2. WOMEN’S ISSUES IN ASIA

The emergence of movements of Asian women claiming justice and self-determination for all women as part of the total transformation of society has been a major historical characteristic of the last decade.

In areas ranging from rejection of sexual exploitation and role stereotyping to radical political analysis and the genesis of a new political methodology, Asian women have been making a distinctive contribution.

Conventional theology and the structure, priorities and practice of Asian churches have been seriously challenged on the basis of radical new insights gained by women from their theological reflection and life experience.

The women of Asia and the Pacific hold up half the sky and yet they have for centuries been oppressed by different forces in society. Class and patriarchy have been the dominant ideologies that have suppressed the productive capacities of women. We see the oppression of women in a larger framework of the unjust economic, political and social structures in each of our societies being reinforced by a decadent global economic system. The resultant militarization of Asian and Pacific nations and the effects of imperialism have a deep impact on the lives of women. Different sectors of women in our societies face their own specific forms of oppression. Women are vulnerable at the point of their reproductive capacities in this process. This is reinforced by traditions, culture, religion, family, law and the media. There is a self-evident linkage between classism, racism, militarism and sexism.

The church, because it reflects the same hierarchical and patriarchical structures of society, colludes in the continuing oppression of women. In its effort to maintain the status-quo it gives quasi-divine legitimation for the inequalities it perpetuates, by utilising theology (ideology) and consequent practices derived from the interpretation of the Bible from a one-sided male perspective.

The Women's Movements

We affirm our conviction that the Asia/Pacific women's movements are becoming the loud and resounding voices of women all

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over Asia and the Pacific. The concrete forms of oppression they highlight are:

1. Women workers' struggle for the right to organise for justice in working conditions, for higher wages, for maternity and other benefits, childcare facilities, housing and transportation. This includes the struggle of women for employment and financial independence.

2. Peasant women's struggle for the right to land, water, food, shelter, preservation of environment, health and literacy.

3. Women in minority communities face all these problems and specific forms of discrimination such as forced sterilization.

4. Women in their families struggle against oppression in the form of domestic violence, unjust marriage practices, divorce and succession laws, dowry system, dowry deaths, female infanticide and subtle expressions of female discrimination such as stereotypical role models.

5. In society at large women struggle against violence, rape, prostitution and sexual harassment and the negative images of women as sex objects in media, films, literature, etc.

6. Women struggle within the global imperialist dominated structures of society which exploits them as producers and consumers. They are exploited as producers by the growing multinational corporations' domination of Asia/Pacific economies which use them as cheap labour. They are also exploited as potential consumers, for example, in the cosmetic and fashion industries and in the baby food industry. The imposition of technological development which directly affects the lives of women is introduced without any reference to them.

7. The growing militarization of society in general, and the growth of military structures in particular, encourages the greater acceptance and incidence of violence against women. Women struggle against police violence and incommunicado detention, sex-specific forms of torture and rape by state security and paramilitary forces, escalating prostitution and international prostitution which are further consequences of the increasing militarization.

8. The women in the church who struggle against the patriarchial domination of the church by:

a. Claiming the right to participate in all the decision making processes of the church, by demanding equal representation and the right to theological education and ordination.

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b. Working to reinterpret the Bible from their concrete experience as women in society.

c. By seeking to bring the resources of the church to the struggle of women in society.

Strategies

1. We urge the youth and student movements in the Asia/ Pacific region to recognise the strength of an autonomous women's movement which continues to conscientise women and men and which builds the self-confidence and collective leadership abilities of women to play a full participatory role in the larger people's movements for justice, equality and liberation.

We also urge youth and student movements to recognise the different ideological strands within the women's movements which augment the power of women. However, we place the women's movements within the total struggle for human liberation.

2. The youth and student movements of Asia/Pacific must actively support and stand in solidarity with women in their struggle for human dignity.

3. Because much of the potential leadership of the ecumenical movement and the church is found within the youth and student movements, they must therefore:

a. ensure that their theological reflection includes the insights which come from the reinterpretation of the Bible from the perspective of women.

b. ensure that all the functions which are part of the structure of the youth and student movements be equally distributed between men and women.

c. ensure that they provide programmes for conscientization on women's issues for women and men in student and youth movements.

Networking

Youth and student movements should take an active role in:

- strengthening existing networks through more systematic information dissemination, solidarity and supportive actions;

- establishing personal links between women activists and groups;

- urging CCA YOUTH in cooperation with the CCA Women's Desk and the WSCF Asia/Pacific Region to take this networking process as a priority for action.

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Role Of Men In The Women's Movements

Men in the youth and student movements in their support of women's movements should:

a. be purely supportive of the women's decisions and actions and in that way take directions from women who make the decisions;

b. support the initiatives of women to bring about change in the hierarchical, male-dominated structure of the church and ecumenical movement.

Recommendations

That WSCF Asia Pacific and CCA YOUTH, in cooperation with the CCA Women's Desk:

1. Organise a regional conference on militarization and its effects on women.

2. Organise solidarity campaigns which will support: a. women political prisoners; b. opposition to continuing prostitution tourism; c. women discriminated against by racism; d. action to reduce the plight of women workers in MNCs and Export Processing Zones.

Conclusions

We believe in the power of women and that this power has the capacity to challenge existing norms and structures. Women, through their collective and people-oriented, non-competitive forms of organisations, have shown that they have the courage to experiment with new forms of political action and new models for the transformation of society. By this they contribute to the ecumenical vision for the future of the Asia/Pacific region. Without the creative power of women, any ecumenical vision negates the affirmation "Thy will be done."