Half the Sky 1 COVER 2 Half the Sky 3 Half the Sky STORIES OF WOMEN MARRIAGE MIGRANTS AND THEIR EMPOWERMENT Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) April 2014 4 This is a project of the Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) supported by the Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED-Germany). COPYRIGHT Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) April 2014 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED The Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM) holds the rights to this publication. The publication may be cited in part as long as APMM is properly acknowledged as the source and APMM is furnished copies of the final work where the quotation or citation appears. Comments and inquiries may be forwarded to: ASIA PACIFIC MISSION FOR MIGRANTS (APMM) G/F, No. 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, CHINA Tel. No. (852) 2723-7536 Fax No. (852) 2735-4559 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.apmigrants.org Cover design and layout by Rey Asis Artwork by A4DP Printed in Hong Kong SAR, CHINA ISBN 978-988-19440-8-5 Half the Sky 5 CONTENTS Preface 7 Acknowledgments 9 Life Stories of Women Marriage Migrants TAIWAN Pei Hsiang 13 Manchi 29 Yadrung 49 SOUTH KOREA Jia Jia 69 Charlene 73 6 Japan Agalyn 87 Zeny 101 HONG KONG Mary 117 Ms Poon 121 AUSTRALIA Cherry 141 Grace 147 About the book 153 About APMM 153 About AMM♀RE 154 Half the Sky 7 PREFACE Pictures are said to be worth a thousand words. However, a picture of empowerment will never be enough to convey the story behind the painstaking process – the context of how it started, the trials that one has to suffer, the sacrifices that must be endured, the decisions that have to be made, and the liberating happiness that results from its success. This is what this book wishes to do. The book, Half the Sky: Stories of Women Marriage Migrants and Their Empowerment, is a collection of stories about women marriage migrants who did not only face a life of sacrifice and struggle in their new home countries but also found strength and empowerment through joining an organization, reaching out to their fellow women marriage migrants, helping others. Nine years ago, the APMM started pioneering the work of raising the level of advocacy, education, and organizing of marriage migrants in the Asia Pacific region. While there already existed on the ground various forms and levels of organizing of marriage migrants, as well as campaigning for their rights especially of women marriage migrants, the APMM believed that issue of marriage migration must be further projected and developed in order to enable their participation in the surging movement of migrants, immigrants, refugees and other displaced people. 8 Preface Since then, the APMM has conducted multiform initiatives focused on the condition of marriage migrants, on the phenomenon of marriage migration, and the related concerns – family, children, domestic violence, social inclusion – that arise the issue. Through the years, APMM has been a witness to the growing ranks of empowered marriage migrants. It was inspiring to see the eagerness of marriage migrants themselves to speak and to share their experiences and thoughts. Coming from countries where the status of women leaves much to be desired, then going to a country where being a migrant further diminishes their status, these women have been rendered silent for far too long. The activities conducted by APMM and the cooperation established by the Action Network for Marriage Migrants’ Rights and Empowerment (AMM♀RE) have given these women marriage migrants additional opportunities to have them heard and also interact with fellow migrants all over the world. Behind the collective strength that marriage migrants have shown in the past years are individuals who decided to rise up as part of a community. The stories in this book are reflections of brave women on the personal transformation that they have undergone. They are personal histories that the APMM hopes to be part of the collective memories of the migrant’s movement. Pictures may indeed be better than a thousand words. But with these words of women marriage migrants themselves who suffered and who were empowered, we hope to not only contribute to the making of a picture of the condition of women marriage migrants. Moreover, we hope to contribute to changing this picture and transforming the words into the language of rights and justice for women marriage migrants. Half the Sky 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Women hold half the sky. And part of that half are the many women migrants married to their local partners in many parts of Asia and the Pacific and the rest of the world. We call and know them as marriage migrants. This book, Half the Sky: Stories of Women Marriage Migrants and Their Empowerment, could not have been made possible if Pei Hsiang, Manchi, Yadrung, Jia Jia, Charlene, Agalyn, Zeny, Mary, Ms Poon, Cherry and Grace did not have the courage to speak up and share their stories of empowerment to us. It has been their stories that drove this project to reality and inspired many of us to pursue this initiative. We thank them for their strength, for giving a piece of themselves to this endeavor, and with that, we dedicate this book to them. We would like to thank as well the many people who helped in reaching out to marriage migrants, interviewing them and going through the grueling task of translating and transcribing their stories: Hsiao-Chuan Hsia and Zoe Tsu-ying Liang for Taiwan, Gloria Hernando for South Korea, Butch Pongos for Japan, Yvette Pan and Katie Davis for Hong Kong, and Jane Brock for Australia. It is their passion and commitment that made this project even more worthwhile. 10 Acknowledgments Much gratitude is given to Ina Silverio for her gift of words in threading the stories of our marriage migrants into beautiful narratives that we will be reading throughout this book. A mother and a wife herself, she felt the privilege of taking a glimpse into the lives of the nine women we are featuring in this book. The Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED) who has been our friend and partner in making avenues for marriage migrants to speak out their stories and for their demands to be heard. For their support to this project, thank you very much. Last but not the least, the many women and men of Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, who helped in every detail of carrying out the fulfillment of this project, all your efforts are very much acknowledged and appreciated. No contribution is worthy of measurement or comparison, only of great gratitude. We dedicate this book to all women marriage migrants who deserve every space to speak their minds, voice their concerns, engage in decision-making, be free from any form of oppression or exploitation, and become empowered citizens not only of their new homes but of the world. Ramon Bultron APMM Managing Director Tamsui, Taipei photo taken by Rey Asis Half the Sky 11 Taiwan 12 s of February 2013, there are about 475,000 marriage immigrants in Taiwan, and most of them from Southeast Asia and Mainland China. ADespite the many problems they encounter, there are organizations in Taiwan that cater to the needs of marriage migrants and have taken initiative in organizing them. Two of these organizations are TransAsia Sisters Association Taiwan (TASAT) and New Immigrants Labor Rights Association (NILRA). TASAT NILRA TransAsia Sisters Association, Taiwan New Immigrants Labor Rights Association (TASAT) is a grassroots organization striving (NILRA) was founded on April 12, 2008. for marriage migrants’ empowerment, rights The mission includes: to protect the labor rights and welfare. As the first national organization of new immigrants in Taiwan so they achieve in Taiwan established by marriage migrants genuine equal treatment in the workplace; to themselves, TASAT was formally established on provide new immigrants with legal information December 7, 2003, but her origin dates back and education so they can know their own to the Chinese literacy program founded in rights and benefits. Main programs include: 1995, which was the first initiative dedicated case consultation, social activities, information to marriage migrants in Taiwan. As the media of employment opportunities, public education, described it, TASAT had gone through the and advocacy. Since its establishment, NIRLA “Eight Years War of Resistance” before her has established offices in Taipei and Taoyuan success in formal establishment. for new immigrants to seek consultation and The idea behind this long process before her assistance, and to get together and make friends. formal establishment is TASAT’s belief that marriage migrants should speak for themselves, and this process was to empower marriage migrants, via learning Chinese language and fulfilling other immediate needs, to organize themselves to fight for their rights. TASAT was also a co-founder of the Alliance for Human Rights Legislation for Immigrants and Migrants (AHRLIM) established in 2003. Together with AHRLIM, TASAT has been campaigning for changes in laws and policies that will better protect marriage migrants’ rights and welfare. Half the Sky 13 Pei Hsiang Helping Herself by Helping Others Help Themselves 14 Pei Hsiang It is not easy to leave and forget a difficult past, but in helping others, I discovered I can also build a new future for myself. My name is Pei-Hsiang Lee and I was born in 1984 in a rural town that was 2.5 hours away by car from Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I have a son who was born in November 2003. I have three elder brothers and one older sister, but when I was 10 years old, my mother died and my father soon remarried. My stepmother had two sons.