- 14 Mar 2002
- 15,332
- 8,503
- 749
Sexploitation. 
Sex trade exploitation: Destination Japan
"Japanese criminal law prohibits the trafficking of persons from Japan to another country. But these provisions do not cover the other way around," says Yoko Yoshida, a lawyer with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Kyoto.
Likewise, they said it is time for Japan, a magnet for migrants for decades, to institute a proper system for the inflow of people from other countries. This means the issuance of legal visas and the provision of health and mental care for migrant labour. Also, Japan's current deportation practice only places the blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator responsible for a foreign-worker violation.
The Justice Ministry reports that as of January 2002, there were about 224,067 overstayers in Japan, of whom 105,945 were women. More than 46 per cent of these women worked as bar hostesses, followed by waitresses and factory workers. By nationality, South Koreans comprised 25 per cent of these overstayers, followed by Filipinos and Thais.
The past few years have seen an influx of young women from outside Asia - traditionally the biggest source of migrants - coming from as far away as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia. Many are employed in red-light districts, as bars - also affected by the recession - are finding them increasingly cheaper to employ than Thais and Filipinos.
=> Asia Times
Trafficked women face great risks in Japan
Patricia, a 23-year-old Colombian woman, wept as she recalled the agony and degradation she suffered at the hands of Japanese male bosses and agents who had lured her into the country to work as a bar hostess. Patricia did not reveal details of her torment at a symposium on trafficked foreign women in Japan on Wednesday but exposed her utter vulnerability. At the same time, she worked in red-light districts to raise money for her family back home.
"I was sold twice in Japan," she said, her voice breaking. "I was told I had to pay back a debt of a million yen (8,700 U.S. dollars) and was often beaten and kept hungry by the boss. I was also under surveillance for 24 hours. I still cannot get over the trauma."
Patricia, who described her working conditions as "inhumane", was finally able to seek refuge in the Colombian embassy last year, where a counsellor helped her. She ended her short statement by calling for laws passed in Japan to protect women who face similar slave-like conditions.
=> Trafficked women face great risks in Japan
Sex trade exploitation: Destination Japan
"Japanese criminal law prohibits the trafficking of persons from Japan to another country. But these provisions do not cover the other way around," says Yoko Yoshida, a lawyer with the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) in Kyoto.
Likewise, they said it is time for Japan, a magnet for migrants for decades, to institute a proper system for the inflow of people from other countries. This means the issuance of legal visas and the provision of health and mental care for migrant labour. Also, Japan's current deportation practice only places the blame on the victim rather than the perpetrator responsible for a foreign-worker violation.
The Justice Ministry reports that as of January 2002, there were about 224,067 overstayers in Japan, of whom 105,945 were women. More than 46 per cent of these women worked as bar hostesses, followed by waitresses and factory workers. By nationality, South Koreans comprised 25 per cent of these overstayers, followed by Filipinos and Thais.
The past few years have seen an influx of young women from outside Asia - traditionally the biggest source of migrants - coming from as far away as Latin America, Eastern Europe and Russia. Many are employed in red-light districts, as bars - also affected by the recession - are finding them increasingly cheaper to employ than Thais and Filipinos.
=> Asia Times
Trafficked women face great risks in Japan
Patricia, a 23-year-old Colombian woman, wept as she recalled the agony and degradation she suffered at the hands of Japanese male bosses and agents who had lured her into the country to work as a bar hostess. Patricia did not reveal details of her torment at a symposium on trafficked foreign women in Japan on Wednesday but exposed her utter vulnerability. At the same time, she worked in red-light districts to raise money for her family back home.
"I was sold twice in Japan," she said, her voice breaking. "I was told I had to pay back a debt of a million yen (8,700 U.S. dollars) and was often beaten and kept hungry by the boss. I was also under surveillance for 24 hours. I still cannot get over the trauma."
Patricia, who described her working conditions as "inhumane", was finally able to seek refuge in the Colombian embassy last year, where a counsellor helped her. She ended her short statement by calling for laws passed in Japan to protect women who face similar slave-like conditions.
=> Trafficked women face great risks in Japan
