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 <photograph
by Min Won-ki>
More than 700 civic and social groups will be joining a candlelight
march for peace in condemnation of the US¡¯s plans to wage
war against Iraq.
The ¡®Anti-War Peace Front,¡¯ consisting of more than 700 groups
including the People¡¯s Alliance that campaigned against the
Gulf War in 1991, will not stop at the International Anti-War
peace march on February 15. It will go on to join hands with
the committee dealing with the killing of the two schoolgirls
by American soldiers to launch the Rally for Autonomy and
Peace on March 1, thus spreading the anti-war peace movement.
Through the February 11 press conference, participating civic
groups announced, ¡°The international society, concerned over
the US¡¯s unilateral militarism, is planning a worldwide peace
march in over 100 cities. The US¡¯s provocations to war will
destroy the achievements of democracy and the system of international
politics.¡±
Chung Soo Young, secretary-general of the Anti-War Peace
Front, says, ¡°It is a pity that the Peace Front, which actively
opposed the Gulf War in 1991, has to become active again in
the face of war threats.¡± Chung emphasizes, ¡°We cannot understand
the US¡¯s logic behind war when Iraq is still suffering from
the aftereffects of the Gulf War such as deformed babies due
to exposure to uranium radiation.¡±
Adds Chung, ¡°The death of the two schoolgirls by American
soldiers in Korea happened because of the threat of war, and
so we plan to gather the will of all who oppose war and desire
peace. Starting with the peace march, we also plan to initiate
a peace network.¡±
The candlelight peace march scheduled for February 15 starting
off from Marronnier Park and finishing near City Hall has
drawn much public attention, as it has been announced that
netizens will be holding a voluntary performance along the
way.
An online group (www.cyberaction.or.kr) says, ¡°We decided
to form this group because we realized that the war on Iraq
has deep implications for us, considering George Bush¡¯s ¡®axis
of evil¡¯ speech.¡± Since last year, the group has held anti-war
demonstrations in the form of picket protests in front of
City Hall and Yeouido and video screenings and musical performances.
In a statement supporting the Korean anti-war peace team
that left for Iraq on February 7, the Socialist Party said,
¡°According to UN reports, a war on Iraq will result in at
least 500 thousand deaths and 1.2 million refugees. We are
concerned about the terrible consequences of war and will
make all efforts to spread the anti-war campaign opposing
the Korean government¡¯s support for the war on Iraq.¡±
Chung Hyun Baek, representative of KWAU, points out, ¡°Women
aught to be at the forefront of the peace movement, but it¡¯s
true that we have been remiss for various reasons including
preparations for the new administration. KWAU is seriously
considering a plan to embrace the theme of anti-war and peace
in its preparations for Women¡¯s Day.¡±
Son Lee Duk-Soo, president of the Women¡¯s Forum of the Reform
People¡¯s Party, exhorted women¡¯s participation, pointing out,
¡°It is only a matter of course that women pour their efforts
into opposing war, considering the possibility that the Korean
peninsula is next after Iraq and our duty to oppose our government¡¯s
dispatching of troops to Iraq.¡±
<reported byShin Ah-Ryeung arshin@womennews.co.kr>
Women legislators in Korea and Japan have decided to join
hands in urging the Japanese government to resolve the issue
of comfort women.
Assemblywomen, including Lim Jin Chul and Cho Bae Sook, President
and Secretary of the Women¡¯s Committee of the National Assembly
respectively, met with the delegation of women from the Diet,
including Communist Party member Haruko Yoshikawa (aged 63)
and independent member Yoko Tajima (aged 62), to discuss ways
to resolve the issue of comfort women.
During the meeting, the Japanese legislators briefed their
Korean counterparts on the ¡®Bill to promote the resolution
of the issue of sexual victims of war¡¯ (Sexual Victim Bill)
proposed by the Democratic, Communist and Social Democratic
Parties, and asked for Korea¡¯s cooperation.
The Bill was written by the opposition parties last March,
and requires the Japanese government to compensate the women
who were taken to Japan and forced to work as comfort women
during World War II.
Lim Jin Chul responded to the Japanese legislators¡¯ request
by saying, ¡°We must urgently address the comfort women issue
if our two countries are to rectify historical wrongdoings
and find peaceful coexistence. Women legislators in Korea
will lend our support, and the Women¡¯s Committee of the National
Assembly will call on the Japanese government to pass the
bill.¡±
Honor Restoration and Monetary Compensation the Basic
Framework
¡ã On the Japanese side
An estimated 200 thousand women were mobilized by the Japanese
Army as comfort women during World War II.
The UN adopted reports by the Human Rights Committee on two
occasions in 1996 and 1998 pronouncing that the responsibility
of restoring the victims¡¯ honor and providing legal compensation
lies with the Japanese government.
Herein lies the starting point of the Japanese women legislators¡¯
perception of the issue.
According to legislator Yoshikawa, ¡°The issue of comfort
women became known in Japan relatively late, in the 1990s,
and Diet members have been preparing for legislation to address
the issue since 1998. The Japanese government is ignoring
the international society¡¯s recommendations to be responsible
for compensation, thus the need for concerted efforts by the
countries of the victims.¡±
The ¡®Sexual Victim Bill,¡¯ first made in September 2000, has
been repeatedly shelved due to the Japanese government¡¯s refusal
to deal with it. It was brought up again early this year thanks
to a joint proposal by opposition party members.
The Bill basically states that the responsibility for compensating
the victims lies with the Japanese government, and proposes
a committee to deal with the comfort women issue headed by
the Prime Minister.
In particular, the Bill states that in case of the establishment
of an investigation team, compensation will not begin after
the investigations but occur concurrently with investigations,
thus winning the approval of civic groups in Japan.
Says legislator Tajima, ¡°Women legislators in Indonesia and
the Philippines have published resolutions at the congress
level to pressure the Japanese government. It will be hard
for the Japanese government to put off issue if the Korean
legislators also showed more interest.¡±
Tajima also added, ¡°It would be good if president-elect Roh
Moo-Hyun mentioned the legislation of the Bill in his meeting
with Prime Minister Koizumi.¡±
¡ã On the Korean Women¡¯s Committee¡¯s side
In response to the Japanese legislators¡¯ request, committee
president Lim Jin Chul said, ¡°Compensation and honor restoration
is an urgent matter, as most of the victims are facing impending
death from old age. The Women¡¯s Committee will adopt the required
resolution.¡±
Consequently, the Women¡¯s Committee will be holding a general
meeting on February 17 to adopt a resolution urging the Japanese
government to legislate the ¡®Bill to promote the resolution
of the issue of sexual victims of war.¡¯
The resolution also urges the Japanese government to admit
that sexual slavery is a crime against humanity by international
laws, and to reflect the truth in history textbooks so that
the lesson can be passed on to future generations.
¡ã Contents of the Bill
The Bill states that the Japanese government ¡°apologize for
dishonoring the victims of sexual slavery as soon as possible¡±
and ¡°take measures to restore the victims¡¯ honor, including
monetary compensation.¡± The Bill also mentions that the Japanese
government consults the governments of the victims.
The Bill provides for a committee to promote the resolution
of the issue of war sexual victims, to be placed within the
Cabinet and headed by the Prime Minister. The Bill also stipulates
that an investigation team be established to take charge of
status surveys and compensation.
<reported by Bae Young-hwan ddarijoa@womennews.co.kr>
Park In Hye, senior representative of the Korea Women¡¯s Hotline
(second from left), giving out women¡¯s diaries and douche
liquid to women in the prostitution area of Paju on the night
of February 5. The Women¡¯s Hotline says, ¡°We hope that the
diaries, with a list of centers to contact and measures to
take in case of sexual assault, will be useful to the women.
Starting with Paju, we will be launching a month-long campaign
with our eight branches to deliver the diaries to women in
prostitution areas nationwide.¡± <photograph by Min Won-ki>
I enjoy going to the public bath in the winter. I like the
refreshing feeling after a good bath, but equally enjoyable
is sitting in a steamy, noisy and crowded bath observing human
beings in their most natural state. On one such visit to the
public bath, a notice at the counter had me laughing my head
off.
¡°No Boys over Five Years Allowed in Female Public Bath!¡±
was written in big red letters. Recalling occasions when I
was taken aback by rather ¡°mature¡± boys frolicking in the
women¡¯s bath, I laughed all the harder. Having gone to the
public bath with my older brother when we were young, I did
not have anything against seeing boys in the female tubs,
but some of the customers must have protested.
Suddenly the questions I used to have as a child following
my mother to the public bath came back to me. When the whole
family visited the public bath together, why did I have to
follow my Mom and older brother? Why couldn¡¯t I follow my
Dad to the male bath? It seems ridiculous now, but they were
pretty earnest questions back then. When did it become natural
for little boys to follow their mothers to the female bath
and unnatural for little girls to follow their fathers to
the male bath?
Looking at mothers grab and bathe kids who are howling in
protest, I realize once again that the burden of childcare
still lies with mothers, that is, women. The social status
of women has risen considerably compared to the past, but
gender discrimination still persists in the division of labor.
In fact, women¡¯s burden may have become heavier than before,
now that society demands women not only to bear children,
take care of them and handle household chores but also to
be economically capable and bring home the bacon. The triple
load definitely creates conflict among the roles foisted on
women.
According to age-old practice in Korea, men dominated the
public arena which required logic and rationality, whereas
women were naturally put in the private arena of sentiments
and emotions. At the same time, private affairs such as household
chores were belittled and public affairs regarded as having
greater value. With time, more and more women have ¡°invaded¡±
what used to be male-dominated arenas, but it is still rare
to see men venturing into women¡¯s arenas. Thus the situation
where taking care of the household and holding down a job
all fall on women.
There is rising public concern today over the falling birth
rate. The society is aging, and the falling birth rate means
a shrinking labor market in the future. The state has planned
various policies to encourage births. But the number of women
willing to take on the triple burden of childcare, household
chores and career will continue to decrease, unless they all
become Super Women.
When little boys stop taking it for granted that they must
follow their mothers to the female public baths, perhaps Korea
can be free of concern over falling birth rates.
<By Oh Seung-hee (correspondent with 10¡€20)>
(The Women's News http://www.womennews.co.kr)
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