When the budget for the women-pleasant city creation project was cut by 126 million won in the preliminary review of the budget by the autonomous administrative committee of the Paju City Council, paju city said that it has been unable to promote specialized projects such as promoting women’s social participation and preventing gender violence to create a safe community for the past four years. expressed concern.
The Paju City Council Autonomous Administration Committee held on Thursday, December 5th cut 126 million won out of the 142 million won budget for the women-friendly city creation project. In response to this,paju City has found it tough to operate various councils that discuss and collaborate with citizens to create a gender-equal community. not only is it impossible to collect opinions from citizens and experts in the process of planning and promoting projects, but it is also impossible to collect opinions from children and experts, such as deepfakes, which have recently become an issue. He explained that it has also caused a setback in preventing digital sex crimes among youth.
Starting with Iksan City in 2009, the women-friendly city creation project to create a gender-equal community is being promoted by 104 local governments across the country, including 15 cities and counties in Gyeonggi Province, including Suwon City, Yongin city, and Goyang City, this year.
Even though it is indeed not a legally mandatory project, the reason why nearly half of local governments across the country are actively participating in the women-friendly city creation project 15 years after it began is not simply as of the brand value of ‘gender equality’, but also becuase of the citizens’ This is because we are witnessing and demanding this real change.
Paju City was newly designated as a women-friendly city in December 2020 and signed a 5-year agreement with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family from 2001 to 2025 to reorganize laws and systems and form various governance systems to guarantee citizen participation and strengthen women’s capabilities. We did our best to solidify the foundation for the smooth implementation of gender equality policies,including revitalizing economic and social participation through strengthening and raising citizens’ awareness of gender equality.
Due to these efforts, Paju City was selected as an excellent organization for gender-responsive policies for four consecutive years, and positive results are being achieved, such as receiving an excellent evaluation as Group A as a result of the implementation inspection of the women-friendly city in 2023. It is indeed scheduled to be reviewed for re-designation next year. .
This year, in particular, we trained our own gender violence prevention education instructors, created customized standard lectures for students, and conducted 124 pilot sessions of gender equality education to prevent gender violence for elementary, middle, and high school students.
Last fall, the deepfake incident of children and teenagers that made an uproar across the country clearly revealed the sad reality that the children we should protect appear not only as victims but also as perpetrators.
Accordingly, in September, paju City conducted a demand survey for schools on new types of gender violence, such as digital sex crimes and dating violence, and received 643 applications for education. As the demand for gender violence prevention education is rapidly increasing, next year, we plan to train additional instructors, produce standard lectures for each topic, and also promote customized education for teachers and parents so that gender violence prevention can be taught with consistent content at home and school. It was organized.
Rep. Lee Jin-ah, who led the budget cut, explained the reason for the budget cut, saying that Paju City has been training unqualified instructors, and that the education budget is like ‘taking care of a small number of women with vested rights’ to support women’s groups.
In response to Representative Jin-ah Lee’s request for data, Paju City submitted data on the affiliation and experience of all instructors with individual consent on December 3 so that the instructors’ qualifications could be verified.
According to the submitted data, half of them include professional instructors from the Korea Gender Equality Education Promotion Agency, which specializes in gender equality education commissioned by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, university professors and lecturers, and workers at gender violence counseling centers and victim support facilities recognized by Gyeonggi Province. that’s it. Consequently,despite the fact that Rep. Lee Jin-ah’s concern that education expenses could not be allocated due to the instructors’ lack of qualifications was proven to be untrue, the entire education-related budget was cut.
An official from Paju City said, “At a critical time before the re-designation as a women-friendly city, most of the budget has been cut, so we are facing an unprecedented situation in history where we cannot submit the application because there is no budget to fill out the application for designation as a women-friendly city.” “Deepfake, Dating.” “In a reality where the age of victims of serious gender-based violence, including murder, is getting younger, we must realize that ultimately, our children are the victims of all cuts in the education budget for children,” he said.
Economy queen Reporter Kim Hong-mi / Photo Paju City
.
How can community participation enhance the effectiveness of gender equality programs?
Title: Fostering Gender Equality: An Interview with Dr. Ji-yoon Lee, Gender Policy Expert
interviewer (Time.news Editor): Welcome, Dr. Ji-yoon Lee! Thank you for joining us today to discuss the recent budget cuts to the women-friendly city creation project in Paju. This is a crucial topic, especially as we navigate the complexities of gender equality in our communities.
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: Thank you for having me! I’m enthusiastic about discussing this important subject, as the implications of such cuts extend beyond just financial aspects—they impact societal norms and the safety of our communities.
Interviewer: Absolutely. The Paju City Council’s decision to cut 126 million won from the project budget has raised significant concerns. What are some immediate effects of this decision on community programs aimed at women’s social participation and preventing gender violence?
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: The cuts are detrimental in numerous ways.For the past four years, Paju City has struggled to operate projects promoting women’s safety and engagement.The financial constraints mean that councils designed for citizen collaboration are now unable to gather opinions from diverse groups, including women, children, and experts. This hampers the creation of an inclusive and gender-equal community, particularly in the face of pressing issues like digital sex crimes.
Interviewer: That’s an important point. The document mentions that Paju was designated as a women-friendly city in late 2020. How significant was this designation, and what impact do you think the budget cut will have on its long-term goals?
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: Being designated a women-friendly city signifies a commitment to prioritizing gender equality and safety among local governance agendas.However, with the budget cut, there’s a risk of stalling progress that was meant to be made under a five-year agreement signed with the ministry of Gender Equality and Family. The long-term goal of fostering an environment that empowers women and promotes community involvement could easily fall by the wayside if adequate funding and support are not reinstated.
Interviewer: You mentioned community involvement. Paju City’s council discusses the challenges of collecting opinions from citizens. How vital is community participation to these initiatives?
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: Community participation is the cornerstone of any accomplished gender equality initiative.Real change happens when individuals are actively engaged in discussions about their needs and challenges. Input from citizens—including marginalized voices—ensures that policies are relevant and effective. Without this, initiatives risk becoming top-down approaches that don’t truly serve the community’s needs.
Interviewer: This project is being undertaken alongside similar initiatives in 104 local governments across the country. What drives such widespread local engagement in these women-friendly projects?
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: The increase in engagement is driven by a growing recognition among citizens of the importance of gender equality. People are not just passively observing; they are actively demanding change. While the project may not be legally mandated, the social pressure for local governments to address gender issues has become more pronounced, demonstrating that citizens are ready to advocate for their rights and the rights of others.
Interviewer: What recommendations would you give to Paju City and other local governments facing budgetary constraints?
Dr. Ji-yoon Lee: First and foremost, I encourage local governments to prioritize funding for these initiatives, situating them as essential rather than supplementary. Additionally,seeking option funding sources,such as partnerships with NGOs or corporate sponsorships focused on social responsibility,can also help. actively involving community members in advocacy can bolster public support to restore and improve funding.
Interviewer: Thank you, Dr.Lee, for shedding light on these critical issues.Your expertise is invaluable as we seek to foster gender equality and ensure safety in our communities.
Dr.Ji-yoon Lee: thank you for addressing this topic. It’s vital that we continue these conversations and work collaboratively towards a better future for everyone.
—
End of Interview