Labor and Flesh Traffic. And she introduce of Seven demands of the Korean Council. On the issue of this topic, Participants showed their concern during by sending urge the government of Japan to withdraw the Asian Women's Fund, take legal responsibility and pay state reparation.
Hot Issue on Equal Employment; it was sharing case of Korean and Japan.
Here, specially, the labor market flexibility, which has gained popularity adapted by the government as a labor policy and by enterprises as a business policy. The labor market flexibility policy has played a significant role for removing women systematically out of the labor market of regular workers. Consequently, part time and despatch workers consist mainly of women.. And they point out about problems of part-time labor. They are harsher labor condition, lack of employment stability, and exclusion from welfare benefits, social security system, and union. Therefore, new rules protecting part-time workers should be added in the labor standards act. However, part-time labor is limited in choice of jobs and in enhancing work skill even though employment stability and work condition equivalent to that of a r regular workers are provided for part time workers. The part time labor brings back the division of jobs based on sex and obstructs the development of women. There are many more interest and important issues has raised by speakers on prevention and control of sexual harassment in the work place, women maintaining maternal responsibility and professional career at the same time etc. At the workshop participants came out suggestion on policies for women's equal employment, including equal pay for equal work should be fully implemented in order to remove the strong gender discrimination at the workplace. and emphasized that Working mothers need the maternity leave and protection of reproductive health and rights and we have heard that there are many women who are unemployed because of their pregnancy and child and family care need sufficient training opportunities for their economic independence.
The Human rights of marginalized women, in particular , discussion in this issues; the elderly disabled and foreign migrant workers , and participants express that it should be recognised as a social issue. And asked full legal protection for them.
Women in religion; participants realized women's situation in the religion, and t therefore, participants demand the churches to free themselves from racism, sexism and classism as well as teachings and practices that discriminate against women, and the churches should be encouraged to take actions in solidarity with women, was requested.
I was one of the speaker in the workshop of "Economic Empowerment and Development". In the may speech, I was point out common women workers issues in East Asia. Women's Participation in the Economy in 1970-80, Most of our Asian countries are moving in the direction of consolidating capitalism.
In the past two decades, Asia has adopted an export-led development policy aiming at bringing in foreign investments by producing goods for export to the developed countries. This economic policy was characterized by the establishment of Free Trade Zones where special incentives were given to investors.
The Majority of Labor force employed in FTZ/EPZ are women especially young and single employed mainly in the assembly line.
In recent years, many TNCs and other enterprises in East Asian countries have transferred some part of their capital to other Asian countries where cheap labor is available and where labor control is still very strong. This has taken place mainly in labor-intensive small to medium-sized industries.
Common trends in East-Asia
The unstable conditions facing women workers in Asia. Plant closures are happening in Asia which management use as a way to prevent workers from organizing and also as a way to gain access to cheap labor. Companies move their plants to the rural areas and move out of the country overseas. Women workers are particularly hard hit by the industrial restructuring process. Companies are relocating labor intensive industries to poorer countries of Asia. As women workers have always concentrated in labor intensive jobs, jobs lost under economic restructuring process are usually women's jobs.
Increasing of the flexible workers; as happens in many other countries, women are being gradually pushed into terribly low-paid, insecure employment. Part-time workers and temporary workers have been increasing in Asia.
These flexible workers does not covered by labor law and receiving lower salary as lower as 60% of the wages of regular employment, not only wages also does not enjoy welfare benefits.
Migrant workers are increasing in East Asia. And as we see sub-contracting workers are mostly married women. They work longer hours, harsh working conditions and less opportunities for labor organising. A large member of women workers are employed in low-skilled jobs and they are concentrated in a small company. In 1992, women working in firms employing less than 5 workers comprised 62.7% of all women in the labor force in Korea.
From the second East Asian Women's forum , hearing from 7 countries and areas in the region on the progress made a very little by governments and NGOs during the past year. Even then this exchange forum gave me many information and ideas and learned experiences in overcoming the political, economic, social and cultural barriers faced by women. And I reaffirmed that women can make a difference through coming together and working together and strengthen our NGO network which will empower us to take more active role at the national, regional and international levels.
After all, the forum promoted a sense of sisterhood and solidarity among women and women's NGOs in region. And it can be strengthen our solidarity and understanding on women's situation in East Asia by sharing among the participants at the workshop. I have learn many things from the workshop and I was able to found out important of empowering women by hearing from and sharing experiences with participants. they are more things that I have benefit from the workshop.
Suggestions to APHD
I think APHD as a church agency, should responce in this difficulte women's situation, therefore I would like to request to APHD, to take up issues of women. empowerment;
- supporting activities on women equal employment including equal pay for equal work and activities on gender discrimination at the workplace and maternity protection of reproductive health and rights.
-Activity on improve provisional measures that give favorable treatment to women in job training and employment.
Specially I would like to request to APHD if possible suport or do monitoring TNCs conditions and to bring women workers leaders or APHD partners who are working in this issue from East Asia to developing countries, specially countries where East-Asia Companies relocated or set up their companies. So that they see the workers situation in developing countries and exchange their ideas.
Possible Program would; 1) Exchange visit 2) Information Exchange 3) linkage solidarity between sending country and receiving country 4) Research on working coundition in receiving country 5) Need skill training for job less women workers in East Asia, APHD responce to this need situation by suporting organisation's program or doing by APHD itself.
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