Finished with its NGO Report for The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the JCLU project for the CEDAW held a regular JCLU seminar on April 9 to share the report with citizens and other NGOs, and to raise their awareness of women's rights and the CEDAW. At the seminar, the project invited Ms. Keiko Ohtsu, the Director of HELP Asian Women's Shelter,Eto speak about the trafficking of women in Japan and HELP's activity. Trafficking and forced prostitution was anticipated to be one of the major issues for CEDAW consideration.
According to Ms. Ohtsu, HELP was established in 1986. Since then, its shelters have accommodated approximately 4,600 women and children regardless of their nationality. The number of women who escaped from trafficking has been decreasing in recent years. But, she stressed, this never means trafficking cases are actually decreasing. Rather, the victims are arrested on grounds of illegal stay by police and the Immigration Office. Then they are deported. In Japan, the acts of trafficking women and paying for sex are not clearly criminalized by law, but prostitution is illegal. So in most cases, those arrested are neither trafficking brokers nor buyers, but women.
The nationality of trafficked women changes as time goes on. Before the mid-90s, most of them were from Thailand. But in the past five years, the number of Colombian women has been increasing. As long as they stay in the shelters, women are cared for by volunteers who speak their native languages. But after they return to their countries, HELP cannot guarantee their living. In fact, a Thai woman who once stayed in a HELP's shelter, died in a traffic accident after her return to Thailand. Ms. Ohtsu said she didn't know the truth, but it was said that the woman was killed by way of exemplary punishment. Safety is most essential for trafficked women.
The view of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is that most such of these women recognize they would be prostitutes and hope to earn money in Japan. So, they are not 'trafficked.' Ms. Ohtsu argues that even if they recognize this as so, it is, indeed, that they are in debt bondage and are forced into prostitution.
In Japan, public awareness and governmental policy on women immigrants are still lacking. I hope new legislation will be enacted which prohibits trafficking and protects victimized women,EMs. Ohtsu concluded.