WASHINGTON—On the eve of International Women’s Day, the United Nations has stepped up a campaign to end violence and discrimination against women, saying education is the key to protect future generations of women and girls.
“This year, 2008, is particularly important for this campaign to promote the rights of women, to see that governments address the problem of violence against women, [and promote] the economic and social development of women,” United Nations spokesman Kiyotaka Akasaka said in an interview with Radio Free Asia on March 7.
“This year’s particular theme is investing in women and girls. We know that investing in women and girls in education and their employment in all areas—government and private businesses as well—will be the best way to address the problem of gender inequality and the improvement of the life of women and girls,” Akasaka said in an interview.
I want to tell the world that the gap between rich and poor in China is getting wider and wider; that everywhere you turn there are corrupt officials. We can't do anything to change it. We can only let our tears flow inside us.
“The world is full of terrible news like the violence against women in very many countries, but we are also worried about the discrimination, the inequality between men and women. In order to address women’s issues in the long run, the best way is to get more access to education and employment opportunities to women and girls.”
Meanwhile, more than 125,000 people in China had signed up for a U.N.-backed Internet-based advocacy campaign, “Say NO to Violence against Women,” based at www.saynotoviolence.org.
The signatures were collected on a separate Web site, at http://go.lady.163.com/vow/sites, created by leading Chinese portal NetEase. The signatures were handed over to UNIFEM at a ceremony in Beijing on Friday, bringing the number of supporters to nearly 200,000.
“Through our daily online interactions with women, we found that many women, especially the young ones, suffer from domestic violence. We hope that through activities like this, NetEase can express its support to these women and take a stance against domestic violence,” NetEase women’s editor Zhang Danping said.
One in three women and girls may be affected by violence. The Say NO campaign invites people to sign a virtual book as an expression of public support and a call to decision-makers worldwide to make ending violence against women a top priority.
UNIFEM national coordinator Guo Ruixiang said the project, facilitated through the anti-domestic violence network of the China Law Society, was an excellent example of how the private sector can contribute to pressing social issues.
“We want to use the Internet to educate the general public, especially youth who are the majority of Internet users,” network director Chen Benjian said in a statement.
Chinese women have been calling RFA’s listener call-in programs on a variety of issues in the run-up to International Women’s Day.
One Shanghai-based woman, identified only by her surname, Zhang, said she had been homeless since being forcibly evicted from her apartment in 2004.
“They say that China is a country where there is the rule of law, and that should be in order to protect ordinary people, but private property owners, individuals like me, have no power at all in this system,” she told “Voices of the People” host Jill Ku.
A Ms. Xu from Zibo city in the eastern province of Shandong called to talk about having her telephone cut off after she made repeated calls to RFA numbers. She described being detained after she protested the decision at her local telephone company offices.
“They were threatening to keep me detained, telling me that I had already broken the law by causing a public disturbance,” she said. “I told them, ‘That’s fine. You can detain me. Then at least I’ll have food to eat.’”
Another woman recalled the 1966-76 Cultural Revolution, telling the story of a high school classmate whose son had suffered from a mystery illness he believed was retribution for hurting a teacher during the infamous “struggle sessions.”
“He quoted the old saying, ‘The sins of the fathers will be visited upon the sons.’ I believe in this too,” she concluded. “A lot of people think they can get away with doing bad things with no retribution from the law. But an even worse fate is awaiting them.”
A caller from Shandong said she needed to talk about her feelings of despair. “I often want to talk to you about my suffering, about how I can’t bear the pain of life any more,” she told “Listener Hotline” host Wei Lian.
“I want to tell the world that the gap between rich and poor in China is getting wider and wider, that everywhere you turn there are corrupt officials. We can’t do anything to change it. We can only let our tears flow inside us.”
“I don’t know how much of my life is left to me. This winter is too, too cold.”
Others were concerned about the outcome of the presidential election campaign.
“I was pleased to hear that a black person is running for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States,” a caller identified as Ms. Xu said.
“If a black person like Obama can get elected president, more people, including myself, will have more respect for the United States. It has always been my impression that in countries where the majority of the population is white, blacks are somewhat discriminated against.”
“I had hoped that Hillary [Clinton] would come out ahead, because she is a woman, and in the history of the United States, no woman has ever been president. Then I heard there is a candidate who is non-white. So I think there will be a lot of good feeling if either of them is elected, actually,” she said.
Original reporting in Mandarin by Jill Ku and Wei Lian. RFA Mandarin service director: Jennifer Chou. Additional reporting by Richard Finney. Translated and written for the Web in English by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Sarah Jackson-Han.
