(Anne Firth Murray): I'm very happy to have Wu Qing from China with us today, a former board member of the Global Fund for Women. And I'm just going to ask you at first to tell us a little bit about yourself, what you're doing now and the journey to this place. (Wu Qing): Because of this Global Fund for Women, we have started a school in 1998 and started recruitment since 1999 for rural women and girls as well. We use the school to empower women in terms of human rights, democracy, freedom and rule of law. Because to me, I feel, if I want to change the system, I have to change the mindsets of people -- especially women. Because if I want to change China, I have to change the rural areas where [the] majority of the people are living. And if I want to change the rural areas, we have to change women first because if you teach one woman, you teach the whole family -- and generations to come. And that's why I've been telling people; the cheapest way to make changes is to invest in women. Because they are the ones—actually they've been change agents all the time, and yet they have never been recognized. (Anne Firth Murray): What is on people's minds in China? Especially women. What are the issues that they are most concerned about— and I might say you are most concerned about? (Wu Qing): I think they are most concerned about having education for their children, having better living conditions for their future; I mean for future generations. And then of course for women who come in from rural areas -- first of all they have to find jobs. They have to find a decent place to live. And then they care about their incomes, so that they will be able to support their parents in rural areas and their kids [who have] either been left behind in rural areas or with them in the cities. So in a way then, they need education, they need good living conditions and good salaries. And that's why we have a club for female migrants. First of all we tell them about the values of city people. They have to get used to the living here. And then they have to know about their rights. Because they have to protect their own rights Like if you're going to work for a company, they have to know that, you know, that there should be life insurance enforced, and social security, and very often they are not well paid. But then we offer legal classes and then we also offer legal counseling. And then for...like now it is very difficult for university female graduates to find jobs, especially during (the) global financial crisis. I think it might be universal, but in China it is all the more. And that's why a lot of university graduates have entered MA and PhD programs, which have caused a lot of nightmare for their parents. Why? Because once they become MA graduates and PhD graduates it is very difficult for them to find spouses. Because, you know, usually men want women to look up to them, so.... Because according to the Chinese culture, in a nuclear family, it is the daddy who makes all the decisions and takes care of the members of the family. In an extended family, it is the duty of the grandfather. And then of course women, I would say, it depends upon you know, some of them are actually started business for themselves. They don't like to work for others. And that's why we have this SYB - Start Your Business. So then they will employ women. But then fighting for their own rights has always been very difficult in China. Since 2004 the term human rights has been added to the Chinese constitution article 33. I think in terms of the constitution this is progress. But in reality I think we still have a long way to go. And that's why human rights education is very, very important. That's why I think China needs a very long period of enlightenment in terms of, you know, human rights, democracy and freedom. I think this is very, very important. Anne: And so are you hopeful? Wu Qing: Yes I am! I'm very hopeful because, you know I used to be a local politician and then people would come to talk to me about their complaints against the government. You know usually I would say 'Ok, now you want to make complaints against the government officials, all right, tell me, which article in the constitution or which law or which policies they have violated upon? and then 'Do you have proof against them?' Because since 1949 there has been ... there have been so many political movements. Many, many innocent people were purged or sent to labor camps. Because like in 1957 it was the communist party that had encouraged my daddy to put forward suggestions. Once he started to put forward criticisms it was said that he had attacked the party so he was labeled a "rightist". So I feel that it has always been rule of man by man. I want China to be rule of law by law, and that's why I always encourage people to use the constitution. Every single person has to learn to respect it and that is why I always carry the Chinese constitution with me when I was a politician and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, CEDAW as well as the Beijing Declaration. I think we need people, I think we need global citizens, especially young persons to be global citizens. I think that this world is really getting smaller. We all need to have a global perspective to look at things. But if we want to do that we first have to change ourselves. And that's why, you know, every night, I would sit there, or I would lie in bed and think 'Well, have I made some mistakes today?' Or 'Can I improve myself tomorrow?' I think it's important, if we want to make this world better, first we need to change ourselves, I think that's important.
