My Sister's Place 두레방

17. march 1986 Mrs.Moon Hae-Rim opens a centre for Keechichon prostitutes. (women who work as prostitutes for U.S. American soldiers) in Ganung-Dong in order to provide psychological and practical aid. (such as lessons in?English and western-style cooking). The opening of this center? represents the first step towards a public and more critical discussion?about the problems caused by the presence of the U.S. military in general, and more in particular about the specific situation of the Korean women involved with U.S. soldiers. 17. sep 1986 The first gathering of representatives of all organisations or shelters that work with prostitutes in South Korea. The formation of "United Voice (Hansori) for the Eradification of Prostitution in Korea. 11. nov 1987 Establishment of a type writing course july 1988 Establishment of the present Durae-Bang (My Sister's Place in?Songsan ? Dong) oct 1989 Establishment of a bakery in Durae - Bang in order to provide education?for the women and an alternative possibility to earn a living april 1990 Closure of the centre in Ganung- Dong which merged with Durae-Bang in Songsan-Dong. july 1990 Establishment of a special program for the children of the women: a day care centre and leisure program. A field work program for students on vacation between study terms, provides an opportunity for students to work at Durae-Bang and with a focus on political and social?education. dec 1990 Opening of another centre in Dong Du Chun which was eventually closed?in 1995 due to a lack of financial support. 1992 - 1996 Durae-Bang director - Mrs. Lee Sung Hae 1997 - to present Durae- Bang director Mrs. Yu, Yong Lim may 1997 Establishment of a craft program for the women to help them develop?creative skills and increase their self esteem and sense of worth. The products are sold giving the women a small source of income. may 1998 Establishment of a library to be used free of charge by Durae-Bang women and neighboring villagers. ......................................................................................................................................
The history of My Sister's Place started on March 17, 1986 in Uijungbu city. Moon, Hye Rim and Yu, Bock Nim, who were deeply concerned with the issues facing prostitute women, opened the very first My Sister's Place. For three years, Moon and Yu attempted to develop the program which built up the prospect of a women's movement for prostitutes. My Sister's Place began to offer an educational program and counselling to understand the problems of prostitutes and to solve them. At this time,?there were various kinds of counselling, such as individual and community counselling as well as medical counselling. English classes, cooking classes and cultural events were also offered. Through associating with the prostitutes, the staff of My Sister's Place began to understand that to liberate prostitutes from oppression, they had to first overcome the violent experiences in the women's lives. (ie, stories of being kidnapped and exploited in various other ways in the course of their work) Many women also need to overcome the painful memories of sexual abuse experienced while they were children.? In order to do this, the prostitute women need to be a part of a community which supports them and cares about their suffering. A mutual relatnship based on love and trust was important for them to recover their self confidence and self worth. ......................................................................................................................................
During this time the Durae-Bang bakery was developed. This is an alternative employment program designed, in particular, to help older prostitute women who were no longer able to work as club workers or prostitutes. Through their previous experience, the staff had discovered limitations in their ability to help the women, due to the irregularity of their meetings with the prostitutes and the limitations of short term counselling. Also, they felt it was keenly necessary to provide alternate employment for older women who knew nothing but prostitution and as time went on could no longer support themselves. In this context, the Durae- Bang Bakery had two crucial purposes. First, as mentioned, it provided work for older women. Second, through the program, it became possible to have regular and long term meetings with prostitutes, which helped to bring about rapid change and growth. Women who participated in the programs of My Sister's Place were shown to have a stronger self confidence and self worth than other prostitutes. Moreover, the women themselves were able to suggest further directions for the program, taking part in creating a community to meet their needs. The women who are employed by the Durrae-Bang Bakery take on roles as workers of the total program helping it to be more effective. ......................................................................................................................................
During this time the second My Sister's Place was opened in December 1990 in Dongduchon. This was made possible with the help of volunteers. Several students from Ewha Women's University volunteered to be teachers of the daycare program, and in this way, tried to reach out to the women and offer them friendship. The prostitute women experienced feeling loved, cared for and trusted. They developed self confidence and began to have concern for their fellow prostitutes around the military camp. This program operated for six years, and resulted in an increasing number of women involved in the program and the transformation of women's consciousness. Moreover, the program is a very effective education program for students. When they go back to school, they not only tell the story of the prostitute women and analyse it, but they also become important leaders in the women's movement in their school. ......................................................................................................................................
This begun with a time of radical change because of the murder of prostitute Yoon Kum Yi who was a prostitute in Dongduchon. She was brutally murdered by an American soldier, 20 year old, K. Markle. Immediately, My Sister's Place organized a large demonstation, uniting other women's and religious organizations. For the first time, 3000 people gathered together for a rally, denouncing the cruel murder of Yoon, Kum Yi. The movement rapidly spread through out the whole country. People became aware of the seriousness of the crimes of American soldiers and the unfair agreement over how to handle these problems made between the governments of Korea and America. (SOFA- Status of Forces Agreement in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Also the public began to develop more concern for the lives of prostitutes and their children. After the murder case of Yoon, centers for the reporting of crimes by American soldiers were created in different areas of the country. Also a national organization has been created, called the "National Campaign for the Eradification of Crime by U.S. Troops in Korea.” The Director of My Sister's Place serves as a board member of this association. ......................................................................................................................................
The steady growth in the Korean economy resulted in a steady decrease in Korean women to the US Military camptowns. As a result, club owners in the US camp towns began to participate in the international trafficking of women. Poor and destitute women were brought in from the Philippines, Russia, China, and Central Asia under the pretense of “serving drinks” or working as “hostesses.” The IMF crisis in 1997 only expedited the situation, resulting in a greater influx of women from poor, economically hard-hit countries all over Asia. In every case, these women are easily exploited, living in a foreign country, without support or assistance, unable to speak the Korean language, without legal protection, and often bound to contracts which allow for slavish working hours and no freedom. At the same time, the number of pregnancies, especially among Korean women, inside the camptown have declined dramatically. As a result, the number of Amer-Asians and children in the camptown has decreased as well. A large portion of this change can be attributed to increased sex education and the more widespread use of birthcontrol in the camptown. Du Rae Bang has responded to these changing demographics in a number of ways. In a very important move, Du Rae Bang has forged relationships with women’ organizations world-wide in order to fight against the trafficking of women. Du Rae Bang was one of the major organizers for this year’s international summit against militarism and the trafficking of women. As a result of these relationships there is an increased foreign presence at Du Rae Bang. Du Rae Bang regularly receives guests and visitors from various organizations internationally who provide assistance in contacting. And My Sister's Place continues to play a very active role in this organization designed to protect Korean women from sexual abuse and violence. In evaluating the decade of work done by My Sister's Place, the staff are convinced of the necessity of developing solidarity and sisterhood with people who are aware of the problem of prostitution in our society. We need to break free of our prejudices about the prostitutes and encourage each other to find creative ways to approach the problem. The major activities of My Sister's Place are devoted to discovering the problems of the women and creating ways to solve them. In this respect, My Sister's Place continues to co-operate with people who are concerned with the issue of prostitution and who attempt to deal with cases like the murder of Yoon, Kum Yi. Today, My Sister's Place acknowledges that the issue of prostitution is an inevitable problem in our society. Thus the work of My Sister's Place could be summarized as follows: First, it has introduced the issue of prostitution to the public. Second, it has encouraged prostitutes to develop some feminist consciousness and develop a movement for prostitute women. Third, it has organized meetings to examine the problems facing prostitutes and their children. Fourth, it has developed an effective program for college students to participate in activities with and for prostitutes. Fifth, it has participated in the movement to amend the laws prohibiting prostitution and the SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement between the American and Korean governments.) As long as there are devoted activists and volunteers who care for prostitutes and welcome them like members of their own family, and as long as there are sponsors who consistently support them, the future of a feminist movement among prostitutes remains hopeful.