Catégorie : 1000 women Peace Nobel 2005

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Telling the story of her experience as a sex slave, Siin-Do Song (born 1923) is paving the way for thousands of women to pursue justice. Siin-Do was one of the « comfort women » to the Japanese military during World War II. Following the war, Siin-Do faced harsh racial and ethnic discrimination as a Korean living in Japan. Using her own name in a culture that forbids talking of such things, Siin-Do filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government asking for an apology and compensation. Her quest for justice is a protest against both sexual violence during the war and racism after it.

« Siin-Do Song’s actions make us realize that the impunity of crimes of violence against women in war should be ended » says Yuko Sugiyama

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Sorry, their is no photo for Siin-Do Song, Japan & Korea

She works for VAWW-NET Japan.

The tragedy of Siin-Do’s victimization began when she was a young girl, growing up in Korea at a time when her country was under Japanese rule. At age 16, Siin-Do ran away from an arranged marriage on the day of her wedding, and was approached by a Korean woman who told her she could make money if she went to the battlefield of « her nation » (Japan). In 1938, Siin-Do was taken to China, which had just been invaded by Japan. There, she was forced to serve for years as a « comfort woman » in a « comfort station, » which meant servicing hundreds of soldiers who would wait in line for their few minutes of rape. When Japan surrendered in 1945, Siin-Do fled China, leaving behind children born in the brothel.

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Zhang Youyun was born in 1940. She worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was involved in the negotiations with Britain for Hong Kong’s future. In 1990 she joined Ministry of Labor. In 1994 she became a member of the International Labor Organization ILO and was also appointed Special Adviser on Women Workers’ Questions and Director of the Bureau for Gender Equality.

She says: « Being a woman does not necessarily mean that you are gender conscious. We should challenge existing rules of the game, including existing mechanisms that cause and perpetuate gender inequality ».

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Youyun Zhang – China

In 1940, when Zhang Youyun was born, her father Zhang Aoyun was the magistrate of Yunxian county, Hubei province, under the Republic of China. Two years later he passed away, stressed out by overwork; he left a will which urged his children to take pains to complete what he had not finished, to love the people as well as the country, and to not be egoistic, grudging, lazy or greedy.

Dancing and gymnastics fascinated Zhang Youyun then. However, bearing her father’s will in mind, she gave up her favorite activities. After experiencing many difficulties, Zhang Youyun at last passed the examination and began to study English at the Beijing Foreign Studies University. In 1973, she went to Britain to further her studies at the University of Bath. She began her career as an interpreter in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1974, where she worked as long as sixteen years. During this period, she also took part in foreign affairs.

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Linked with Developments on the Road to ‘Division Day’.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

A prestigious journalist, Bolivian Ana Maria de Campero (1943) was a Public Defender, from 1998 to 2003. With her, this position was born. Her goal was to defend the human rights of prisoners, coke growers, prostitutes, children, homosexuals and sick people without resources.

She has not lost her determination. Today, from the Unite Bolivia Foundation, over which she presides, she promotes non-violent management and dialogue.

She says: « I know that I can fight power without letting it seduce me or scare me ».

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Ana Maria Romero de Campero – Bolivia

She works for the Unite Bolivia Foundation.

“The best thing that could ever happen in the country, at that time, was her appointment to become Public Defender. We verified this every day. There is nothing like time to show us our successes or mistakes. And time plays in her favor, because she works in favor of the people. Human rights: she is right and human. Ethics: to her, it is not just a word, it is her backbone. Solidarity: open hand, given heart. Simplicity and grace: they are hers.” This is how journalist Caesar Rojas Ríos, of La Prensa, Bolivia, defined Ana Maria Romero de Campero (born in La Paz in 1943).

Ana Maria did not gain these praises without encountering difficulties. She started her career as a journalist after she was already a wife and a mother. She was a journalist for 30 years. She became Director of the daily newspaper, Presencia. From there, she opposed the dictatorship of General Hugo Bánzer (1971-1978).

In 1979, there was an opening for democracy. She was named the Minister of Information. But after only a few days, a state coup sent her into exile. But she returned and continued her work in journalism.

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Linked with Korean Women’s Association United , and with human trafficking.org.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Sook-Im Kim began empowering women to make a difference in Korea in the late ’70s, in what she calls the « Dark Ages for women’s movements. » In the face of military dictatorship, a divided country, and an inflated national defense budget, women’s voices were silenced. Understanding that women’s welfare was at stake, Sook-Im pioneered the women’s peace movement by organizing the radical group, Korean Association of Christian Women, for whom she and her husband built a church and kindergarten. For 26 years, Sook-Im has modeled leadership in her quest for peace.

She says: « Female-oriented peaceful movements, measures, and mind have guided me into a vision for resolving the conflict in the Korean peninsula as a mediator of peace ».

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Sook-Im Kim – South Korea

She works for the Peace and Reunification Committee of the Korea Women’s Association,
for the Unification and Peace in Korean Women’s United Association,
and for the Korea Campaign to Ban Landmines (named on Landmine Monitor).

The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Sook-Im Kim was always encouraged by her parents to become socially active. But a quiet reader and musician, Kim preferred to keep to herself. She enrolled in Seoul’s Women’s University to study literature, and there her life took a sharp turn. As a jazz pianist and dancer, her performance of a masque dance caught the attention of the military police. Believing it was a form of government resistance, they sent Kim to prison.
Ironically, it was at this point that her true resistance began.

She became very ill in prison and an operation on her spine ended her days of dancing. But a new kind of dance was born. Upon her release from prison, she became an activist, fired by her first-hand understanding of an unjust political system.

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Kumiko Yokoi uses the power of music to spread messages of peace, dignity, and hope. Millions of people of all ages in Ireland, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and the United States have been inspired by the singer’s performances; profits from her concerts and CDs have benefited children, particularly those with disabilities. She is also known as a fighter for worker’s rights in her home country, Japan.

She says: « Sing the love, love the song I want to fight with dreams in my soul, with you Sing the love, love the song, I want to fight with dreams in my soul ».

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Kumiko Yokoi – Japan

Kumiko Yokoi uses the power of music to spread messages of peace, dignity, and hope. Millions of people of all ages in Ireland, Sri Lanka, Nicaragua, Vietnam, and the United States have been inspired by her performances; profits from her concerts and CDs have benefited children, particularly those with disabilities. She is also known as a fighter for worker’s rights in her home country, Japan.

When Kumiko saw the pain and suffering of children – second and third generation Agent Orange victims – at a rehabilitation center in Vietnam, her heart was broken. « The village is a holy place, » she said. « It has experienced peace and the cruelty of war. » As she has been doing since 1973, she dedicated her 2004 concert to help children. Vietnam has about 1.2 million children with disabilities, 150,000 who are Agent Orange victims.

The concert was her fourth in Vietnam. She first performed there in 1973 when she sang Stop! Tank for northern soldiers during the Vietnam War. She is especially moved by children and families whose health has been devastated by environmental catastrophes. In 1985 she sang in Nicaragua and in 2001 she donated the profit from sales of a CD to children in Afghanistan.

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Hua Meiqing is a policewoman serving at the Pingan Road Police Station of the Sifang Substation of the Qingdao Public Security Bureau. In 1993 she began to work supervising prostitutes; in 2002 she started to take on tasks aimed at tackling domestic violence. She took care of victimized women and created a way in which the police could intervene in domestic violence. She writes extensively on the subject.

She says: « As a grassroots policewoman, I work little by little, adding one drop to another, in legal advocacy work. The prevention of domestic violence is an important task ».

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Meiqing Hua – China

She works for the Qingdao Public Security Bureau.

Hua Meiqing lived in the countryside as a young girl. At the age of 17, she graduated from Shandong Police School, and began her career as a policewoman. Today, 23 years later, she is in the same job. She is now an instructor in Pingan Road Police Station of Sifang Substation, Qingdao Public Security Bureau.

She has taken on all kinds of police tasks. In 1993, she began to work at supervising prostitutes in Qingdao Detention House; in 2002, she started to take on tasks against domestic violence.

Hua Meiqing has always striven to do her work in a conscientious manner. After she read “Outline of Women’s Development”, she started to develop an interest in women’s work, and took up volunteer work for women. She also continued to read on these issues.

Hua is concerned about disadvantaged groups. In 1993, she began to get in touch with prostitutes in detention houses. At first, she was contemptuous of them. But later, an activity named “A letter to my mother” changed her mind. When she saw the letters the prostitutes had written, the feelings they had expressed, Hua was moved to tears.

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Zhang Jihui is a head nurse in the general ward of the No. 1 Hospital in Guangzhou City. During the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in China in 2003, she accepted the assignment to work in the temporary Sars ward without hesitation. She worked 12 to 16 hours per day for 83 days without adequate supplies of oxygen and water. She served patients selflessly with love and courage. Her efforts have deeply impressed each of her patients, who come to understand what an « angel in white » really means.

She says: « Let us give others convenience, and give ourselves difficulties; give others happiness, and give ourselves sadness; give others safety, and give ourselves risks ».

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Jihui Zhang – China

She works for the no.1 People’s Hospital in Guangzhou City.

Zhang Jihui, born in 1963, is the head nurse of no.1 People’s Hospital in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. During the SARS period in 2003, she cared for patients without considering her own safety. Later she published a book called ‘Diaries of the Head Nurse’, which was much acclaimed by the public.

In the most critical period of SARS, Guangzhou set up a special ward for SARS patients. As an ordinary head nurse of the no.1 People’s Hospital, Zhang volunteered to work at the frontline. She worked continuously in the special ward for almost three months, days and nights.

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Linked with the Naz Foundation (India) Trust.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Anjali works with the most marginalized groups of society-women and children, and gay, lesbian, transgendered and bisexual communities. Her work on HIV/AIDS issues over the past two decades has changed the way India’s policymakers address these issues. When the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, which Anjali established in 1995, first began work, there was remarkable resistance to even acknowledging that HIV was a problem. However, through the sustained lobbying of groups working on education, health and women’s empowerment, Anjali has not only educated and trained them to incorporate HIV issues in ongoing programs, but also challenged the laws and norms that marginalize women and sexual minorities.

She says: « This work has to be a lifelong commitment ».

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Anjali Gopalan – India

She works for the Naz Foundation (India) Trust.

Anjali Gopalan was born in 1957 in Chennai. Her father was an officer in the Indian Air Force and her mother a homemaker. She studied in both India and the US, and her degree in political science, a postgraduate diploma in journalism, and a Masters in international development have helped her immeasurably in her radical work.

Anjali lived and worked in New York for nearly a decade before she returned to India to continue her work on HIV/AIDS and marginalization issues. She had begun work on HIV/AIDS and related issues in New York with undocumented migrant labor, schoolchildren, and South Asian communities.

Moving to India with this experience in hand, in 1995 she established the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, an HIV/AIDS service organization that concentrates on prevention and care. The foundation works on issues of sexuality, rights, and training, and runs an orphanage-and-home for children and women living with HIV.

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Linked with Sanlaap India, with Oxfam (India) Trust, New Delhi, and with Terre des Hommes, divers groupes indépendants, also with its India Programme.

She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

When a study on sexually abused children took Indrani Sinha (born 1950) to the brothel areas of Kolkata, the lives of the women there shook her to the core. From then on, she and Sanlaap (sanlaap means dialogue), the organization she set up, have been working to eliminate stigma, and to integrate women in prostitution and their children into mainstream society. While the setting up of safe homes and motivating government agencies have been significant victories, Indrani’s greatest triumph is the fulfilling lives that the women in and from Sanlaap’s shelter homes now lead.

She says: « When I started in 1989, I did not have any role models from whom I could learn. Therefore, I learnt from the women in red-light areas through listening to their needs ».

Drawing a parallel with another form of violence, the use of child labor, Indrani says, « Would we advocate that child labor be legalized just because it exists? A form of violence cannot be accepted merely because it is there and has been for centuries; the basis of its existence needs to be challenged ».

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Indrani Sinha – India

She works for Sanlaap.

Indrani Sinha was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in West Bengal on 15 March 1950, and grew up in Patna, Bihar. She completed her graduation in English literature from Kolkata’s Jadavpur University. Indrani’s life, as a young woman, was tough: when she was only 17, her father’s retirement meant that she had to manage both her work and studies, and shoulder the financial responsibilities at home.

She was married in 1973, but soon realized that she was in a dysfunctional marriage; nonetheless, she waited for their son to grow up before she left it. She married a friend who respects her work in 1985, and has two daughters now.

Although Indrani’s career began with teaching English, in 1973-76, in a well-known Hindi-medium school in Calcutta, she soon realized that her interest lay in the development sector.

In 1982, she joined Terre des Hommes (see the India Programme), « a network of ten national organizations working for the rights of children and to promote equitable development without racial, religious, political, cultural or gender-based discrimination » (see also on wikipedia), and then moved on to the Oxfam India Trust, where she worked for five years in women’s empowerment.

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She is one of the 1000 women proposed for the Nobel Peace Price 2005.

Meghiben has inspired some 2500 women in the entire Pachcham area to take up the cause of human rights, empowerment, and justice for women. She has successfully combated the stigma associated with her status as a divorcee. For the past ten years, she has been working to strengthen women’s grassroots collectives and women’s involvement in the socioeconomic arena in her village and district. Her work with legal aid has been crucial to women’s lives in the area. Most innovative of all her efforts, though, is the printing of a newsletter for neoliterates, encouraging them to express themselves in print and thus making a public space available to women.

She says: « I am interested in seeing women sell the products that they are producing or value-adding in a fair price market. Not only that, I would also like to see them control the resources thus generated, resulting in complete socio-economic empowerment of rural women ».

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Meghiben Samariya – India

She works for Ujjas Mahila Sangathan UMS.

Meghiben Samariya was born in 1966 in village Habay, Bhuj district, as one of four children. Married off at 16, she stayed with her husband for a year. During that time, she worked in the salt pans and developed a skin rash, which gave her in-laws the opportunity to abuse her as a « leper » and evict her. She was only 17 years old. She sought legal redress, but it was seven years before she was awarded a compensation of Rs 10,000.

Meghiben is now divorced and lives with her parents. Although not formally educated, her keen mind and instinctive grasp of situations has helped her building herself into a force to reckon with.

When members of the Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan (KMVS) began working in her area, Meghiben took an active part in their activities. She started out aiming to support herself, and then gradually became part of the core team that took on the responsibility of building the capacities of the grassroots women’s collectives.

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