How Gwangju Visitors said “Yes” to Human Rights Last Year

This 2-part series presents WHRCF Participants and their thoughts, with May’s edition dedicated to 2014’s Forum and June’s edition dedicated to 2015’s Forum.

Global presenters and speakers enjoyed attending the World Human Rights Cities Forum 2014 from May 15 to 18, 2014. What they learned at Gwangju’s Kimdaejung Convention Center emphasized the theme “Towards a Global Alliance of Human Rights Cities for All.”

Francielle Henrique Lucena, from Curitiba, Brazil, serves as the accessibility coordinator for the Special Secretariat of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“What I really liked about the Forum was the exchange of cultures, knowing that in our field of work, everybody is talking about the same matters.”

Lucena shared during the “City and Disability” thematic workshop. Brazilian policies have provided independent services, and during this Forum, Lucena also heard of other techniques, especially those originating in Korea.

“I was impressed with how differently-abled people here in Korea go together [with others] to do activities together. So I liked how people here in Gwangju can have a life of independence, as other people should have.”

Hedwig Schouten, the project manager for the City of Nuremberg, Germany, was a main speaker for the “City and Gender” thematic workshop. Schouten considers herself honored to share her work within a human rights and women’s office. “Women’s rights are human rights. It was also good to learn other examples from other countries with how they are working for women.”

Schouten stressed the reality that having a city become both human rights and women-friendly centered is both feasible and desirable.

“One participant asked me, ‘What do you think: would Korean women/girls who are very timid go to a Girls’ Day?’ This is an idea that has been institutionalized in Germany and it is a very good concept. I said to her, ‘Yes, Korean women are strong, so they should show it more, and they should try it more.’”

As the Public Relations Coordinator for Access Living, located in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A., Gary Arnold, a main speaker for the “City and Disability” session, both received and shared new information concerning Accessibility and Universal Design.

Arnold was impressed with how Gwangju human rights advocates have succeeded in challenging the status quo, in the 1980s, and even still today. “People fought for democracy here, but that is not good enough. You have to go further, and the disability advocates here were saying, ‘This is a human rights city, and yet, why are only 12 to 15 percent of the buses accessible?’”

Arnold stated that just because an urban city calls itself human rights orientated, the title is in vain if differently-abled citizens are not able to access public transportation. “You have to apply that concept to all citizens.”

With the second installment of last year’s theme starting on May 15, 2015, the echoing lessons learned from last year will help participants move forward towards a successful Forum and beyond for global human rights.

Schouten deemed a global network of human rights cities to be interesting, desiring to take this concept not just to Nuremberg, but to other cities too. “To us from European cities, it is very important for us to state the meaning of human rights in the city, and to discuss housing, women’s rights, refugees and policies against discrimination.”

Arnold also challenged himself and others to “always dig deeper.” “Always look for other sides of the issues, always make sure to talk to people directly involved [with] the issues, and make sure to listen to the news.”

Interested in participating in this year’s Forum? All sessions and workshops will be held in Korean and English at the Kimdaejung Convention Center. For more information on how you can participate as a Visitor between May 15 to 18, 2015, please e-mail: whrcf2015@gmail.com.

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