57

No.

November
2009

KITAKYUSHU FORUM ON ASIAN WOMEN（KFAW） November 2009 Triannual Publication

Government oﬃcers from various nations,who participated in the 8th JICA seminar on
Gender Mainstreaming Policies
in KITAKYUSHU, JAPANWOMEN TODAY……p. 1

UNIFEM Executive Director Speaks out on Violence against Women
CURRENT ISSUES SERIES……p. 2
Eﬀective Anti-HIV/AIDS Measures (Part III)FEATURES……pp. 3-6
Summer Seminar on Michelle OBAMAJICA Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming Policies for Government Oﬃcers
15th Anniversary of UNIFEM Kitakyushu

Women Today
Inés ALBERDI

Ending Violence Against Women:
What will it Take?

Executive Director
United Nations
Development Fund for
Women (UNIFEM)

The ‘frontline’ institutions responsible for protection andsupport are usually weak lines of defense against such
beliefs, owing in part to poor training and limited
resources. According to a 2008 International Violenceagainst Women Survey, carried out in seven countries,
only a third of women experiencing male violence reporttheir case to the police. Among those reported, less than 5
per cent lead to charges and even fewer result in
convictions. Even when successfully prosecuted, sentences
may never be enforced. Where protection orders exist,
police may not respond in a timely way.

Violence against Women is one of the most pervasive
human rights violations in the world, especially domestic
and sexual violence. Often, the two go together. Based onleading surveys, UNIFEM found that as many as 56 percent of women who suffer from domestic abuse experience
both physical and sexual violence by their partners.
For too long, women suffered such violence in shame andsilence. After years of struggle, women’s rights activists
have succeeded in putting the issue squarely on the publicagenda. International and regional conventions, such as
CEDAW, the Beleém do Para Convention in Latin
America and the Africa Protocol, bind governments totheir obligations to prevent, respond to and punish allforms of violence against women and girls.

The global economic crisis reminds us that the issue isurgent. Previous crises have shown that as job losses
mount, and with them economic insecurity, women andgirls are at particularly high risks of domestic abuse,violence and exploitation, including sexual exploitationand trafficking.

Today, a record number of countries have adopted
national laws, policies and action plans to combat thiscrime. The crowning of this global momentum occurred in
2008, with the launch of the UN Secretary-General’s
UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign, whichchallenges governments, the private sector, world leaders
and individual men, women and youth, to join forces inmaking existing commitments a reality by 2015, thedeadline for achieving the Millennium Development
Goals.

Yet, even in better times, budgets to combat gender-based
violence have been meager compared to the magnitude of
the problem. Given the drastic shortfall in resources andthe heightened risks to women, especially poor women,
UNIFEM has launched an urgent appeal for donations to
the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, a
global mechanism that channels expertise and resources
to support local action in developing countries.
Established by a General Assembly resolution in 1996, theTrust Fund was initially founded thanks to a grant by theGovernment of Japan.

In announcing this campaign, the Secretary-Generalstated: “Violence against women is an issue that cannot
wait.... No country, no culture, no woman young or old isimmune to this scourge.... And we know that when we
work to eradicate violence against women, we empower
our greatest resource for development.”

Since its founding, the UN Trust Fund has supported
hundreds of national and local initiatives that havegenerated a wealth of knowledge about strategies thatwork to end violence against women. Groups supported
are those who have lived this reality in countries andcommunities worldwide. All of us, if we are serious about
ending violence against women, must show them our
support.
http://www.unifem.org/gender_issues/ violence_against_
women/trust_fund.php

Yet countless millions of women around the world
experience domestic violence, many with no means ofescape. Marital rape is still not considered a crime inmany cases, particularly where control over women’s
sexuality is basic to widely held beliefs in male
entitlement. Women who are economically dependent on
their husbands are also more willing to tolerate the abuse,
especially those who have no other means of livelihood.
Violence against women is a complex issue, one deeply
rooted in gender discrimination, which will not end
without much greater progress on gender equality. The
World Health Organization’s multi-country study in 2005
found that beliefs about male authority ― held by both
men and women ― ‘justify’ wife-beating for a range of
causes including going out without telling her spouse,neglecting the children, not preparing the food, notcompleting housework, arguing or talking back to her
spouse, disobeying her spouse, refusing to have sex,
asking about other women, talking to another man andbeing unfaithful or suspected of being unfaithful by her
spouse.

Profile of Inés Alberdi

1Current Issues Series
Gender-Sensitive
Measures to Prevent HIV/AIDSPart 3
Yoko TSURUGI
Effective Anti-HIV/AIDS Measures

As explained in two previous lectures, no one isimmune to HIV infection. Unless effective measures
are taken, this infectious disease will rapidly sweep
across society.

affordable prices, sometimes for free. Posters ofcondoms were placed at every corner of towns.
Supermarkets and convenience stores locatedcondoms next to cash registers in an attempt tochange customer sentiment associated with themerchandise. The campaign successfully changed
Cambodian people’s mindset. Although people used
to be embarrassed to buy and use condoms, they now
take them for granted. At local festivals in
Cambodia, I found condom campaign tents standing
among food stands. Moreover, I often saw people,
particularly motorcycle riders, wearing T-shirts withlogos and designs of the condom campaign.

In this third lecture, I will discuss what thoseeffective measures are. Unfortunately, we do not yet
have the means to overcome the AIDS epidemic.
Even so, AIDS remedies are steadily improving.
Although we have neither a medicine to completely
cure the disease nor a vaccine to prevent HIV
infection, we do have anti-HIV drugs that can halt
the progress of the disease and which are already inwide use. Use of these drugs in the early stage
enables infected people to continue their daily
activities without developing symptoms. To ensurethat infected people begin to take remedies during
the early stage, however, they must first know thatthey are HIV positive before they develop symptoms.
To know whether they are positive, they need toundergo HIV tests. Although the tests comprise
simple blood tests, many people are reluctant to takethe tests due to the lack of knowledge about
HIV/AIDS and prejudice against the disease. It isextremely regrettable that many infected people
miss opportunities to receive effective remedies
simply because they do not take the tests in time.

As indicated by this Cambodian case, anti-HIV/AIDS
measures should address discrimination, prejudice
and taboo. In addition to discrimination andprejudice against people infected with HIV, we must
eradicate the sex taboo, along with social
discrimination and prejudice against homosexual
men, sex workers, drug abusers and other groups
vulnerable to HIV infection, including women, young
people and immigrants. If we truly hope to takeeffective anti-HIV/AIDS measures, it is not enoughto simply instruct vulnerable people ― female sex
workers for instance ― to use condoms. We must
create an environment where these women canaccess medical institutions and receive HIV tests
without hesitation. We must also provide these
women with opportunities for education and job
training, so that they can obtain other job
opportunities if so desired.

Despite the progress of remedies, we still do not havea medicine that can completely cure the disease.
Once infected, an individual must take the medicine
for life. It is therefore essential to prevent HIV
infection. To prevent HIV infection, use of condoms
has been proved effective. Yet, constant use of
condoms is not as easy as you may suppose. There
are many factors that inhibit the use of condoms. For
some people, condoms are too expensive. In someregions, condoms are not easily available. Above all,many people, especially women, feel embarrassed tobuy such products and ask partners to use them.

Effective
anti-HIV/AIDS
measuresshouldincorporate not only healthcare programs, but also
initiatives to address educational, gender and othersocial problems along with the eradication ofpoverty. Addressing such widespread problems
requires strong leadership on the part of national
governments. However, more importantly, thecommitment of each and every citizen in antiHIV/AIDS campaigns, based on the full awarenessthat anti-HIV/AIDS measures are essential not only
for vulnerable groups, but also for every citizen.

In Cambodia, where anti-HIV/AIDS measures havebeen much more successful than in other countries, acampaign titled “100% condom promotion” isbelieved to have been extremely effective in reducing
the HIV prevalence rate. This campaign not only
imparted the message that condom use can prevent
HIV infection, but also made the product image more
visible and familiar. Condoms were provided at2

Launching the KFAW Network of Researchers
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW), which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2010, is
implementing various reforms. KFAW through these reforms aims to reorganize its projects to meet changing
social demands and fulfill its responsibility as a public-interest corporation. Of the various new projects that
KFAW has started, this article introduces two survey and research projects for this fiscal year.

1 The KFAW Network of Researchers
KFAW has collaborated with researchers on gender issues since its establishment. In order to strengthen therelationship with these and other researchers, KFAW established the KFAW Network of Asian Researchers in May of2009. At this Network’s meetings, specialists in a wide variety of academic fields who are living or working in andaround Fukuoka and Kitakyushu hold discussions to share results of their studies about Japan and other Asian
countries, from gender-sensitive perspectives. Moreover, the Network develops various collaboration programs to seek
solutions for diverse challenges, and organize lectures aimed at sharing study results with the public and expanding
the networks in and outside Japan.

2 Developing Programs to Prevent Dating DV
Among the KFAW Network members, researchers and activists specializing in domestic violence (DV) prevention havegathered to develop a new program aimed at preventing dating DV ― physical or verbal violence imposed on unmarried
partners. Incidence of dating DV is currently increasing, particularly among young people. To prevent DV among adultpartners and married couples, it is believed that young people should be taught that dating DV is a criminal act.
◆1st Lecture (June 23, 2009)◆3rd Lecture (August 9, 2009) Do You Know Dating DV?

Benazir and Chia-Two Asian Women I Met
Etsuko KITA, President, Japanese Red Cross
Kyushu International College of Nursing

・What Is Dating DV?
Yuki KUBOTA, Professor, Kyushu Sangyo University
・Dating DV Prevention Programs
Keiko NAKATA, Representative of Anti-DV Nagasaki

Professor Kita lectured on Asian women’s freedom anddevelopment, referring to Benazir Bhutto, the firstwoman prime minister in Pakistan and the entire
Islamic world. She alsomentioned Chia, a woman
whom the speaker met at theMothers’ Center in Cambodia.
Introducing
women’ssituations in Pakistan andCambodia, Professor Kita
discussed problems confronting
Asian women. The lecture
evoked strong empathy frommany audience members.

Regarding dating DV, Professor Kubota gave apresentation on her survey of college students in
Kitakyushu. Ms. Nakata, who visits junior and seniorhigh schools to promote student awareness of dating
DV, also reported on her activities, the current situationof dating DV, preferable measures to take andimportant points for initiatives to prevent dating DV.
Both speakers emphasized the vital importance ofgender education for young children, along with theneed for both male and female students to develop
communication skills based on mutual respect between
men and women.

◆2nd Lecture and Seminar (July 15, 2009)

Problems of the Elderly Living in Yahata-Higashi Ward
Harumichi YUASA, Vice President,
Kyushu International University▲

In addition to care problems, challenges concerning
elderly people include lack of support for those who live
alone and die in solitude. The lecture focused on
situations of elderly residents in Yahata-Higashi Ward,
Kitakyushu City, since the ward particularly suffersfrom population aging due to outflow of young residents
as well as falling birthrates.
After discussing the present
situation of the ward, thespeaker explained measurestaken by authorities andcommunityorganizations.
Following the lecture, lively
discussions
were
held,
involving audience members
about initiatives for the futureof Japan’s aging society.

Professor KUBOTA▲

Ms. NAKATA

For further information, please visit the KFAW website.

3

2009 Research Themes
KFAW Visiting Researchers
Theme: Transnational Migration from Southeast Asia to
East Asia and Transformation of Re-productive Labor
Reiko OGAWA, Associate Professor of
Kyushu University Asia Center

Theme: The Child Health under Conflict and Disaster
Condition in Sri Lanka from the Point of View of Gender
Ikuko SEKI, Professor of the Japanese Red
Cross Kyushu International College of Nursing

The accelerated process ofglobalization and restructuring of
the society brought about two
dynamics:
feminizationofmigration and globalization of
reproductive work in East Asia
where the low fertility rate, aging
society and care work deficit has been dealt with by‘importing ’ Southeast Asian women either as care
workers or marriage partners. This research aims tocompare the policy , institutions and discourses on
Southeast Asian migrant women in Korea , Taiwan ,Province of China and Japan and problematize the way inwhich these societies deal with care and reproductive
labor under rapid demographic transformation.
It questions the policies and institutions that shape themigration of Southeast Asian women to East Asia andthe construction of public discourse that may represent
certain anxieties . Finally , it hopes to enable the issue of
migrant women in Japan , South Korea and Taiwan ,Province of China to become visible and discuss the policy
implications for supporting the migrant women in each
respective country.

Civil wars and natural disasters
have an immeasurable impact on
the health states, particularly onchildren’s physical and mental
development. Although studies
have been conducted regarding
health conditions of children
affected by either civil war or natural disasters,
virtually no surveys have been carried out on childvictims of these incidents. As implied by existingstudies, impact on children differs according to gender.
Health-related problems of girls who are entering
puberty are therefore unique and different from the
problems of boys.
Since Asia is expected to remain vulnerable tonatural disasters and ethnic conflict, nursing
professionals engaged in international cooperation andrelief activities in this region should work to mitigate
the impact of both problems on children including theirhealth so as to ensure the children’s sound development.
With this in mind, we will survey the health states ofchildren in Trincomalee, an area affected by both civil
war and natural disasters. We will analyze the different
situations between boys and girls from gender-sensitive
perspectives. We will also suggest initiatives forsupporting the sound development of children ―particularly girls ― who are suffering from the impact
of social and natural challenges.

Co-researchers
Eun-Shil KIM, Professor, Ewha Women’s University
Frank Tsen-Yung WANG, Associate Professor,
Institute of Health and Welfare Policy, National
Yang Ming University
Hsiao Chun, Hannah, LIU, Assistant Professor,
College of Human Ecology, Shih Chien University

Co-researchers
Etsuko KITA, President of the Japanese Red Cross
Kyushu International College of Nursing
Naomi IMAMURA, graduate student at the Japanese Red
Cross Kyushu International College of Nursing

KEAW Summer Seminar- “Michelle Obama: A First Lady
Who Is Changing the United States”
On August 10th, KFAW co-organized its summer seminar together with the Public Affairs Section of the Consulateof the United States, Fukuoka, Japan (Fukuoka American Center). 170 audience members (a number far exceeding
the expected level) gathered from Fukuoka and other prefectures to eagerly listen to the lecture and actively
participate in the Q.&A. session.
The lecture was presented by Ms. Liza Mundy, a staff writer for The Washington Post and author of Michelle
Obama, a biography of Mrs. Barack Obama published in October 2008. During her visit to Japan, Ms. Mundy gave
lectures only in Tokyo and Kitakyushu.
At her lecture for the summer seminar, Ms. Mundy
stated presently Mrs. Obama is even more popularthan President Obama. In a recent poll in the UnitedStates, Ms. Mundy said, over 80% of the public statedthat they liked the First Lady. Ms. Mundy also
remarked that Mrs. Obama is becoming increasingly
popular among Republican women. The First Lady, isparticularly eager to support relatives of military

personnel as well as various services and volunteer
activities. Mrs. Obama also wants to further open the
White House to the general public.
Mundy also noted Mrs. Obama’s efforts to seek an
optimum work-life balance. Mrs. Obama wellunderstands many women’s struggles to maintain goodwork-life balance since she herself raised two daughterswhile her husband, Barack, was busy with political4

activities. When many schools closed due to the spread of
H1N1 influenza, many workers found it difficult to takea pay leave. Mrs. Obama believes that more parents(either father or mother) should be allowed to take paid
leaves when their children become sick. Under thecurrent severe economic situation, however, realizing her
vision seems to be difficult, Mundy stated.
As a leading female journalist in the United States,
Mundy also referred to her own battles to maintain agood work-life balance. She concluded her lecture bystating that the Obama administration is well aware of
the problems confronting working parents. Mundy alsoemphasized that the administration is committed tochanging conventional systems in a direction desired by
the public.
The Q.&A. session lasted 45 minutes. Topics included
the recent increase in the number of women withoccupations, desired governmental support for working
parents and the personal experiences of audience
members. In the questionnaire distributed immediately

after the program,many
audience
members statedthat the seminarprovided them witha good opportunity
to reconsider theirown
work-life
balance, following
Mrs.
Obama’smodel. Participantsalso stated thatafter the seminar ▲Ms, Liza Mundy, a staff writer, the Washington
they felt more Postaffinity with Mrs.
Obama. Mundy strongly encouraged audience members
who are employed to make known their demands andopinions at their respective workplaces. This message
truly made the lecture even more impressive andrewarding.

The 8th Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming Policies for
Government Officers
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) annually holds the Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming Policies for
Government Officers under an agreement with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA Kyushu
International Center). The Seminar’s target is national and local government officers in developing countries who areresponsible for gender mainstreaming policies. The Seminar is designed to foster such officers’ abilities to develop
and implement effective and comprehensive policies to mainstream gender-based perspectives in addressing various
problems in developing countries. It also aims to ultimately realize a gender-equal society in respective countries.
This year, KFAW held the 8th seminar for nearly one month from June 25 to July 24, 2009 with eight trainees fromsix countries.
During the first week, lectures on general gendertheory were presented to participants at the JICA
Tokyo International Center. The following week,
participants moved to the JICA Kyushu International
Center to attend lectures on gender mainstreaming
policies in specific areas such as education,
environmental protection, production and consumption
activities. In addition to lectures, seminar programs
included workshops, discussions among trainees andobservations. During the program on gendermainstreaming at nursery, for instance, in the morning,trainees attended a lecture given by a staff member ofthe Kitakyushu City government office, and then in theafternoon visited an actual childcare center.
Trainees were also expected to prepare action plansfor promoting gender-mainstreaming policies in theirrespective national or local governments based on what
they learned during the seminar. To ensure their actionplans would be reasonable, viable and effective, KFAW
offered lectures on themes such as “Gender Responsive
Project Cycle Management (PCM)” and “Gender
Sensitive Training and Gender Analysis.” Moreover,
KFAW organized an “Action Plan Presentation” towhich specialists concerned were invited.
On July 17th, KFAW co-organized with JICA Kyushu
International Center a “Country Report Presentation”
for the general public. This presentation was designed
to promote public understanding about global gendermainstreaming efforts as well as related efforts of JICA
and KFAW. At the presentation, trainees introduced
profiles of their own countries, gender problems andobstacles that should be overcomed in order to achieve
gender mainstreaming in their respective countries aswell as their own action plans.
Out of the eight speakers’ presentations, the one
given by Ms. Dijana Tepsic, the trainee from Bosnia andHerzegovina, attracted the most audience attention.
She gave a report on a 5-year national program toeradicate domestic violence (DV), a serious problem in
Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as other countries. In
her presentation, she introduced a nationwide
campaign titled “Family without Violence.” To promote
public awareness of the need to stop DV, the campaign
uses various means; of these, audio-video media seem tobe particularly impressive and effective. Ms. Tepsic
concluded her presentation by urging the audience tothink gender issues withpatience, broad perspectives,and an open and positive
attitude toward other people.

▲Ms. Teps c’s CD label
SLUM & Dijana Teps c, a famous
hip-hop and R&B group in the
Republic of Srpska, produced asong called “Nisam Sama” (I’m notalone) for the “Family without
Violence” campaign.
To listen to the music, visit YouTube(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
lEHdwH8kzo8).
Ms. Teps c (center)

5▲Presentation by Ms. Teps cNepali Women NOW: A Foreign Correspondent Visits
Schools and Women’s Groups in Kitakyushu
To raise women’s social status and help realize a gender-equal society, it is essential that people of diverse
backgrounds deepen their mutual understanding. From this standpoint, KFAW invited Ms. Bhawana Upadhyay, oneof its foreign correspondents from Nepal July 10-13, 2009. During that time, KFAW organized various events for her,such as a special school class, lecture and cooking class, for Kitakyushu-based women groups and students,
ranging from elementary to university students.
The invited foreign correspondent was Ms. Bhawana
Upadhyay, who is committed to raising women’s social
status in South Asia as a program manager of Oxfam.
Oxfam is an international NPO devoted to eradicating
poverty worldwide. In Kitakyushu, Ms. Upadhyay visited
the Council of Women’s Groups of Kokura-Minami Ward,
where she offered a lecture regarding the situation of
Nepali women. According to Ms. Upadhyay, Nepali
women’s status is improving, following the country’s
ratification in 1991 of the Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women. However, theliteracy rate among women still remains at 35%,
remarkably lower than men’s (63%). Moreover there aregaps between men and women which persist in various
areas, such as, education, health, business and politicalaffairs. Bhawana emphasized the importance ofempowering women, which she believes, is also essential forthe nation’s development.
At the English Speaking Society of Kitakyushu City HighSchool that she visited, members held an English speech
contest on the theme of Nepal.
Ms. Upadhyay seemed to beparticularly impressed by one
student’s speech about Hindu
deities. At the municipal
Ayamegaoka
Elementary
School, she introduced Nepali▲At Ayamegaoka Elementary
dances and a game called School
kabaddi.
Ms.
Upadhyay
also
participated as a panelist in the
KFAW World Report Seminar.
The seminar focused on genderbased expressions in three Asian
languages. Her time in
Kitakyushu was truly rewarding
both for Ms. Upadhyay and the ▲Visiting the Council of Women’sGroups of Kokura-Minami Ward
residents of Kitakyushu.

* For further information on the KFAW World Report Seminar and recipes of Nepali dishes, please visit the following website: http://www.kfaw.or.jp

Ceremony Commemorating the 15th Anniversary of
UNIFEM Kitakyushu■ UNIFEM and UNIFEM Kitakyushu
UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women) provides funding and technology to organizations/projects indeveloping countries that support women in order to improve their living standards and gain economic independence.
In Japan, the National Committee for UNIFEM, Japan and eight regional committees have been established to support
UNIFEM’s activities.
As UNIFEM Kitakyushu was established in 1994 as a regional committee, this year marks its 15th anniversary. Currently, it
has some 300 members, all committed to fundraising through charity bazaars and various other events. The funds raised aresent to UNIFEM Headquarters through the Japanese Committee.
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) played a leading role in establishing the National Committee for UNIFEM,Japan. At present, the secretariat of UNIFEM kitakyushu is located within KFAW.
The lecture was followed by a reporton programs to support women in
Nepal and Bangladesh. These
programs were financed by theMasumoto Minae Fund, established at
the bequest of the late Ms. Minae▲Ms. ARIMA, president
MASUMOTO, who contributed greatly of UNIFEM JAPANto founding and developing the
National Committee for UNIFEM, Japan.
After the ceremony, the audience enjoyed a film andperformances. The anime film
shown was Tsumiki no Ie [TheHouse of Small Cubes], which
won the Academy Award forBest Animated Short Film in2009. Later, there were
performances by the Ai no
Ichiza Company, comprised ofmunicipal office staff members. ▲The 15th Anniversary event,■ Ceremony Commemorating the 15th Anniversary
At the commemorative ceremony of the 15th anniversaryof UNIFEM Kitakyushu on July 14, 2009, Ms. Sakiko
FUJIOKA, president of UNIFEM Kitakyushu, gave theopening address. At that time, she introduced remarks byactress and former UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Julie
Andrews: “By helping 400,000 women, you can help 1
million children.” To support economic and social
development of women in developing countries, Ms. Fujioka
encouraged Japanese women to combine their efforts.
Following the opening address, Ms. Makiko ARIMA,
president of the National Committee for UNIFEM, Japan,
offered a commemorative lecture titled “Invigorate Society
with Women’s Power: The Goals of UNIFEM.” After
explaining the historical background of UNIFEM’sestablishment in 1976, she emphasized the vital
importance of continuing UNIFEM’s efforts towards
eradicating violence against women as well as supporting
women in developing countries to help them gain economic
independence.

Kitakyushu, JAPAN6

ISSN 0918-8266

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS’ REPORTThe Daily Life: Clothing
The Saree Lifestyle(iron) bangles called loha on their left arm. These
costume and accessories indicate that the women
wearing them are married.
I have begun wearing a saree now whenever I go out, though I
do not always wear other accessories for married women. Wearing
the time-honored costume, I found that it is much more functional
than I had thought. In a saree I can easily move my body. And asaree keeps the wearer cool in summer and warm in winter. A
saree is also economical since anyone can long continue wearing
the same saree regardless of changes in body shape. Moreover, thesense of being wrapped in a cloth is comfortable. This I believe
might soothe stress and stabilize women’s psyches. Indian womenappear to be relaxed and stress-free.
Since olden times, cotton sarees have been used in many diverse
ways even after the end of their service life. Women have used theold cloth for wrapping blankets,
producing hammocks for babies,
and weaving still another cloth
after ripping the old cloth.
Sarees cut into pieces were also
used as sanitary napkins. So,
sarees are excellent from theviewpoint of ease of recycling.
Because of these advantages
and the fact that sarees never goout of fashion, I believe that
Bengali women will long
maintain their tradition ofwearing sarees.

Satoko CHATERJEE (India)
Twelve years have passed since I first began living in West
Bengal, India. During most of those years, I have been busy
taking care of my children, doing housework and striving tofulfill my role at an NGO. I had been too busy to think ofwearing a saree, which I considered to be elegant but unsuitablefor easy movement. Instead, I dressed myself in then salwar
kameez (a pair of loose pajama-like trousers, long tunic and athin cloth called dupatta for women to cover their chest). Four
years ago, however, I suddenly felt like wearing a saree. As you
all know, a saree, which is commonly worn by Indian women,
basically comprises a piece of long colorful cloth.
I thought it embarrassing that I was unable to wear a saree by
myself despite having lived so long in India. I also thought thatupon reaching my mid-40s I should learn a manner expected offull-fledged Indian women. Moreover, the majority of married
women in West Bengal wear sarees. And the percentage ofwomen wearing this elegant costume is much higher in West
Bengal than in any other region in India. Consequently, I
considered that to understand the psyche of Bengali women, I
should first learn to wear their costumes.
Young unmarried women, especially college students, wear
salwar kameez, though many have begun wearing jeans and Tshirts. After getting married, however, even such young women
begin to wear sarees, the time-honored Indian costume with ahistory of several thousand years. Moreover, married women
apply red powder called sindoor on their forehead (below where
their hair parts), red and white bangles on both arms and metal(Access other foreign correspondents’ reports on a website: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/about/19-report.html.en)

Exchange Program with Students fromChelyabinsk State University in Russia▲One lady (right) wears a saree, the other(left) wears a salwar kameez

statistics, in Russia, whereas there are narrow gender gaps in theareas of employment and income, participation rates of women inpolitical and economic activities are not sufficiently high.
Moreover, Russians marry sooner than Japanese but have ahigher divorce rate. Some students also mentioned that few
Russian women stop working after marriage, yet in most cases,
women take childcare leaverather than men.
As for the students’ futureplans, they all said they
hope to work in Japan asinterpreters, translators orother specialists. They also
hope to act as bridges
linking Japan and Russia indiverse areas including▲Friendly talks in Japanesebusiness and tourism.

Chelyabinsk City, the capital city of Chelyabinsk State,located just east of the Ural Mountains, has a population of 1.09
million. Kitakyushu City has economic ties with Chelyabinsk
City particularly in the area of iron/steel and environmental
industries. Recently Kitakyushu YMCA received seven students
from the Oriental Faculty, Chelyabinsk State University.
During their stay in Kitakyushu, the students studied Japaneseculture and society in Japanese.
Since one of KFAW’s directors is from Kitakyushu YMCA,KFAW organized a meeting of its young staff members and theRussian students on August 6, 2009. At the meeting,participants discussed the progress of gender equality, views ofmarriage and stereotypical views on gender-based roles inJapan and Russia. For example, in the Global Gender Gap
Index, Russia ranks 42nd, while Japan ranks 98th. According to

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

Starting from the issue (June 2008), we capitalize
the last names of persons at the beginning ofarticles. We adopted this policy so that our readers
can easily distinguish last names in spite ofdifferent customs regarding the writing of familynames.

KFAW
The Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) was established in October of1990 with a special government fund for revitalization projects. Subsequently, in
1993, the KFAW was recognized as a foundation by the Ministry of Labour (thepresent Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The purpose of the KFAW,
through various projects, is to promote the improvement of women's status as wellas their mutual understanding and cooperation in Asia.

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SOY INK

This copy is printed with environment-friendly soy ink.

TM