On the way forward …
The convening of the UN’s World Conference on Women in 1995 is a successful example of the international community constructively engaging with China around human rights issues. Before the conference, many of China’s people did not know about domestic violence and NGOs, nor did they understand the concept that women’s rights are human rights. Although China was among the first group of countries to ratify the Convention on Eliminating All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the broad masses of women don’t know its contents. The World Conference on Women introduced the highly effective international women’s movement to the people of China, which was directly responsible for the creation of women’s organizations like ours.
But it is far from enough—China is a typical patriarchal society, and to promote gender equality, we must learn from the international community and involve men in the movement, especially male leaders. It is critical for men to have awareness of gender equality if we are to succeed.
About Xie Lihua
Xie Lihua is Board Chair of the Beijing Cultural Development Centre for Rural Women, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of China Women’s News, and Editor-in-Chief of Rural Women magazine. Because of her prominent contribution to the promotion of rural women’s development, she was awarded honorary titles, such as “Resourceful Women Awards 1994” (US), “New Venture Award 1995” (UK) and “Award for Popularizing Science and Technology in Rural China” (China) in 1996. In 2007 she won the Global Women’s Leadership Award for Human Right from Vital Voices Global Partnership.
Read more from other global women activists, including Lichun Tian, Song Qinghua, Lu Hongyan, Minky Worden, and Alexandra Harney.
Photo by Xie Lihua
Photo courtesy of World Pulse
