Single Moms’ Day

The 4th Single Moms’ Day. Single Moms are Parents Too! From Abandonment to Child-rearing

2014/05/11 – 제 4회 싱글맘의 날 기념 국제 컨퍼런스. 싱글맘도 부모다! 아이를 버리게 만드는 사회에서 키울 수 있는 사외로

“Single Moms’ Day is an event that was started by TRACK in 2011 to challenge the government’s Adoption Day. We were inspired by the First Nations people in the U.S. who celebrate “Native American Day” on Thanksgiving in order to challenge the dominant narrative and draw people’s attention toward a different center of gravity. Since we started four years ago, we have gained more support from Korean society and have used the annual event to:

• Reduce discrimination against unwed mothers and their families
• Push for legislative changes
• Invite scholars to research our issues
• Raise awareness about the factors that pressure unwed mothers to abandon or relinquish their children for adoption.

Push factors include fathers’ child support obligations being unenforced; lack of adequate social welfare from the Korean government; social discrimination against unwed mothers and their children. Pull factors include the fact that more than half of unwed mothers in facilities are living in unwed mothers’ shelters that are owned and operated by adoption agencies; a money-driven international adoption system that does not conform to the UN CRC or the Hague Convention, i.e., it does not respect children’s or women’s human rights.” – TRACK