Analysis and Critiques on the CEDAW Movement in Taiwan
Date Issued
2009
Date
2009
Author(s)
Lu, Shih-Wei
Abstract
After 2000, several Taiwanese women NGOs lead by the National Alliance of Taiwan Women Associations have resorted to CEDAW as part of their movement. any positive actions were taken to advocating Taiwan to adopt CEDAW. The Taiwan Civil League for promoting CEDAW (The League for CEDAW) was formed among major NGOs on women’s rights, children’s rights and human rights in general. At the time, the primary goal of the mainstream CEDAW movement focused on the formal and legal accession to CEDAW as a whole, while some dissenting and marginal organizations aimed for the right of sex workers and migrant women by referring to specific CEDAW provisions to criticize the policy of the government.he League for CEDAW successfully put the CEDAW accession into the government’s agenda. On January 5 2007, the Legislative Yuan ratified CEDAW by an overwhelming parliamentary majority, and the President subsequently issued the signatory. On February 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempted to submit the instrument to the Secretary-General of the United Nations for deposition in accordance with Article 25(2) of the CEDAW. However, this request was denied by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban quoted the U.N. Resolution 2758 which recognizes the People''s Republic of China as the only legitimate representative of China to the U.N. Thus he contended that Taiwan was not qualified to participate the convention. Notwithstanding the rejection, Taiwanese government issued its first national report in March 2009 and invited three ex-CEDAW committee members to Taipei for review. Meanwhile, several domestic NGOs lead by the Garden of Hope Foundation formed a workshop for an alternative report focusing on violence against women.his thesis attempts to explain why these NGOs at that specific moment referred to CEDAW and promoted for the accession. First, I look into the different characteristics of these organizations from a historical angle. I try to examine Taiwanese government and NGOs worked on international connections on female issues after the Second World War seeking the connection between the past and the present.he rise of CEDAW movement in Taiwan can be analyzed form both structural impact and identity perspectives. As to structural impact, the first party turnover was the vital political chance for the CEDAW movement. “Entering the UN in the name of Taiwan” and “Building a state of human rights” was the two most significant propagandas of the new government. Therefore, the purpose of CEDAW movement was accepted by the government without difficulties. In the meantime, the call for government reform after the party turnover not only offered chances for advocating gender mainstreaming but also provided NGOs the platform to link gender mainstreaming mechanism with the idea of CEDAW. Further, the resources mobilization also became a significant role on the initial stage of CEDAW movement.ther than the structural impact, CEDAW movement was driven mainly by subjective identity. The identity includes three dimensions, i.e. national identity, female/actor identity and the identity towards general human rights belief. The national identity of Taiwan is particularly essential to the movement. It was in coincidence with the ideology of the new government and thus beneficial to the movement. Nevertheless, the domination of this national identity also caused the formalism of the mainstream CEDAW movement. In this thesis, I further argue that the identity of general human rights belief went beyond its literal meaning to contain a blueprint for a new state of Taiwan including the imagination of democracy, progression and freedom. he female/actor identity was less momentous than the national identity. However, the diversity of female/actor identity determined the different interpretation of CEDAW and the strategies of NGOs. Mainstream CEDAW movement tended to promoting CEDAW as a whole aiming at formally accession of the document but neglecting the possibility of radical interpretation of the convention.ccordingly, I strongly believe that Taiwanese actors should use CEDAW and other international human instruments more concretely, critically and creatively. I sincerely urge the actors in Taiwan to pay more attention on the diversity of different women while seeking for the chance to the participation of the international human rights mechanism and yearning for the global recognition. In a nutshell, I argue that a critical construction of international human rights treaties based on diversity and distinctiveness of Taiwan is the only way for global norms rooted in local land.
Subjects
The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
CEDAW
International human rights law
feminism
identity
diversity
Type
thesis
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