In Memory of Peng Wan-ru

Mrs. Peng Wan-Ru, a long-time activist in Taiwan's feminist movement and the director of the Women's Division of the Democratic Progressive Party, was raped then killed on December 1st. This killing was not only a despicable crime but also a cruel reminder that violence against women is very much a living issue in Taiwan.

Peng's death is a heartbreaking loss; the pain, sorrows, and anger of losing her to such a ruthless crime are widely shared. As fellow believers in gender equality and social justice, we feel compelled not to let her death become a mere addition to Taiwan's crime statistics. She should not die in vain, and the beliefs to which she had committed her life shall live on. Peng was known to be a fighter.

In memory of her untimely death and her efforts in advancing women's right in Taiwan, we propose the establishment of the Women's Right Day on the last Sunday of every November. It was on the last Sunday of this past November she was last seen alive, and she spent the whole day making a better future for women in Taiwan. The Women's Right Day will be a day not only for remembering her and all the female victims of violence, but a day to show solidarity in the fight for social, political, and legal reforms to achieve gender equality in Taiwan.

The memorial service for Peng Wan-Ru will be held in late December. We plan to present this proposal and the name list of the supporters to her family and various organizations in the women's movement on December 20th. If you support our proposal, please sign in the following web site: http://www.taiwanese.com/peng. If you cannot get access to the Web, you can e-mail your name to any of us. If you have friends who want to sign but do not have access to the internet, please sign for him or her. We urge you to sign by 11:30PM, December 19th, so we can have the final count of the signatures.

Huang Chang-Ling, University of Chicago [email protected]

Chang Sheng-Lin, UC-Berkeley [email protected]

Po Lan-Chih, UC-Berkeley [email protected]

Sun Jui-Sui, UCLA [email protected]