Southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City will host the fourth World Conference of Women’s Shelters next year, according to co-organizer New Taipei City-based Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH) July 18.
This is the first time Taiwan will host the WCWS, the largest international meeting on the protection and prevention of violence against women. GOH, a nongovernmental organization that helps abused women, is working with two other NGOs in organizing the conference: New Taipei-based Asian Network of Women’s Shelters and Netherlands-headquartered Global Network of Women’s Shelters.
Running Nov. 5-8, 2019, the event is expected to bring together around 2,000 leaders on the front line of combating gender-based violence from 120 countries and territories, GOH said.
At the launch ceremony in Taipei City, Lu Pau-ching, deputy minister of health and welfare, said shelters are crucial for helping women and child victims of domestic abuse. Conferences like the WCWS play a vital role in strengthening networks between shelters worldwide, as well as contributing to wider efforts in combating violence against women across the globe, she added.
Other dignitaries attending the ceremony included Hsu Szu-chien, the new deputy minister of foreign affairs; Guy Wittich, representative of Netherlands Trade and Investment Office; Michael McCulloch, general affairs director at the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei; and Lara Harris, consular section chief at the American Institute in Taiwan.
GOH’s Chief Executive Officer Chi Hui-jung said Taiwan is a leader in promoting women’s rights in Asia, and is ready to share its experiences in improving gender equality. The conference will focus in part on improving shelter networks in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, she added.
Other issues on the agenda include empowering women economically, gender equality, innovations in managing shelters and LGBT shelters, according to GOH.
The first WCWS was held in 2008 in Canada, with the 2012 and 2015 editions staged in the U.S. and the Netherlands, respectively. (CPY-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw