What We Want in 2008

“What We Want” Activities

Research

1-1 FOA launched its research activities from this year. As its first project, the research institute published reports on the situation of human rights in the detention centers, street campaigns, and the general situations in detention centers. Currently there are about 1,000 migrants detained in these centers. Our campaign team sold t-shirts ($10) and sent protest cards to the Minister of Justice. Our reports were published in Korean.

1-2. The second research project focused on documenting the life stories of marriage immigrants. The subjects of this documentation were selected among the participants of our Korean language classes. Most of marriage immigrants complained about various kinds of difficulties they face in Korea such as their everyday troubles with their in-laws, problems with language, and difficulties resulting from their financial dependency. The reports on this project will be published in late February, 2009. We also plan to conduct research on the social rights of migrant women in the year 2009. Since the start of financial crisis, a growing number of women face economic difficulties or crisis in their marriage life. As a result, many women are looking for jobs in various sectors. We plan to research on their general working conditions.

Publication

1-3. FOA completed all the preparation to publish bilingual children’s books (total 15 fairy tales from three different countries) and animation for the children of multicultural families. The books and animation are in Vietnamese, Russian, and Tagalog, and will be distributed to marriage immigrants.

1-4. White paper on the Yeosu fire accident was published. It includes various materials published by NGOs, government, and the media.

Migrants’ Weekly School

1-5. Vietnamese Class
Every Sunday Qien from Vietnam teaches Vietnamese language to local Koreans. Qien is one of our Korean language students. Her Vietnamese class is at 11-12 and fee is 30,000 Won.
1-6. Russian Class for Children

One of our Korean language class students, Julia, along with others from Central Asia now teaches Russian language, culture, and plays to local children every Saturday. Now there are six pre-school children as students in the class. Most of the students are the children of marriage migrants from countries such as Russia and Uzbekhistan. They enjoy their time to learn about their mothers’ countries and cultures. Hours: 11:00- 12:30 Sat.
Fee: 20,000 Won


1-7. Asia Girls, Women’s Play Team
Asia Girls is made up of three Filipinas, and made their debut at the end of year party in 2008. For this, they got together every week to learn dancing, singing, and speaking. Women from other countries are welcome to join.
Fee: Free


1-8. Human Rights and Culture Education Session for Korean Children
Women migrants - Qien (Vietnam), Marie (Philippines), Natasha (Uzbekistan), and Julia (Russia) - held two classes for local children to educate them about human rights and diverse Asian cultures. The teachers introduced their cultures, customs, and food as well as their experiences in Korea. At the end of each class, children had chance to write their virtual friends who are from family of (im)migrant backgrounds.

FOA UPDATES 2008

FOA UPDATES 2008




Looking Back at the Year 2008

By Kim Dae Gwon, FOA Paju office

My first day in 2008 started with the sit-in struggle organized against the government’s oppression on the MTU. Most of the members who were there are no more present in Korea. As they got arrested under a series of crackdowns and deported to their home countries.

The government’s repressive policy on migrant workers is preventing them from voicing for their own rights. Most of the migrant workers who led the one year of sit-in in 2003 either got deported out of country or left voluntarily. Although new workers have been entering the country since 2004 under the Employment Permit System, the difference in status between them who are mostly documented and the older ones who are not makes it hard to form a substantial solidarity. It is true that such factor is weakening migrant workers’ own organizations such as MTU and national communities.

In the meantime, the number of NGOs advocating for rights of migrants have steadily increased for last ten years. Especially, the growth of the NGOs who receive governmental support is visible. These organizations have been expanding themselves by conducting state programs in various regions. However, since the Lee government took office, these organizations are facing a difficult situation with a cut in financial support.

Although supporting through occasional statements and joint action for specific issues, the KTCU yet seems not to take the cause of migrant workers under their main agenda. Early this year a workers’ union in Daegu area included migrant workers as their members, but KTCU did not take any further action to extend from this occasion.

It is the same with leftist parties such as Democratic Labor Party and the Jinbo Shin Dang that they are interested in the issue of migrant workers but are not taking any specific actions on it. On the other hand, the liberalist, Creative Korea Party, had a marriage immigrant as one of their candidates for proportional representation in the April election.

Under such situation, FOA achieved a few precious tasks in Paju. First, Korean language classes and counseling services could become relatively settled compared to last year. The number of students increased since last summer, and the number of Korean language students increased from 3-4 to 7-8. Now we have around 20 students who come to Korean classes in a steady phase. We are also supporting migrants with labor counseling and medical services.

On the other hand, it is doubted if our activities could make chances for them to realize their objective situation. As the same with the Korean workers before, this will require a lot of time and efforts. Once a month, we are educating them on labor rights, but it is yet on an elementary level.

It is not that migrant workers are just taking their ill working condition without any complaint. According to an acquaintance who is working in one of the few unionized workplaces in Paju, migrant workers are practicing a kind of organized protests against the management on an irregular basis. Also, we have seen many migrants who resist the management’s regulation on their mobility by defecting from the workplace. According to a report a while ago, there was a migrant from Mongolia, who was disgruntled for delayed pay and put his factory under fire.
For the coming new year, FOA plans to extend its solidarity with progressive local groups including members of KTCU and Jinbo Shin Dang. Their support is crucial for migrant workers in making their own voices. We especially will look for a way to make more active relationship with the KTCU.

Lastly, we hope to publish a newsletter to represent migrant workers’ voices with assistance from organizations such as KTCU.

FOA UPDATE 2008 (1) with Asian Women Migrants

FOA UPDATES 2008

Pyonghwabang means small gathering room with people. Pyonghwa in Korean tongs also means peace.

Korean Language Classes: Every Monday and Friday about 10 volunteer teachers and 15 marriage migrants hold different levels of Korean language classes. Students are from various countries from Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Uzbekistan to Russia. There are three levels, from the beginners’ to advanced. Four advanced students are now preparing for the Korean language competence tests. For example, Qien from Vietnam passed the intermediate level Korean language competence test with a good grade. With her accomplishment, many students were inspired and now studying hard for the test, which will be held next Spring. Also, the people who could not come to classes for a while with pregnancy and delivery are back, and our office is now filed with the laughter and babbling sounds of the kids accompanying their mothers. Local residents are volunteering as baby sitters in our language classes.

Cultural Classes: Every Thursday we organize cultural events where marriage migrants can try cuisines from different countries and learn songs, dances, and how to make crafts. The cultural classes aim for the skill improvement and speedy assimilation into the Korean society among the migrants. Once in a while, we have tea time watching movies or simply chatting together. We hope our participants will feel at home. Since last fall we have been organizing time for watching films made by migrant women, making organic soaps, and learning sports dance.

Husbands’ Gatherings: Four times a year we organize husbands’ gatherings where they could share useful information about legal issues and discuss together how to make happier home. This is a self-supporting group.

Seasonal Picnics: This year we organized two picnics, one in spring and another in fall. In these events, people have opportunity to get to know better about one another. We can also release all the stress from home-keeping and child rearing.

2008 End of Year Party: In December, all our families and members got together for an end of year party and shared good food together. Our members had opportunity to show up what they learned all this year. Also, there was a movie show about this year’s activities. We anticipate another good year to come.

Counselling: Our counseling service is open to anyone with difficulty with settling in the life in Korea including various legal issues.

The following is one of the cases we had this year:

A, who came from Vietnam, is now living in a shelter after having lived with his Korean husband for only six months. Her husband had a chronic depression and was not economically independent from his mother. A’s mother in law was also suffering from depression, and gave a lot of stress to A, while not be able to communicate well with her. She did not like A and pressed her son to get divorced with her. Even she forced them to stay separately in different rooms worrying for an unexpected pregnancy. After having suffered from the mother in law’s ceaseless abuse, A left her house and is now staying in a shelter. In the shelter she is currently staying, A has a communication problem with other people. Besides that, she is worried about her parents in Vietnam, who are not well. Thus, she wants to go back to her country as soon as she is done with the procedures required for her divorce. It has been already seven months since she entered the shelter. These days, A is working in a garment factory to earn enough money to go back to Vietnam. The court ordered her family in law to pay her some consolation money for divorce, but they are not responding to it. Now, A is hoping for a visa extension so that she could make some money, which will enable her to return home.

FOA publish newsletter No 7 recently

EDITORIAL


After a long suspension in 2005-7, we are very happy to publish our English newsletter again. In the mean time, there have been so many changes in Korea. Despite the introduction of the Employment Permit System, the number of undocumented migrants does not cease to increase. And, the number of marriage immigrants is increasing rapidly. Responding to such situation, discourses on multiculturalism and multicultural society have recently boomed in the country. But most of them lack in human-rights-sensitivity but only emphasize cultural educations. Especially the government is neglecting any preparation for legal devices to help immigrant women to protect themselves.

Recent economic crisis in Korea is affecting marriage immigrants in various ways, and nowadays many of them are looking for jobs outside their households – as maids, cleaners, factory workers, helpers in various sex and service sectors, English teachers, and so on. Most of them work without contract papers and are vulnerable to employers’ exploitation.

Deploring the above situation, this issue examined the current crossroads between the increased social interest in multiculturalism and the unceasing oppression on undocumented migrants. We are especially grateful of the contributions from Korean studies specialists overseas – Moon Seung Sook, Pak Noja, and Tatiana Simbertseva.

Through this issue, Friends of Asia wishes to re-engage in an active communication and resource and human exchanges with migrants’ movements in other continents and in a joint action to fight for the better working and living conditions of migrants worldwide.

Hoping our biannual newsletter to take a part in international efforts to bring freedom and citizenship to every migrant!