Korean Women`s Association United

(KWAU)
Korean Women`s Association United (KWAU) nowadays is one of the most
powerful NGOs protecting women`s rights in Korea. Now it consists of 6 regional
sections and 27 member organizations. The organization was established in 1987 by
one of the women`s associations fighting for democracy against the military
dictatorship. The aims of the organization are democracy, gender equality and peace
in Korea.
This organization participated and even organized the most remarkable
movements for women`s rights in Korea such as the movements for the introduction
of three acts on womens human rights, for the prevention of sexual and domestic
violence and prostitution; the movement for the abolition of so-called Hoju system
or the system of the patriarchal family-headship; the movement encouraging public
responsibility for childcare; the expansion of women`s political activities and the
expansion of a policy for maternal protection. It is also remarkable that KWAU
played an important role in the formation of the Ministry of Gender Equality. Besides
that, KWAU participates in the formation of government policies on women
including the adoption of a gender-responsive budget. Moreover, Korean Women`s
Association United has obtained a Special Consultative Status from the United
Nations.
KWAU influences the government policies by compiling so-called shadow
reports. These are the reports in which KWAU basing on it`s own experience and on
the experience of other women`s rights organizations of Korea makes a list of the
most important and problematic issues regarding the position of women in Korea. As
the Chair of the International Solidarity Centre and the member of KWAU
Youngsook Cho claimed these reports obviously help to achieve positive effects on
changing the position of women in the Korean society. In this essay I will focus on
the two problems which KWAU is constantly trying to solve.
KWAU is concerned about the prostitution in Korea and the position of
prostitutes. In 2000 there was a huge scandal when a fire broke out in one of the
Korean cities and killed five women who were locked in a brothel by its owner.
Though the prostitution was outlawed in Korea in 1961 the number of prostitues has
grown significantly since then. The working conditions of prostitutes were extremely
bad because of the growing demand for sex services and their illegal operation which
didn`t protect prostitutes at all. The previously named accident along with the
growing international critisism of the Korean human-trafficking and prostitution gave
KWAU and other Korean NGO`s fighting for women`s rights an opportunity to
convince the government in the necessity of re-evaluating its prostitution policy.
Women rights` organizations proposed and lobbied two new laws about prostitution
aimed at the elimination of prostitution and at the protection of all women in the sex
industry. These laws were enacted. These laws increased penalties for certain deeds
within the sex industry but granted help and protection for the victims of prostitution
and for the prostitutes who want to escape the sex industry. These laws partly
improved the situation with the prostitution in Korea but they still didn`t solve all the
problems as there`s still penaltization for the women who cannot prove that they are
victims of the prostitution and they also give too much power to the policemen and

the prosecutors in determining whether the women are the victims of prostitution or
not. So KWAU and other women`s NGOs should try to find some new ways of
changing the government prostitution policy in order to make real improvements in
lifes of prostitutes as the two enacted laws have only slightly made the situation
better but there are still many things left to be done.
Another issue KWAU focuses on is the problem of the victims of the Japanese
sexual slavery during the World War II. Along with the other Korean NGOs such as
People's Solidarity for Participatory
Democracy and with the help of professional lawyers KWAU has been trying
to make Japanese government give and official apology to the victims of the Japanese
sexual crimes since 1990. The policies of KWAU include sending official letters to
the Japanese government and to the United Nations with the demand of restoring
human rights of sexual slaves. In 1990 KWAU with the Korean Council of University
Women established The Korean Council for the Korean Women drafted for military
sexual slavery by Japan and the groups of women sent a letter to the Japanese
government asking for an apology. But the Japanese denied the participation of the
military or the government in organizing so-called comfort stations during the war.
Despite all the evidence collected on the participation of the Japanese military
officers in sexual crimes and all the statements made by the Korean comfort women
during the last decades the situation hasn`t changed so this issue is still bothering
women in Korea and the members of KWAU are still fighting for justice sending
official demands and asking the Japanese for an apology as unfortunately KWAU can
not do much here but ask the UN to make certain moves against the Japanese for the
ciolation of human rights. So this issue is one of the most sensitive because of the
anti-Japanese sentiment but Korean NGOs don`t seem to be in power to solve it.
I looked over only two issues of concenr of KWAU as they seemed the most
interesting to me. It is obvious that KWAU is playing a significant role in the Korean
sociaty and in forming the government`s women policies but in the two discussed
issues KWAU has to try to make some more difference. And as in the second issue it
seems that not much can be done in the first issue there is just much work to be done
in order to create and introduce some new laws regarding the prostitution police in
Korea.
Sources:
1. Ji Hye Kim, KOREAS NEW PROSTITUTION POLICY: OVERCOMING
CHALLENGES TO EFFECTUATE THE LEGISLATURES
INTENT TO PROTECT PROSTITUTES FROM ABUSE, March 2007
2.http://www.worldywca.org/Member-Associations/International-TrainingInstitute/CEDAW-a-women-s-tool-for-change

3. NGO Shadow Report

Republic of Korea
An Examination of
The Seventh Periodic Report by the Republic of Korea
on the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women, June 2011
4. http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~lee33s/classweb/worldpolitics/politicalfacts.html