Asia - July 2005

Chinese Schoolgirls' 3-Month Rape Nightmare. [China] For nearly three months the teacher, Li Guang, allegedly raped 26 fourth- and fifth-grade girls in the rural village of Xinji, China.

Religions Form Group to Fight Low Birthrate. [Korea] Reacting to concerns over Korea's declining birthrate, Buddhist, Catholic and Protestant leaders launch a joint movement to encourage Koreans to have more children. Catholics, Protestants and Buddhists share the opinion that the low birthrate is a national disaster.

Girls’ Schooling. [Korea] The lack of education for girls has been a major problem worldwide. Where I live in Korea, for example, girls were barred from school until the country became industrialized and democratized. Korean girls were required not only to do housework, but also farm work. Educating girls was thought of as useless, for women would belong to their husband's household once they married.

City-State Debates Exploitation of Maids. [Singapore] A rare passionate public debate on a social issue is raging in this tiny affluent South-east Asian nation on how the country treats the thousands of maids or "foreign domestic workers".

Unhappy Burmese Birthday. [Myanmar] The brutal military junta ruling Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has kept the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest most of the past 15 years. This living symbol of democracy and nonviolence, recently turned 60, continues to be surrounded by soldiers and barbed wire, her telephone cut, her mail intercepted, nearly all visitors prohibited.

Women's Network. [Australia] Women's Network Australia is a membership-based organization that empowers and encourages women to reach their full potential in business. For over a decade this premier business women's network has been guiding and supporting women in their pursuit for business success.

Filipinas Speak Up at UN Women’s Meet. [Philippines] Trafficking -- one of the world’s fastest growing industries with an annual profit of $5-7 billion -- and the violence it places on women are issues of great import to many members of the Philippine delegation to the conference, a group made up of various Non-Government Organization (NGO) workers and other civil society experts. The Philippines, which passed an anti-trafficking law in 2003 notably due to the intense lobbying of women’s organizations, was the first country in Asia to pass such legislation.

Women, Citizenship and the Politics of Dress. [Philippines] Women as 'bearers of tradition' wore national dress, while men wore the western suit and jacket, reflecting the gendered power relationship in the society. Because of the stark visual contrast between these two types of dress, these visual markers became politically potent. Women in the Philippines, from suffragists to powerful women, have used clothing and gender stereotypes associated with particular forms of dress as part of political strategy and empowerment.