Indigenous Women in Taiwan

1
Indigenous Women in Taiwan

• Abuu Kaviaana
• Taiwan
• 15 Oct, 2008

2
Facts of backgruond

• Indigenous peoples 14 peoples officially
  recognized, and more self-identified peoples are
  separating out
• Population the population of IP is about 470
  thousand, taking up 1.7 of total population in
  Taiwan. IW is about 50 of IP population as a
  whole.

3
Indigenous Womens situation in Taiwan from the
aspect of economic and livelihood

• Economic development resulting in loss of land,
  degradation of natural resources, and damage of
  agriculture life owing to disregarding the
  subaltern IP.
• Indigenous women become main bread earner in
  indigenous household.
• Bad labor condition low paid job, temporary
  without labor insurance

4
The access to formal legal systems

• We do have.
• Article 10 of the Taiwan ConstitutionThe state
  should affirm multi-culture, and ensure promoting
  languages and cultures preservation of indigenous
  people. The state should ensure political
  participation of IP, and the equal status of IP,
  guarantee to improve the condition of education,
  infrastructure, health, recovery of lands and
  social welfare.
• Basic Law of Indigenous People
• Law of prevention of domestic violence
• Law of protection of indigenous people employment
• Law of employment discrimination
• Law of education of gender equality, but lack of
  IWs perspectives in the process of law making

5
The use of customary systems

• The statutory laws cannot respond to the
  complexity of the diversity of IP societies in
  Taiwan
• We are used to dealing conflict affairs through
  negotiation and consultation of the elders in
  villages
• The social position of IW is in degradation since
  we have been highly incorporated into the nation

6
Specific issues of IW in Taiwan

• IW issues are difficult to adressed under the
  political frame in Taiwan.
• The information of international IPs network is
  poor due to the isolated condition of Taiwan in
  international world.
• One emerging issue is that the conflict of job
  opportunities between IP and immigrant labors
  under the structure of economic globalization,
  which blocks the solidarity of the subaltern
  labors of IP and immigrant labors.

7
The future work

• Continuing capacity building work and
  organizations connection work locally and
  nationally.
• Overcome the predicament of international
  isolation condition of Taiwan, and thus IW in
  Taiwan can participate in the international
  network.