Cho Young-sook is the president of the newly established Center for Women’s Human Rights (CWHR) in Korea with the mission of eradicating sexual exploitation as part of national efforts to achieve gender equality in the Korean society. Young sook is one of the activists who played a leading role in the campaign for adoption of the Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004. Young sook is a member of APWLD’s Violence against Women Task Force.
In September 2005, the Hindu Succession Act (HSA) of 1956 was amended with the Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act (HSAA) of 2005, a significant step towards advancing women’s rights, although Muslim and tribal women are outside the purview of this law. The tireless efforts of women’s rights activist and NGOs working on this had a very significant role to play in the amendment of the discriminatory act.

The CWHR was recently established. What is the purpose for its establishment and what are its functions?

With the Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004 coming into effect, many people called for the establishment of a central organisation that will enhance communication among local service centres and with the international community, as well as develop comprehensive programmes for victims’ recovery and independence. In order to meet such demand, the CWHR was established on November 25, 2005. The CWHR provides centralised support for local service centres’ activities by developing various programs for victims’ recovery and social reintegration and advocacy for victim’s human rights. In addition, we provide a hub for cooperation and networking to strengthen coalitions among national and international organisations; develop capacitybuilding programs for service providers; and provide information services.

We are facing two immediate tasks: to effectively handle pending issues and to settle the direction of future activities. The legislation of Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004, I believe, was a great legal achievement in protecting women’s human rights. If 2004 was a year of setting the new initiative, the following will be years of developing and implementing this initiative. In carrying this out, there will certainly be many challenges and conflicts to be expected; circumstances will compel us to take proper countermeasures and political action. To be successful, it is very important that we build a strong coalition with local activists and service providers and to have the capability to effectively tackle such challenges. This year, we will focus on building this coalition and capability, while preparing the ground for the important detailed planning beginning next year.

You were very active in the feminist movement for more than a decade as Secretary General of the Korea Women’s Associations United. I don’t think it was easy to decide to leave that work to assume the presidency of a newborn organisation, the CWHR. What prompted you to accept this position?

First of all, many activists and service workers desperately needed a central resource centre that can coordinate local coalitions and develop comprehensive programs for victims’ recovery and rehabilitation. I was one of the activists who played a leading role in the campaign for adoption of the Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004. Compared to other laws that we worked on for enactment to combat violence against women — such as the Act on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of Victims, and the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Violence and Protection of Victims —the Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004 made us face different circumstances. First, we needed to develop new concepts in regard to prostitution because the Act on Prevention of Morally Degrading Behavior (APMDB), its predecessor, used stigmatising terms against women in prostitution — such as “fallen women” — and penalised women in prostitution alone as offenders. In addition, local groups that were working against sexual exploitation had a relatively weak foundation and had a hard time in initiating nationwide actions needed for successful implementation of the law. Such limitations pushed the establishment of the CWHR. It is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to work for the organisation set up to meet such a need.

As a feminist activist, you have devoted your life to achieving gender equality in the Korean society. While working as an activist, what was the toughest thing you experienced?

We have made remarkable legal achievements in combating violence against women. A series of legislative acts have empowered women to speak out against domestic violence, sexual violence, and sexual exploitation. However, we have, and continue to face, great barriers and absurd challenges in monitoring the implementation of these laws. This has been the toughest thing for me. Some people, mostly men, have attempted to make the laws invalid by arguing that women become victims of violence because they induce men to commit violence. Among their arguments is a timeworn one: that women who wear revealing clothes encourage men’s sexual violence by increasing men’s sexual drive. These are many examples that effectively undermine the implementation of the law. Under these circumstances, the fact that a large majority of law enforcers are men often makes things worse. The culture of patriarchy and men’s perspectives dominating law enforcement agencies are sympathetic towards male offenders and, thus, undermine the protection of victims. Successful law implementation requires a far stronger coalition among women. I think women should maintain a consistent solidarity to defy these built-in obstacles.

People often raise questions about the effectiveness of the Prostitution Prevention Act of 2004 and some even predicted that the law would become moribund sooner or later. What do you think of such pessimistic views?

I hear it often. Women should recognise that there are differences among ourselves and accept these differences. I think this is one of critical factors in determining the fate of our movement in the future. In order to achieve women’s coalition without reservations, we have to recognise that there are continuing attempts to weaken our solidarity by dividing women ? essentially using our differences against us. We should further strengthen our coalition and work together to eradicate any discrimination against women existing in this society.

Lastly, as a long-time feminist activist, do you have a message to say to the Korean people as well as other feminist activists?

I think it is a time to tackle all kinds of violence against women committed in both private and public spheres — such as sexual violence, domestic violence, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment in the work place — from the perspective of protection of women’s human rights. Such a unified approach requires the development of an institutionalised system and the training of people, which, I believe, become possible when feminist activist groups reach consensus on the issues that matter through in-depth discussion. I hope that the CWHR will make a little contribution in this process. (interview from CWHR newsletter, March 2006)