Kaohsiung to host 4th World Conference of Women’s Shelters

2018/07/20

Taiwan will host the 4th World Conference of Women’s Shelters in 2019 in southern Kaohsiung City, co-organizer New Taipei City-based Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH), a nongovernmental organization that helps abused women, announced 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 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.
 
 The event, scheduled for Nov. 5-8, is expected to bring together around 2,000 leaders on the front line of combating gender-based violence from 120 countries and territories, said GOH.
 
 At the launch ceremony in Taipei City, Lu Pau-ching, deputy minister of health and welfare, said shelters were 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 at the forefront of efforts to promote women’s rights in Asia and that the nation is ready to share its experiences in improving gender equality. Next year’s conference will be focused in part on improving shelter networks in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, she added.
 
 According to GOH, other issues on the agenda include innovations in managing shelters, empowering women economically, gender equality and emerging issues such as LGBT shelters.
 
 The first WCWS was held in 2008 in Canada, with the US hosting in 2012 and the Netherlands in 2015.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=10&post=138269)