Thailand and Southeast Asia Regional Office

Korea Women's Hote Line (KWHL)

A Safe Refuge

Few countries can boast of the tremendous growth and discipline the Korean economy has enjoyed over the last thirty or so years. And needless to say, this tremendous growth has been succoured and fuelled, for the most part, by the sheer discipline and hard work of  the Korean people, who have suffered, greatly so, and had their human rights and freedom violated repeatedly throughout their history. Yet, even today, in the modern, democratic and so-called gender-equal Korean society, women continue to suffer human and social rights violations. Just like in the past. And in the absence of effective official  countenance to this problem, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), are forced, as responsible representatives of society, to try and be agents of social and political change. Among the many NGOs working in the area of women's rights, Korean Women's Hot Line (KWHL) is one of the most active and effective organisations. In existence since fifteen years, KWHL is represented all around the country. Headquartered in Seoul, it has offices and hot line  counselling centres in nineteen cities of Korea, including Pusan, Suwon, Inchon, Kwangju and Changwon. Its well thought aim is to protect women's human rights and expand women's welfare, as well as to create gender equality at home, the workplace and in society. It also wants women to be able to actively participate in all spheres of life, such as the political, economic, social and cultural areas.

A long-term goal and project of the KWHL has been the protection through active legislation of women affected by domestic violence. Eventually, after untiring efforts, KWHL and other NGOs managed to get the Domestic Violence Prevention Act passed into law by the government in November 1997. With the passage of this law, domestic violence is a social issue, not a private one. And perpetrators of domestic violence are criminals punishable by law. This was an extremely important achievement, domestic violence being the large problem that it is in Korea. The law will now ensure that public authorities can help victims of this abuse and that the wrongdoers are  punished or otherwise impeded. The victims will have access to counselling and temporary shelters and the perpetrators will be forced to undergo correctional counselling, which will hopefully help avert future violence.  

KWHL is also keen on highlighting yet another burgeoning issue in Korea, and one that seems to have recently evolved, or simply, to have worsened: women's lack of job security. Even as economic disaster looms over the heads of most Far East Asians, Korean women are facing the brunt of this economic downturn in their own economy through the loss of their jobs at the first sight of company troubles. Women, more often married women, are increasingly being offered early retirement, marked retirement or unfair retirement. They are always at risk of losing their jobs first. KWHL is trying to draw public and political attention to this growing trend in the corporate world, and to the fact that idle women, married or single, are unused assets and instead of contributing to the economy, are actually a drain on it. As well, their position and status in society is being gravely threatened.  

Apart from putting its considerable weight behind these crucial issues, KWHL also hopes to make a difference by running a large number of other projects, all directed at informing women of their fundamental rights and otherwise promoting a pluralistic and gender-equal society.  

'Shimter', a shelter for abused women is a good example. Operative since the last ten years, 'Shimter' provides refuge to many battered and abused women in society who more often than not, have nowhere else to turn when they take the bold step of leaving their abusive husbands. KWHL even intends to tackle this problem from the opposite end: to try and help the perpetrators of family violence. It plans counselling programmes in this regard. Fund-raising for the 'Shimter' project is done through donations and concerts like the two classical and jazz concerts held in the spring and fall of 1997.  

In addition, KWHL also runs various programmes aimed at imparting sexual education  and sound sexual values to teenage girls. Lectures and small group meetings are frequently held and in Inchon there is even a training school for sex education lecturers, so that the instruction of this education is done in a professional and responsible manner. Educating young girls about sexual violence is also a priority of KWHL, given the growing incidents of sexual abuse of school girls by their male teachers in Korean society. In response to a nation-wide survey conducted by KWHL to ascertain the extent of this problem in schools, forums and workshops were conducted and participants stressed on the need to introduce sexual education in schools in order to build awareness among young girls. The issue has been further highlighted for children by way of a puppet show, called 'Hanulyi's secret'. The play is produced and performed by members of KWHL.

The various branches of KWHL regularly conduct their own campaigns and events. Among these was the campaign for protecting children from sexual violence held by the Suwon Women's Hot Line in October 1997. In Chungju, students held a forum on verbal flirting in universities and discussed the harmful effect it has on female students. The Changwon office has been appointed by the city government to run a centre that will have programmes on continuing study for volunteer counsellors as well as on life long education for residents. And through its recently opened homepage, KWHL hopes to attract the attention of net surfers to the extent of its work in issues of gender violence. Both Korean and English versions are fully active. (Website: http://www.hotline.peacenet.or.kr)  

It seems that the task it is striving to achieve is a never ending battle for the KWHL. But bring about a positive change in society it will, of that its members and activists are confident, why else would they fight this battle.