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YWCA conferees vow to act

"We are so poor, and religious restrictions on women make it impossible for a woman to lead a single, independent life. Every time I see how women in other countries are, I want to cry; that is all there is to say. I wish that Bangladesh could be like Taiwan, like Singapore, like other countries where women have independence, where they have access to technology, where they are highly educated."

Mou Hoimontee Corraya, Bangladeshi gynecologist

Over 200 young women committed themselves to advancing women's issues via technology, advocacy and international communication as an international conference ended yesterday in Taipei.

"We believe that young women's leadership and involvement must be seen as fundamental to the development of all strategies to address [women's] issues, as it is for our future we fight," read a declaration compiled yesterday by the Young Women Leading Global Change conferees.

The conference was organ-ized by the global, Taiwan and Taipei organizations of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA).

Women from more than 15 countries between the ages of 18 and 30 come to Taipei discuss the roles women can play in social change.

And change will happen, if participants such as Mou Hoi-montee Corraya from Bangladesh have anything to say about it.

Corroya, 30, says that she plans to use her new knowledge about technology to help garment workers in her country.

"I want to go back to Bangladesh and make a small-scale documentary about our problem. I want to put the documentary on the Internet, [and] I want to make a Web page to let the world know about the crisis facing our garment industry so that international pressure will help our situation," said Corroya.

Garment workers in Bangladesh will face a crisis when an international quota system ends this year, potentially putting 1.3 million women in danger of losing their livelihoods, Corroya said yesterday after the conference concluded.

The Multi Fibre Arrangement (MFA) is an international agreement typically guaranteeing Bangladesh's garment industry at least 2 percent of the world trade in ready-made garments.

When the agreement expires, Corroya says, Bangladesh's textile workers may be unable to compete with even cheaper labor from India and China.

The garment industry problem is the just the beginning of Bangladeshi women's problems, she said.

As a gynecologist, Corroya is able to talk with a variety of Bangladeshi women about their issues, which range from tight social restrictions on women to human trafficking and violent dowry disputes.

"We are so poor, and religious restrictions on women make it impossible for a woman to lead a single, independent life," she said, adding that sanctioned violence and public humiliation of women is a serious problem in the Islamic country.

"Every time I see how women in other countries are, I want to cry; that is all there is to say. I wish that Bangladesh could be like Taiwan, like Singapore, like other countries where women have independence, where they have access to technology, where they are highly educated," said Corraya. She added bleakly that progress will take time.

Taiwanese participants at the conference said that they found the exposure to international perspectives such as Corraya's educational.

"It is very important to have an awareness of the different social issues going on in other countries. I believe that we need to increase awareness, build compassion and develop respect for diversity to make change," said Tiffany Lee (李宜蓁), 30, a personal assistant who joined the conference at her boss' urging.

She called the conference a good opportunity not only to meet women from other countries, but also to learn more about local issues, such as workplace discrimination. Many young women in Taiwan do not stand up for themselves at work, said Lee.

"A lot of my friends or people I've heard don't seem to know that they have certain rights in the workplace and do not defend them," said Lee.
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