KITAKYUSHU FORUM ON ASIAN WOMEN JULY 2006

Triannual Publication

WOMEN TODAY …………………………

PARTICIPATING IN THE 50TH CSW…… %CURRENT ISSUES SERIES………………!

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS REPORTS… &KITAKYUSHU RESIDENTS’

NEW FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTSENVIRONMENTAL FORUM …………… "THE FORUM WINDOW ………………… 

STUDY TOUR …………………………… $INFORMATION…………………………… 

NO.

47

JULY 2006

The Asian Century
must include a greaterrole for women
When the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women wasestablished in 1990, some 920 million Asian people
lived on less than one dollar a day. By 2003, that
number had dropped to about 620 million - animpressive feat, driven largely by rapid andsustained economic growth.
But to reach Asia’s full potential, much needs to bedone to ensure that all citizens have the opportunity
to participate in, contribute to, and benefit fromgrowth. With more than two-thirds of the world’s
poor, how Asia manages its development challenges
will most certainly, and profoundly, affect our global
destiny.
Maintaining rapid growth is essential to ensure that
region’s poor and underprivileged have a better
future. This will require substantial investments,
particularly in infrastructure services to provide
access to markets, encourage private sector
development and create jobs. It will also require
deeper regional integration to connect poorer
countries to opportunities in the global economy.
But economic growth alone is not enough. Increased
efforts are needed to include women and otherdisadvantaged groups in the process of growth. It is
well known that women suffer disproportionatelyfrom poverty. In much of developing Asia, womenare much less likely than men to have decent
employment opportunities, access to education andhealth services, or a voice in the governance of theircommunities and their countries.
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide
clear targets for reducing world poverty by 2015. As
measured against the MDG indicators on promoting
gender equality and empowering women, most Asian
countries are making good progress on eliminating
gender disparity in education. In Bangladesh, forinstance, only about half as many girls as boys wereenrolling in secondary schools in 1990. By 2001, thisdisparity had been completely eliminated, with girls
even having a slightly higher enrollment than boys.
However, women clearly still face significant
barriers preventing them from accessing well-paidjobs in the public and private sectors, earning equal
wages, and participating in national parliaments.
Moreover, the fact that about a quarter of a million
women in Asia and the Pacific die each year fromcomplications related to pregnancy or childbirthdemonstrates the depth of deprivation far too many
women face in accessing even the most basic ofservices.
As a regional development institution focused onpoverty reduction, the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) is committed to helping its developing
member countries (DMCs) tackle such barriers to

No.47 JULY 2006

Mr. Haruhiko Kuroda

President,
Asian Development Bank

improve women’s prospects. In keeping with thiscommitment, a growing proportion of ADB-funded
projects in areas like health, education, transportand rural infrastructure, agriculture, water supply
and natural resource management specificallyaddress gender disparities and empower women toplay a larger role in decisions that affect them.
Qualified gender specialists in ADB headquarters
and field offices are working to build partnerships
with governments, communities and otherdevelopment agencies; increase awareness and skills
pertaining to address gender issues; and identify
and implement projects through which women can
actively improve their own lives, as well as those of
their families and communities.
One of ADB’s rural infrastructure projects in
Bangladesh recruited women as laborers alongsidemen. It also employed more than 2,000 women intree planting and road maintenance, and trained
hundreds more in shop management to promotewomen’s participation in rural markets. In the Lao
People’s Democratic Republic, female enrolment inrural schools increased by 20% over a five year
period, due to a partnership agreement between the
Government and ADB to bring education to girls of
ethnic minorities living in remote villages. Poor
women in Pakistan are building their own
businesses with the assistance of microfinance loans
from the ADB-supported Khushhal Bank. More than
50,000 women have benefited from this opportunity
to increase their incomes, educate and improve thehealth of their children, and contribute to further
development of their communities. To help improveprimary health care in Afghanistan, which has thehighest maternal death rate in Asia, ADB has
provided grant funding to set up community healthcenters, train health workers, and contract nongovernment organizations to support communities indelivering health services.
While the challenge ahead is large, progress is being
made. Projects like these are making a realdifference in women’s lives. ADB is firmly committed
to working with partners in government, civilsociety, other development organizations and theinternational community to ensure that the Asian
century is one in which all members of society canshare.
ProfileMr. Kuroda joined the Ministry of Finance in 1967. Director-General of
the International Bureau and as Vice Minister of Finance between
1997 and 2003. He was Special Advisor to the Cabinet of JapanesePrime Minister Koizumi on international monetary issues, and aprofessor at the graduate school of economics at Hitotsubashi
University in Tokyo. Mr. Kuroda was elected President by ADB’s
Board of Governors and officially assumed office on February 2005.

2

Current Issues Series
The Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake (2)Health and the Prevention of Domestic/
Sexual Violence

Ms. Reiko Masai
Representative,
Women’s Net Kobe

many companies accommodated their workers innearby hotels, while their wives had to remain in theaffected areas. As a result, many wives were left alone,some with their infants and others with their elderly
parents, while their husbands moved to hotels near
their workplaces. Reportedly, due to their fear ofaftershocks that frequently hit the affected area, many
panicked women abused their children. Pregnant
women and women immediately after delivery who
continued staying in their own houses wereparticularly vulnerable. Without easy access to
professional help, daily necessities and information,
many women developed fatigue, anxiety and a sense ofloneliness, particularly, when their husbands were
either far away or not cooperative. It is truly
deplorable that women who absolutely needed care
were regarded and treated as care providers instead ofcare recipients.
●Disasters and Violent Actions against Women
Women’s Net Kobe established a women’s hotline
immediately after the earthquake. Of the consultations
we offered to women victims, 60% concerned domestic
violence against women. One woman caller stated “Myhouse collapsed completely, yet we have to continue
paying the housing loan for ten more years. My
husband beat me even in the presence of our threeyear-old daughter.” Another woman said, “I am eightmonths pregnant. Yet, my husband beats me, shoutingthat he doesn’t want any more children.” As an
increasing number of women learned about the hotline,
we received more and more calls.
For several months after the earthquake, Kobe’s streets
had no electricity. On dark streets with so many empty,
collapsed buildings, many women were raped. In July
1995, we held an assembly with the slogan “We will
never forgive sexual violence.” To this assembly, we
invited women lawyers and public nurses who served atmany shelters. Many women victims were forced to staysilent because they had no other option but to remain
where they were (such as shelters or temporary
housing). Given such an emergency situation, many
communities tended to pretend that there were norapes or any other sexual crimes.
During the High-Level Intergovernmental Meeting on
Beijing+10 held in New York, February 2005,
participants sought solutions to infringements ofwomen’s human rights, particularly sexual violence, inareas hit by disaster or involved in conflict. In Japan,
we must also seek effective solutions by incorporating
post-disaster programs gender-sensitive viewpoints,
especially measures to prevent violence against
women. At the same time in non-emergencies, weshould work to develop measures for the prevention ofdomestic violence and the creation of systems to
support women victims. Above all, we must foster anenvironment where the victims of sexual violence caneasily report the criminal acts without risk.

A 1990 report reviewed the impact of the Loma Prieta
Earthquake in California on Women. This report
entitled “Influence of the Earthquake on Violenceagainst Women” concluded that violence against
women can worsen after any large disaster. It also
concluded that any relief and restoration programs
should include measures to prevent and control violent
acts against women and children. Regrettably,
Japanese organizations did not have a copy of thisreport by the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake.
●The Impact of Shelter Life on Women’s Health
According to the results of a survey conducted in
December 1995 by the Earthquake Victims’
Association 11 months after the Great Hanshin-Awaji
Earthquake, more women than men experienced
worsened health problems. While staying in shelters,
where no privacy was secured, women victims had to
do most of the household chores and take care of theirchildren and sick/elderly family members. In the postdisaster situation, greater burdens were imposed on
women than on men, due to persistent stereotypes
about gender roles.
At the women’s meetings held in May 1995, I heard
many women complain about the absence of privacy at
shelters. I particularly remember a remark by a young
woman who was sheltering at an elementary schoolbuilding. Sobbing bitterly, she said, “Whenever I cameback to the shelter at night, I felt anger at seeing somany male strangers in the same room with me.” At
that shelter, both men and women had to use thesame toilet. There was nowhere to change clothing,free from men’s eyes. Depriving women of the right toprivacy is an infringement of human rights. Long-termstays in surroundings without any privacy were
extremely stressful, particularly, for women.
Moreover, many women experienced great anxiety andfear. Mothers were forced to soothe their crying babies
in the cold outdoors to prevent their crying children
from disturbing other victims. As there were no
nursing rooms, mothers also breastfed their babies
outdoors. Moreover, many mothers decided not to livein shelters because of such a harsh environment. Sincemany women were suffering from menstrual
disorders, cystitis and vaginitis, I wished there wereclinics for women, preferably with midwives. If thiswas impossible, at least, a woman leader should havebeen appointed in each shelter. I now believe that inpost-disaster situations women should participate in
the operation of shelters and layout of living spaces
within shelters. In preparing relief plans for disastervictims, gender-sensitive viewpoints should beincorporated in both shelter operation and designs aswell the stockpiling of relief materials.
●Insufficient Support for Pregnant Women andMothers with Infants
Because of the shattered transport infrastructure,3

No.47 JULY 2006

Kitakyushu Residents’
Environmental Forum〜 Toward Creating a World Capital City of Environmental Movements 〜Organizers : Kitakyushu Ecolife-Stage Executive Committee,
Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW);
Cooperation : Kitakyushu City, The Mainichi Newspapers;Sponsor: Kitakyushu City Board of Education

Ms. Maathai (center) and Mayor Sueyoshi (right) during their presentations.
Ms. Misumi (left), president of the KFAW, served as coordinator.

On Sunday, February 19, 2006, the Kitakyushu Residents’ Environmental Forum was held at Wakamatsu Citizen’s
Hall, on the theme “Toward Creating a World Capital City of Environmental Movements.” At this Forum, we werepleased to have the presence of Ms. Wangari Maathai, Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Environment and Natural
Resources of Kenya. Other participants included Mr. Koichi Sueyoshi, mayor of Kitakyushu, who seeks to develop theCity into a world capital city of environmental movements; and Ms. Yoshiko Misumi, the president of the KFAW, anorganization that has been committed to environmental movements from gender-sensitive perspectives. As theForum’s coordinator, Ms. Misumi chaired discussions engaged in by Ms. Maathai and other participants. Together
with the audience members, the Forum participants considered environmental problems from the perspective of three
key phrases: the Greenbelt Movement, “Mottainai” and the World Capital City of Environmental Movements.
Since 1977 Ms. Maathai has been leading the Greenbelt Movement, under which she promotes the planting of trees,
particularly among women in farming villages. The movement not only fosters environmental preservation, but also
women’s economic independence, providing many women with perspectives on how to overcome poverty. In
recognition of Ms. Maathai’s great contribution to “sustainable development, democracy and peace,” she was honoredwith a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004. She was the first recipient of the Prize in the field of the environment.
Women’s Collaboration and theHelping one another, women gradually learned skills

Spread of the “Greenbelt Movement”

in forestry management. Seeing seedlings grow into

In Kenya, many women had difficulties satisfying

trees, with burgeoning fresh leaves, women realized

such basic needs as clean water and firewood forthat they could fulfill their tasks. In this way, manycooking. Considering this a great challenge, Ms.

women developed self-confidence.

Maathai commenced a tree-planting campaign. She

repeatedly told these women that even if they failed

believed that by planting trees, women could gain

time and again, they should not give up. Instead,firewood while preventing soil erosion. By selling

they should continue their efforts to spread theseedlings, women can gain income. Moreover, trees

movement.

can fertilize the land, where women can grow crops.

After planting trees, women had to confirm whether

When she initiated the Greenbelt Movement, manyor not the trees were growing steadily. Since it was

women were reluctant to join because of lack ofdifficult to manage forests that were over fiveconfidence in their abilities. Ms. Maathai encouraged

kilometers from their homes, Ms. Maathai organized

women who were worried about their lack ofmany women’s groups. This in turn resulted in

education, saying, “Trust in your own intuition.

spreading the campaign across the country. The

Women’s intuition is most rational and logical.” By

Greenbelt Movement also helped restore local

encouraging many women to overcome various

communities.

obstacles and social barriers, Ms. Maathai helped

Many men, who were at first reluctant to join thistheir empowerment and integration into the

movement, began to plant trees. They learned thatmainstream of their societies.

forested land is valued highly and can sell at higher

No.47 JULY 2006

4

Ms. Maathai

prices. Moreover, many women went to schools toteach schoolchildren how to plant seedlings. Throughthe Greenbelt Movement, women learned about
many issues related to education, environment andtheir own empowerment. At the same time, “Getting
the government to support the campaign was themost challenging,” Ms. Maathai said. “However,
women eventually made the government pay
attention to their movements,” she continued.
“Mottainai,” a Message to Restore

Ms. Maathai watered Japanese oak seedlings together
with representatives of Kitakyushu residents to promote
the greening of the region and help prevent global
warming.

our Environment
When Ms. Maathai received the first Nobel Peace
Prize for environmentalists, she stated she felt agreat deal of responsibility. While pondering how she
could impart her message to the world, Ms. Maathai
happened to learn a Japanese term, “Mottainai.”

women’s group, led by mothers, was particularlyThis single term, she believes contains the spirit ofenthusiastic in fighting against pollution problems.

all the three Rs, namely, Reuse, Reduce and Recycle.

A women’s campaign, entitled “We want our Blue

This term represents a concept that has been

Skies Back,” eventually led Kitakyushu City’s

fostered in Japanese traditional culture and lifestyle.

environmental movement to develop into a global

It can be shared by peoples of various other cultures

environmental preservation movement, transcending

since it embraces solutions to a wide variety of

the city’s boundaries. Citizens of Kitakyushu haveproblems. Although many Japanese people in the

been endeavoring to preserve the precious naturalpresent-day affluent society have nearly forgotten

environment for future generations.

this term, Ms. Maathai reminded them of it.

that regional development projects should not

Traveling around the world, Ms. Maathai saw many

destroy the environment, residents of Kitakyushu

people, both poor and wealthy, taking care of trees

haveand protecting their local environment in their own

sustainable. Their commitment has been of great

ways. She firmly believes that people can achievesignificance, matching that of the Greenbelt

the targets stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol and can

Movement led by Ms. Maathai.

realize sustainable environment through their grass

Mayor Sueyoshi stated that to tackle environmentalroots commitment. By promoting the concept ofchallenges on a global basis, it is essential to study"Mottainai," she hopes to further promote grass roots

and clarify basic visions and concepts, and toactivities.

promoteworkedtoglobalworldwide.

make

Recognizing

development

movements,

projects

involvingpeopleThe Mayor announced, while taking

Creating a Sustainable Society and theadvantage of Kitakyushu’s previous experience inWorld Capital City of Environmental Movements

overcoming pollution, the city will continue its efforts

In the 1960s, Kitakyushu City was developing as one

to make itself the most friendly in the world to bothof Japan’s heavy industrial centers which supported

residents and ecosystems. He emphasized that,

our country’s high economic growth. At that time,

together with its residents, the Kitakyushu willresidents regarded the smoke rising from factory

pursue its program to develop into the "Worldchimneys as a symbol of the City’s thriving industry.

Capital City of Environmental Movements."

However, despite the flourishing economy, the urban

As the coordinator, President Misumi of the KFAW

environment began to deteriorate. In addition to theconcluded the Forum by stating that residents ofsmoggy gray sky, Dokai Bay became so polluted that

Kitakyushu should work together to create a

it was called the "death sea."

Environmental

sustainable society, seeking an optimal balancecampaigns in Kitakyushu City were initiated in the

between environmental protection, social development

form of measures taken against such serious

and economic growth. A sustainable society, she also

pollution. To overcome the problem, enterprises,emphasized, fosters the synergy of healthy economy

local governments, researchers and citizens madeand sound environment. It is also ensures peace,concerted efforts. Of the various groups involved, aprotection of human rights and gender equality.

5

No.47 JULY 2006

Study Tour in India■ Purpose of the Study TourThe 21st century has been dubbed the “century of Asia” and the“century of human rights.” With this in mind, KFAW planned a
study tour to India on the theme “Pondering the Human Rights of
Women and Children in India.” We publicized the tour plan in theCity’s bulletin to invite women residents of Kitakyushu who areinterested in women and children’s issues in India. As a result, a
total of eight women participated in the study tour, which lasted
eight days from January 16 to 23, 2006.
Even among the thriving Asian economies, India records aparticularly outstanding economic growth rate. During our visit toIndia, we visited three NGOs and held meetings between
representatives of Indian women’s groups and KFAW members.

respective communities. To our great surprise, the NGO has a large
membership of 100,000 in India.
INDCARE: To protect the residential rights of women living inslums, this NGO assists such women in fighting against unfair
demands by the government to leave their areas. In addition, theNGO offers them various services relating to education, healthcare
and livelihood, and works to make their living environment
women-friendly. The NGO also operates various businesses,
including meal services. We visited one INDCARE facility thatprovides school lunch to 70,000 students in New Delhi. By
operating a meal service business, INDCARE offers poor women
job opportunities. Adjacent to the facility, there is a day nurserythat enables mothers to work and thus seek economic
independence. I was particularly impressed to learn that eachmember of INDCARE has a strong sense of self-help, which I
believe is attributable to various activities of the Self Help Group in
India. We saw many poor women fighting poverty and otherobstacles with firm resolution. They also have deep trust in Ms.
Reeva Sood, an extraordinary leader of INDCARE, who
continuously inspires such women. The poor women’s power, I
believe, attests to the energy and dynamism of the Indian people,
who underpin India’s thriving economy.
● Discussion Meetings
In Mumbai and New Delhi, we held discussion meetings with local
women who are active in various circles. Talking with women
entrepreneurs, reporters, teachers and staff members of NGOs, wefound that we shared many common aspects which evoked deep
mutual empathy.

■ Details of the Study Tour
● Visiting Three NGOs
ApneAap: This NGO assists women victims of human trafficking
who were forced to engage in prostitution. The NGO also helps thechildren of such women. Using closed school buildings, the NGO
members provide the children with education; assist the motherswith finding jobs; offer various other services related to women’s
health and livelihood and support victims’ efforts to leadindependent lives. One of the tour members, who works at a day
nursery in Japan, took along Japanese kamishibai, or picture cards
for storytelling. Showing the children the picture cards, she told
them the stories in English. The Indian children, who had neverseen such picture cards, were eager to listen to the stories. We alsotaught the children how to fold paper cranes and make paper
cutouts. I hope that the children enjoyed learning about such
Japanese arts.
SPARC: In India, due to the great income gap between rich andpoor, there are many poor people living on the streets. In thisenvironment, SPARC encourages the poor to save money to build
houses for themselves. At the same time, the NGO offers lowinterest loan service for poor women. In addition, SPARC offers
various other community-based services, based on thoroughdiscussions with local people about diverse problems facing■ Impressions of the Tour
Throughout the tour, I was overwhelmed by the power of Indian
women, who despite harsh conditions, are finding their own life
paths through solidarity with other women. India is indeed a great
power, where both modern and traditional aspects, including thepersistent caste system, intermingle. Presently, it is experiencing
amazing economic growth. Moreover, it has a population of 1.1
billion. Throughout the eight days of the study tour, I was
fascinated by the boundless power and immeasurable potential of
the Indian people. After the tour I was even more confident thatIndia will increase its presence in Asia.

▲Study Tour participants reading and instructing
local children in Mumbai.

No.47 JULY 2006

6

Participating in the 50th Session of the
UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
Dr. Hiroko Hara, Chair, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women
these themes, agreed conclusions were compiled, the details of
which are available on the UN website on CSW (http://www.un.org/
womenwatch/daw/csw/50sess.htm). In addition, six resolutions
were adopted (See Table 1).
The Japanese delegation comprised Ambassador Shinichi Kitaoka,
Japan's representative to the UN; Dr. Yoriko Meguro,
representative of the Japanese delegation and professor at Sophia▲The Asian Pacific Caucus, February 27, 2006

University; staff members of various governmental offices(including the ministries of Foreign Affairs; Health, Labour and

The 50th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

Welfare; Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology;

was held at UN Headquarters from February 27 to March 10, 2006.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and the Cabinet Office) andOn behalf of the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW), I

Ms. Kei Fusano, advisor to the delegation. On the afternoon of theparticipated in the session, as well as an NGO consultation, held atthird day of the session (March 1), Dr. Meguro on behalf of thethe New York University on February 26, the day before theJapanese government, gave a presentation for which she won great

opening of the CSW session. During my days in New York, I wasapplause.

involved in various activities as a representative of an NGO in the

NGO activities were less vigorous than they were at the 49th

Asia-Pacific region. I was pleased and encouraged when Ms. Taeko

session held in 2005. Nevertheless many workshops andMisumi came from KFAW on February 27 to work with me until

symposiums were held daily on a wide variety of themes. As in

March 4.

previous years, before the opening of the UN session, an orientation

A total of 45 countries dispatched delegations to the 50th session of

for NGO members was held (February 26). Audience members were

the CSW, namely 13 countries from Africa; 11 from Asia; nine fromalso given ample opportunity to ask questions and express their

the Latin America and Caribbean region; four from Eastern Europe

views. I stated that rather than merely increasing the number ofas well as eight from Western Europe and the rest of the world.

women participating in decision-making processes, it is more

A chairperson for each CSW session was selected from one of theimportant to ensure the participation of both women and men who

five regions on a rotating basis. For this 50th session, H.E. Ms.

are truly enthusiastic about raising women's status.

Carmen Maria Gallardo (El Salvador) was appointed from the

From February 27 to March 10, many side events were held at

Latin America and Caribbean region. Four vice chairpersons were

Church Center and at nearby hotels. On March 7, for instance, therespectively selected from the remaining four regions-Nigeria,

Asia Pacific Women's Watch (APWW) held a workshop on potential

Hungary, the United Kingdom and Indonesia.

obstacles that could hinder women's participation in decision-

The 50th session discussions focused on the following two themes:

making processes. I reported on Japan's situation and problems.

(1) Enhanced participation of women in development: an enabling

Moreover, as a member of the secretariat of the Asia Pacific Caucus,

environment for achieving gender equality and the advancement ofthat was held everyday during the session, Ms. Misumi, other

women, taking into account, inter alia, the fields of education,members and I were extremely busy. I am proud to say that thehealth and work; and (2) Equal participation of women and men in

Asia Pacific Caucus was very active. In addition, the statements it

decision-making processes at all levels. Based on discussions onpresented during the plenary session gained keen attention frommany participants.

Table 1 Resolutions adopted at the 50th Session of the CSW・Release of women and children taken hostage, including thosesubsequently imprisoned, in armed conflicts
・Women, the girl child and HIV/AIDS・Situation of women and girls in Afghanistan
・Situation of and assistance to Palestinian women・Advisability of the appointment of a special rapporteur on lawsthat discriminate against women・Future organization and methods of work of the Commission on
the Status of Women▲UN Convention Hall on Women’s Day, March 8, 2006

7

No.47 JULY 2006

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS REPORTS

Theme : Human Rights of Women
Access to other foreign correspondents’ reports at http://www.kfaw.or.jp/english/15_report.html

WEAVE’s Health Internship for
Women’s Capacity Building

Working Women-a Marginal
Income GroupMs. Subadhra Devi Rai (Thailand)

Mr. Kazi Shamsul Alam (Bangladesh)

WEAVE (Women Education Advancement andEmpowerment), founded in 1990, believes thatbuilding on women’s existing health knowledge
and skills is a good way to address women’s healthconcerns, build their capacity and promote theirrights. The health work at WEAVE has predominantly focused on the identification and the publication of educational health materials in various
ethnic languages of Burma.
The health internship is a new component of the
WEAVE health programme. The three month internship presents an opportunity for women tolearn the process of identifying health issues intheir community; how these health issues affecttheir community and women and what are somestrategies to address health concerns. The goal of
the internship is to train individuals in the processof developing health educational materials.
Ultimately WEAVE hopes that its health internship would provide women with more than healthknowledge. WEAVE’s aim is to provide women aplatform to voice their concerns about health andexplore strategies that would strengthen the workof their CBOs. WEAVE wants women to understand that well-being is not just a consumer good
but is also a political statement. In this regard, thecooperation of ethnic CBOs is critical.
The health internship may not be able to address
all the health issues of displaced women. However,
it is a first step for women to be informed about
health and be in a position to determine the type of
health services appropriate for their community.
The health internship is also an attempt to teach
women to view health within a holistic paradigm,
one which allows for exploring health using a multisectoral framework. This means moving beyond
the biomedical point of view and understandingthat good health and adequate health services is abasic human right. This is a challenge because curative health continues to dominate the healthworldview of displaced persons.

Many of the working women, living below the poverty level, resort to manual labour for their survival. They work on building construction and road
construction sites. However, women suffer fromwage discrimination. Moreover, the distribution of
wealth does not help the poor but instead subjects
them to exploitation. There are also various circumstances encountered by this class of women which
force them to engage in such odd jobs. The reasons
are many. There is lack of equal gender opportunity
due to the bohemian social structure. Consequently,
women fall prey easily to injustice. For example, a
Mass Line Media Centre report cited that a total of
2,052 human rights incidents have occurred sinceApril 2005. The incidents also include the violationof women, namely, sexual harassment, dowry issues, acid throwing, kidnapping, human trafficking
etc. Major contributing factors were the marginalincome group’s unemployment as well as lack of
education. Though some NGOs are working for the
rehabilitation of women through self employment
programmes, these initiatives are insufficient.
Another contributing factor is the population boom.
The government with the help of donor countries
and the United Nations Organization has taken
adequate steps to address the problem. Our achievement in this field is also praiseworthy. Unfortunately, the birth rate in the low income group is still
very high. The lack of education is the prime cause.
Adult education programmes are needed today.
Women should have equal access in every sphere.
Most of these women do not possess any property
which enables them to get bank credit. The government should have some programme other than foodfor works programme. In this way, women are encouraged to engage in self employment. The government has already created some programmes likegoat farming and small dairy projects etc. In reality, however the benefits are not going to the women
but rather to middlemen. In the future, a joint collaboration between thegovernment, NGOs,
UN bodies, donor
countries and local
elites will bringfruitful results.
▲Women working at a road construction site

Please read more about WEAVE’s activities at
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/english/15th_report01.html#03

No.47 JULY 2006

8

Philippine Local News Media Portrayalof Women in Prostitution

Anti-Prostitution Bill in Congress which seeks,
among othergoals, to decriminalize prostitution
and install stiffer penalties for business owners,
pimps, traffickers and even clients. This bill treats
prostituted women as victims rather than criminals. It also treats them as human beings rather
than commodities that “clients” buy. What the billshould also contain are provisions that impose media protocol on the portrayal of prostituted women,
particularly, in news coverage. Such protocol
should stress the need to avoid sensationalizing
prostituted women as well protect their privacy
and dignity.

Ms. Nharleen Santos Millar (Philippines)
Prostituted women resort to the “flesh trade” because of poverty and exploitation. Most if not all ofthese women are poor and have been traffickedfrom the provinces to Metro Manila by pimps andeven worse, their own relatives. Most work in karaoke bars, massage parlors and or prostitution
houses. The human rights of these women are vehemently violated while pimps and bar owners
earn from the lucrative sex trade. In addition, it isduring acts of prostitution that women are exposed
to other human rights violations, such as, rape,
battery and murder, among others.
The establishments where these prostituted women and children work are usual targets of surveillance by law enforcement agencies. Commonly,
prime time news on local Philippine television feature law enforcement efforts to curb illegal activities among establishments, such as, bars, discosand saunas. At the same time, local media networks pounce on the vulnerability of these womenin an attempt to make the coverage media worthy.
A framework to understand the system of prostitution was presented in the Philippine Plan for Gender-responsive Development (PPGD 1995-2025)(NCRFW 1995). Based on this plan, the onus of the
trade is borne mainly by women who are treatedas commodities to be bought and traded. These
women also are considered to be criminals under
the law. They are seen as the problem to be solved
and as sinners to be morally reformed. What isvery often neglected in this system are the“buyers” who demand sexual services. This side of
the system is often not seen in news coverage ofraids and operations conducted by the police.
The insensitive media treatment of the plight of
prostituted women further exacerbates the violation of their human rights. As a potent vehicle tobring about reforms in terms of societal treatmentof women in prostitution, media practitioners
should not portray women in a degrading manner.
The Philippine legal system adopted Article 202 of
the Revised Penal Code as its anti-prostitution policy. This article stereotypes all prostitutes as women. In addition, women engaged in prostitution
have always become the automatic focus of apprehension. This approach neglects the appropriate
measures that should be taken against bar owners, the so-called pimps and customers/clients.
In recent years, feminists in government and civilsociety have been lobbying for the passage of an

Foreign Correspondents:
Memories of Kitakyushu Visit
Foreign Correspondents visited Kitakyushu city toparticipate in the New Energies for Mutual Understanding
Program. You can read the detailed contents of thisprogram in Asian Breeze Vol. 46. Below find thecomments of the participating correspondents :Ms. Kanthi Wijetunge, Sri Lanka
As a foreign correspondent associated with KFAW for along time, I am extremely happy that I received thisopportunity to share my experiences not only through myformal presentation but also through informal talks with
the interested parties I met there. What is greatly
appreciated is KFAW’s dedication to the development of astrong network among Asian women who are reallycommitted to the promotion of gender equality in theirown countries.

Ms. Nilima Kulkarni, India
KFAW provides an excellent platform for women acrossAsian countries in particular and worldwide in general tovoice their problems as well as share and exchange
experiences about empowerment in their own countries.
This program is one of them. Organizations like KFAW
are indispensable for the spreading of awareness among
today’s women who are struggling to achieve
empowerment.
KFAW is working increasingly to spread our network
worldwide especially to other parts of the Asia Pacificregion. We are accepting applications for the 2007-2008
Foreign Correspondents Program. See page 12(Information) of this Asian Breeze. We are looking
forward to your participation.

9

No.47 JULY 2006

NepalNew Foreign
Correspondents
KFAW established the Foreign Correspondents Program as one way to
network with mainly Asian Pacific countries. This year 17 possible
correspondents applied from 13 countries. We accepted as finalists 9
applicants from 8 countries. This is the fifteenth year of the Foreign
Correspondents Program, bringing the number of past and present
KFAW correspondents to a total of 218 participants from 33 countries.
Through this network, we hope to introduce our readers to the latest
news about women primarily in the Asia Pacific Rim.

Theme : Women and Disaster
The theme of the 2006-2007 Foreign Correspondent Program is “Womenand Disaster.”
Many natural disaster have recently occurred worldwide including theearthquake off the Coast of Sumatra; the tsunami in the Indian Ocean;the earthquakes in north Pakistan and Iraq; the landslide in thePhilippines and the hurricanes in the USA. Not only natural disasters,
but also artificial disasters like ethnic conflicts or terrorism are on therise. These circumstances cause the most damage to women andchildren because of their social and cultural backgrounds. Relief
activities and reconstruction supports, even if their scale is large, cannot ensure maximum impact without a gender perspective.
The 2000 UN General Assembly indicated that natural disaster is an
obstacle to the total enforcement of the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action. A gender perspective must be incorporated whenever disasterprevention mitigation and recovery strategies are being developed andimplemented to the tackle this relevant challenge. The 2005
Commission on the Status of Women reaffirmed the Beijing Platform for
Action. It passed a resolution on integrating a gender perspective inpost-disaster relief efforts, particularly in the aftermath of the Indian
Ocean tsunami disaster.
Foreign correspondents will report, on what is needed for the integrationof gender perspective into countermeasures including aid programs ordisaster risk reduction systems. KFAW welcomes correspondents’various viewpoints about “Women and Disaster” in their respective
countries.

Pakistan

Ms. Tehreem Hasan Syed provides age
10-17 children educational counselingand academic services at an after school
centre. She has a good command overwriting in English and writes articles
for local newspapers.

pursuit of greater profits. In retrospect, from the second half of the 1960’s to the first half of the 1970’s,
many Japanese enterprises were strongly criticizedfor their anti-social and or anti-ethical behavior. Consequently to reverse Japanese business people image
as “economic animals”, many Japanese enterprises
started to promote corporate citizenship activities.
Today, not only large enterprises, but also small andmedium enterprises, are committed to activities that
support art and cultural events. In addition to such
cultural activities, which we call “messena,” many
Japanese enterprises have begun to consider various
other kinds of corporate citizenship activities as essential components of CSR. Individual enterprises
are being evaluated in terms of their maturity as public entities. Specifically, this evaluation includes different yardsticks. For example, whether or not the

THE FORUM WINDOW
Enhancing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Activities
When I searched for “CSR” on the Internet (using yahoo in March 2006), I found that 8.97 million web pages used this term. According to a questionnaire survey conducted by Art Support Fukuoka in June 2005,
80% of the respondents who were working for various
companies answered that they knew about CSR, atleast to some extent.
In recent years, increasing numbers of enterprises
have begun to place priority on fulfilling CSR, in addition to the pursuit of greater corporate profits. This
trend is a reaction to the attitudes of many Japanesecompanies that were once devoted exclusively to theNo.47 JULY 2006

Ms. Prabha Thacker is a representativeof MANUSHI which supports theempowerment of women. Specifically,
MANUSHI works with women'sorganizations to facilitate international
cultural exchanges and cross culturallearning. Ms. Thacker carries out
international research, consulting andeducation activities.

10NepalBangladesh
Thailand

Ms. Bhawana Upadhyay is an independent
consultant. She provides expert advice on
women's issues and development including
disaster management. The geographical focusof her current research is South Asian
countries, such as, Nepal, India and
Bangladesh.

Ms. Munima Sultana, presently an
editorial assistant with the Financial
Express, published research about
management for women journalists andprisoners in Bangladesh. She has attended
a number of regional and internationalseminars/ workshops.

Mr. Hisashi Ogawa is a research
student with the faculty of Islam, Princeof Songkhla University. After thetsunami disaster of 2004, he started toinvestigate its impact from a gender
perspective.

Philippines

Ms. Rita Gatchalian is a Community Affairs
Officer IV, Provincial Social Welfare andDevelopment Office. She has been in theservice for almost 29 years. She usually acts
as resource person/trainer/facilitator/
educator for various seminars/workshops/
training and focus group discussions.

VietnamSingaporePeru

Ms. Le Thi was the head officer of anadvisory group for the promotion ofgender equality in Vietnam until Feb.
2004. She is also researcher on women,
gender and family studies. One of her
recent publications is "The Life of theSingle Women in Vietnam."

Mr. Fairoz Ahmad is a final year honors
student at the National University ofSingapore, Department of Sociology andUniversity Scholars Programme. He has
been to tsunami devastated Aceh twice. He
has commenced a sociological study on thevictims of the tsunami for his honors thesis.

Ms. Carmen Ledesma is specialist on
International Social Agenda and Projects,
Ministry of Woman and Social Development(MIMDES). She makes legal recommendations
in order to protect women's human rights. Ms.
Ledesma also lectures on women's issues
including DV and national law for women.

corporation meets the requirements concerning gender equality or whether or not, it maintains appropriate systems to protect workers’ human rights, ensure
their welfare and satisfy labor standards.
Both the U.N. Millennium Declaration and the Second Basic Plan for Gender Equality, issued by the
Gender Equality Bureau of the Japanese Cabinet Office, stipulated that by 2020 enterprises must increase
the ratio of women managers to at least 30%. Moreover, the Global Compact (GC), an international initiative proposed in 2000 by UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan, demands that individual enterprises review their corporate systems in the four areas of human rights, labor standards, environment and anticorruption.
Because of rapid globalization, which has been stimulated by the development of the IT industry, the en-tire world has nearly been dominated by the market
economy. Globalization has also widened the gap between a handful of rich people and the poor, or thegreat majority. Women, who are particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of globalization, comprisethe majority of the poor. Moreover, many poor womenin developing countries are employed by multinational enterprises as inexpensive labor sources. Thus, I
find it particularly meaningful to study labor conditions and training opportunities provided for women
workers employed by Japan-based multinational enterprises from a CSR perspective.
Ms.Toshiko Hirata
Professor, Kyushu Women Junior College
Visiting Researcher, Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women.

11

No.47 JULY 2006

ISSN 0918-8266

COVER PROFILE
Ms. Myokei Kawamura
Buddhist monk, Announcer, Flower
arrangement artist

Asian Lifestyles〜Photos from KFAW Readers〜Side Work (India)
There is a village in
Gurgaon, a suburb of
Delhi, that is like aceramic factory. Women and men work together to make ceramics. Passing throughthis area, I sighted a
local woman doing
embroidery side workin her doorway. The
lavender colored door,
the villager’s facial
expression and green
skirt vividly stood out in the cool air.
Photographer: Ms. Nobuko Uesawa, Tokyo

Ms. Myokei Kawamura has
three different occupations
which seem to have nothing to
do with each other. But shesays, “These are similar in theway they engage my heart andmind. I express myself when I
preach the teachings of Buddha; talk on the radio; and do flower arranging.” Kawamura delivers lectures all over Japan, does traditional
temple works in Kitakyushu and teaches high school
students flower arranging in Kyoto. She also posts daily
sermons on her website, answers international and domestic e-mail concerning troubles and worries. Her website has 10,000 hits daily. When Kawamura relates astory, she tries to eliminate any generation, nationality
and or gender biases. There are very few female monks.
Kawamura sometimes feels more advantaged than malemonks because women easily talk to her about issues
special to women. She is also accessible to anyone because she is far from traditional temple’s image. She
wants to have a radio sermon program which helps listeners relax and look forward to tomorrow.

KFAW 2007-2008 RECRUITMENT OF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTSKFAW is pleased to announce its 2007-2008 recruitment of foreign correspondents for the purpose of expanding
KFAW’s network with other countries in the Asian Pacific region and collecting overseas information on women’s status.
●Number of recruitment : nine
●Qualifications :①Applicants must live in an Asian Pacific country
other than Japan. (However, there is no limitation as
to one’s nationality or sex)
②Applicants must be able to participate for one year
and turn in reports (including an application report)
three times a year either in Japanese or English.
●Application :Applicants must prepare the following items andsubmit them to KFAW :①Report : up to 1,200 Japanese letters or 700 English

Location of
Kitakyushu

Beijing Pyongyang

ShanghaiSeoul Osaka Tokyo
Kitakyushu
Fukuoka

KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
OTEMACHI 11-4, KOKURAKITA, KITAKYUSHU, 803-0814 JAPAN
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434 FAX＋81-93-583-5195

Hong Kong Taipei
Hanoi
Vientiane

Dhaka

Yangon Bangkok

E-mail: kfaw@kfaw.or.jp URL: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/english/index.html

ManilaKFAW

Phnom Penh
Kuala Lumpur
Singapore

Jakartawords. Theme : “Women and Community Activity”②Application form : You can download it from our
web site.
③Photographs : Photograph/s related to the reportwith an explanation. Please do not clip the photos inanyway. The photos must be clearly visible.
Submitted photos will not be returned. (aphotograph/s is absolutely required. Please do notforget to forward it by post or e-mail.)●Compensation : 8,000 yen per report.
●Deadline date : Applications posted by or on February
28, 2007 will be accepted.

Port Moresby

The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) was established in
October of 1990 with a special government fund for revitalization projects.
Snbsequently, in 1993, the KFAW was recognized as a foundation by the
Ministry of Labor. The purpose of the KFAW, through various projects, is topromote the improvement of women's status as well as their mutual
understanding and cooperation in Asia.

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