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paper 7

THE WOMEN’S PROJECT:

RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE REGIONAL LEVEL

1) WSCF Asia shall propose and coordinate the continuation of the women’s project to the coming Asia Committee. This project shall initially cover one quadrennium including 1978 (1978-81).

2) WSCF Asia shall maintain links with regional and international women’s organisations which are doing research and training of women. A social investigation of these organisations should be made in order to insure that their orientation and thrusts are in line with the stance we have taken in this workshop vis-à-vis the woman’s question.

3) Participants of this workshop shall report to the Asia office their activities, i.e., the follow-up work of the project in their national movements so such information can be shared with others through PRAXIS. So the issues on this question can be kept alive and interest and concern be sustained, WSCF Asia staff shall publish one special issue of PRAXIS every year within the quadrennium. So a wider dissemination of such printed information and articles be done, participants of the workshop shall send the local units and addresses to Asia office by January 1979 so the regional newsletter and other materials can be sent to them directly.

4) Fair representation of women and men from national SCMs should be ensured in WSCF regional as

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well as inter-regional activities. For example, if two representatives are needed, one shall be a man, the other, a woman and in cases if only one need to be sent, a woman or a man shall be sent alternately. This 50-50 ratio should be stressed at all times.

5) The regional office shall assist and encourage national movements in acquiring a comprehensive knowledge and awareness of the socio-economic and political situations of Asian countries and the region. It shall also help equip members of SCMs with the tools of analysing those situations.

6) a) WSCF Asia shall work on a guideline on the WSCF Asia’s stance vis-à-vis the woman question based on the five questions posed by Gabriele Dietrich during this workshop and shall recommend this guideline in further studying and analysing the woman issue.

b) Furthermore, the regional office shall recommend a programme on the national and regional level which shall focus on a clearer understanding of the biblical and theological basis not only of the struggle of women for liberation but of the national movement (SCM)’s participation in the total social transformation.

c) WSCF Asia and national movements shall follow up initial studies of this workshop on socialist countries particularly those in Asia.

7) The regional office shall plan a consultation eighteen months after this workshop (mid-1980) to assess the progress of the women’s project in both the national and regional levels. This consultation shall focus also on in-depth analysis and perspectives of the various SCMs on the socio-economic-political realities which exist in their own countries and critiques of obtaining systems and the options open to them.

8) WSCF Asia staff shall make a conscious effort in consultation with national movements to develop progressive elements in each SCM to help in raising a deeper awareness and involvement in the social transformation of the country.

ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL

1) his workshop strongly recommends to each national movement to give priority in implementing the above plans of action and study.

2) In the same spirit, it suggests that more, if not all, national movements (SCMs) participate in the women’s project of the region.

ON THE INTER-REGIONAL LEVEL

1) Since we are a world-wide federation and the women’s project is part of the inter-regional

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programmes, the workshop recommends to the IRO through the regional staff that greater sharing of plans and activities of each region and national movements be effected.

2) This workshop further recommends that resources on information and conscientization touching on the woman question- both verbal and non-verbal- be shared among the regions and the national movements.