More than the half of the population of the world consists of women. It is estimated that two-thirds of them are living in the undeveloped countries and developing countries, mainly in Asia and Africa.

Women and children have been the most affected by wars, international debt, and even natural disasters.

Women in many African and Asian societies do not enjoy the status of equal citizen. Instead, they are frequently treated, on some levels, as servants. As we know, history has shown us that women are true pillars of society and struggle for justice in all of life's situations. Women provide loving emotional stability to both family and societal life.

The majority of migrant workers in today's world are Asian and African women who are subject to violence, abuse, and exploitation. These women are not protected by any regulations.

Due to lack of education and skills development, most of these women are limited to finding employment as domestic workers, industrial workers, or farm laborers. Many societies discriminate against women with regard to education and equal opportunity, even though, in the context of Asian and African women, they are the breadwinners.

It is important for the church in Asia and Africa to acknowledge that women are the majority and, therefore, provide the bulk of the income available to fund our basic needs.

In both the church and family context, women are not the decision-makers, even though they are the income generators.

This meeting has also listened to stories from specific Asian countries, where female fetuses are sometimes aborted and girl children killed due to their sex.

In Hong Kong the status and condition of women is totally different. Hong Kong is a very prosperous and rich city. Women's rights and needs have been recognized. The government of Hong Kong has just established an Equal Opportunity Commission to deal with the problem of sexual and gender discrimination.

As the church, we acknowledge that it is our duty to address the injustices that women in African and Asian countries live with every day. We know that their needs are for capacity building, particularly in the area of literacy and skills training. Much would be gained if the church community could fund educational programs for women or support overseas study opportunities for them - or even just help them to get started by helping to establish equal opportunities for women's education.

As the church, we encourage the inclusion of women in church leadership roles as a crucial way of involving women in the total life of the church.

Last but not least, we propose that the issue of injustice to women around the globe be a specific focus of the next APJN meeting.