Today September 15, 1995 marks the concluding day of the Fourth World Conferenceon Women held in Beijing since August 31, 1995. It also marks the end of the RELAY HUNGER STRIKE observed by the Tibetan women in front of the United Nations Information Center for the past two weeks.

The HUNGER STRIKE was observed as a protest against the United Nations and the Chinese Government at the exclusion of Tibetan women in exile from participating in the International Women's meeting despite having all the formal and proper UN documents.

On this last day, the Tibetan Women's Association has organised this CANDLELIGHT VIGIL to symbolise our continued spirit of hope and peace for the Tibetan solution. The more than 300 participants formed a human chain from the United Nations Information Center till the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) where the congregation including Buddhist nuns prayed for peace in Tibet and the world.

Today as the Conference concludes, the world community has been a witness for the past few weeks to the violations of international treaties and agreements signed by China. By barring certain groups of women from attending this conference, China has interfered in a United Nations sponsored Conference and politicised it. Moreover the harassment, physical abuse and the snatching of documents from some of the Tibetan delegates at the Beijing NGO Forum that was witnessed worldwide is only a clear measure of the amount of freedom and human rights the people inside Tibet really enjoy.

On this day we voice our concerns along with the international women's community. We also strongly maintain that women's rights are human rights and without human rights women cannot achieve equal rights. This conference which was held to improve women's condition and work to gain equal rights for women by the next century cannot be rated a success when marginalised women's groups including Tibetan women in exile were politically excluded from the conference. This Conference did not represent the VOICE of WOMEN from ALL over the world!

The Draft Platform for Action, the outcome of two long years work and preparation by all women also does not fully represent the concerns and issues facing many women including Tibetan women. Today the situation inside Tibet for Tibetan women is critical and drastic measures are urgently needed to secure Tibetan women's rights to basic and fundamental freedoms. TWA President Mrs. Tsering Norzom said today "The force and the speed of birth control measures inflicted on the Tibetan women in Tibet will lead to sterilization of all childbearing women and total population decrease of Tibet by the next ten years. We cannot wait for another ten years or until the next World Conference on Women to solve our ongoing problems".

We hope that for future United Nations sponsored Conferences, the world community and the United Nations will not continue to remain a silent spectator to such injustices and political manipulations by certain member states as has been witnessed during this Fourth World Conference on Women. We also appeal to all peace and freedom loving people of the world, to the United Nations, to the international sisters, particularly our Indian sisters to speak for the silenced voices of women in Tibet and support their rights. We also appeal to the United Nations to send the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women to visit Tibet and find out the true conditions of women there.

A memorandum has been submitted to the Representative of the United Nations High Commission For Refugees (UNHCR) in New Delhi to resolve the problems of Tibetan refugees living in India, Nepal and elsewhere in the world and work for their speedy and safe return back to our country.

The Relay Hunger Strike for the past two weeks was observed by Tibetan women from Dharamsala, Bir, Delhi as well as three regional branches from Tibetan settlements in Dehradun. Tibetan women have also simultaneously held peaceful demonstrations and hunger strikes all over the world to express our anger and disappointment at the treatment of Tibetans by both the Chinese Government and the United Nations.

PLEASE SPEAK OUT FOR THE TIBETAN WOMEN BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE!

Issued by the Tibetan Women's Association Central Executive Committee,

Dharamsala

Voice of all the Tibetan women in and outside Tibet.