NGO CSW68 Parallel Event (WFWP Taiwan)
Written by: Eleni Huang
WFWP Taiwan hosted a hybrid parallel event during the NGO CSW68 Forum in New York on March 15, led by an outstanding young female representative, Ya-ching Chang, who was the third batch trainee of the Young Women Empowerment Program in Taiwan. This parallel event was held both online and on-site at the 4W43 Building, Blue Room in New York. The theme was "Global Insight: Women’s Economic Empowerment Forum from NY to Taiwan."
Ms. Winnie Chao, the Vice President of WFWP Taiwan and the Chairperson of Tsai Hseuh-Ni Charity Foundation, served as the online moderator. Numerous professional scholars were invited as speakers, including Professor Lih-Rong Wang from the Department of Social Work at National Taiwan University; Associate Professor Chin-Fen Chang from the Department of Social Work at National Taipei University; Assistant Professor I-Hsuan Lin from the College of Saint Rose; Dr. Chiao-Yu Yang, a postdoctoral researcher at Children and Family Research Center at National Taiwan University and Adjunct Professor at the University of Delaware; Ruo-Xi Chen, Project Manager of the Garden of Hope Foundation in New York, Shu-Yun Chiu, CEO of the Money Trainer Financial Study Center, and Ya-Ching Chang, a doctoral student at the Institute of Health and Welfare at National Yang-Ming Chiao Tung University and she is also a young female representative of WFWP Taiwan.
The forum covered various topics. Associate Prof. Chang Chin-Fen discussed "Digital Transformation to Promote Women’s Participation in Labor Market," focusing on how e-commerce can empower women and female migrant workers economically and provide them with job opportunities to build their confidence. Assistant Prof. I-Hsuan Lin’s topic addressed the importance of national policies on work-family conflict and women’s economic empowerment. Ms. Ruo-Xi Chen and Dr. Chiao-Yu Yang jointly presented on the empowerment of survivors of human trafficking among Chinese female migrant workers in the United States, sharing how the Garden of Hope Foundation in New York has assisted 200 to 250 Chinese female victims, providing them with psychological counseling, art therapy, and consultation assistance in presenting evidence to the court. Ms. Ya-Ching Chang presented the gender wage gap in Taiwan's current economic situation and advocated for integrating social work expertise with financial economics to provide more effective service assistance to economically vulnerable groups.
This parallel event attracted 60 online participants and 25 in-person attendees, totaling 85 beneficiaries. The majority were from Taiwan, with participants also coming from Japan, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States, Burkina Faso, Canada, Zambia, Italy, and other countries.
Participants gave very positive feedback on the forum, expressing satisfaction with both the content and format. Many commented, "The speeches were very enriching, and I learned a lot of precious knowledge. It was a great experience." Several participants were also asked to share presentations, indicating a keen interest in women's economic issues.
