Participating in global conferences is an important mechanism in establishing networks with foreign NGOs, governments, opinion leaders, and the academic world. It is also a key opportunity to obtain new knowledge and speak out on the international stage.

Since 1994, GOH has actively participated in important global summits centered on women’s issues. We were also Taiwan’s first women’s group to participate in the NGO CSW, a forum of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
GOH has also seized opportunities to hold international conferences of its own.

In November 2019, GOH held the fourth round of the World Conference of Women’s Shelters in Kaohsiung, this being the first large-scale international conference for the Taiwanese social welfare sector. 1,200 representatives from 88 countries attended, showing the world the unique perspective Asia brings to shelter work and the determination here to eradicate sexual and gender-based violence.
In 2020, with COVID-19, demand for services for female victims of violence rose across the globe. In total, we held 17 online conferences, allowing shelter organizations to communicate in real time and aid each other in learning how to best provide services during the pandemic.

Empowerment and initiatives are important channels for GOH to exert international influence with the aim of eliminating sexual and gender-based violence.

Empowering Asian girls to advocate for their rights has been one of GOH’s long-term goals. In addition to organizing camps for girls’ empowerment and selecting Asian girls’ rights ambassadors as a means of commending outstanding girls who speak up for human rights, GOH has also worked closely with partner organizations across the globe and supported them with plans to invest locally and empower girls.

At the same time, GOH has continued to actively participate in global movements against sexual and gender-based violence. For example, in 2005, GOH oversaw the premiere of the world-famous play The Vagina Monologues (which advocates for female gender awareness) and subsequently developed Taiwan’s Vagina Monologues: Clitoris. In 2013, GOH joined in with One Billion Rising, a global movement against gender-based violence. In 2018, in line with the global #MeToo movement, we invited nearly one thousand people from across Taiwan to participate in the #MeToo March and called on the population at large to join together and create a more understanding environment for sexual assault victims.

According to statistics from the Executive Yuan, Taiwan’s gender equality index ranks first in Asia. It also leads in terms of both female-friendly legislation and social services for women.

GOH welcomes any chance to share Taiwan’s expertise and experience. Besides speaking at global conferences, GOH regularly receives social workers from abroad for internships, is open to visits and interviews from international guests, assists the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in receiving foreign dignitaries, and shares greatly in Taiwan’s efforts in the realm of women’s rights.

In 2021, GOH shared Taiwan’s experience in shelter services and legislative advocacy at Japan’s annual conference on domestic abuse law reform, aiding Japan in amending its laws.