September 2006

Dear friends,

In April 1986, as a 100th anniversary project for the Japan Christian Women’s Organization, Kyofukai, HELP Asian Women’s Shelter was established to reach out and help women who are faced with violence and human rights abuses. For these 20 years HELP, which stands for House in Emergency of Love and Peace, has provided telephone counseling and a temporary emergency shelter for women and children in need, regardless of their nationality or immigration status.

Let me explain to you a little bit about the Japan Christian Women’s Organization, Kyofukai, the mother organization of HELP. At the end of the 19th century, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in the U.S. turned its eyes out to the world, and in 1886, the movement found a new home in Japan. Fifty-four Japanese Christian women who decided to promote, in addition to temperance, women’s rights, which developed into a larger belief that “with the women’s power the social disease should be corrected” founded KYOFUKAI. In the first years, KYOFUKAI submitted yearly petitions calling for monogamy and an end to Japanese women being trafficked and prostituted overseas. In 1894, it acquired land and established a refuge for the women upon their return to Japan. They have worked hard for women’s basic rights, including an end to legalized prostitution, the right to vote, and the establishment of social welfare projects. Their strong commitment made it possible for Japanese women today to have equal rights to those of men.

It is no surprise as part of its history that KYOFUKAI chose, as their 100th year anniversary project, to establish an emergency shelter. They realized that as the number of women from Asian nations entering Japan increased, most of these women would only experience human rights abuse, oppression, and discrimination.

At first, the majority of the trafficking survivors who came to HELP were of Asian origins, but nationalities have gradually diversified. In spite of HELP’s petition against human trafficking to Japanese government, our voice was too small to be heard for almost 20 years. Even the Japanese media, which is also male dominated, did not take up this issue in a serious way. A few years ago, the U.S. State Department listed Japan as one of the major destinations of sexually victimized women and criticized Japan’s inadequate response. Under pressure from the global community to take measures against human trafficking, in August last year, criminal law was revised so that the traffickers are prosecuted and women are no longer viewed as criminals violating prostitution and immigration laws. They are given a legal means to leave Japan instead of being deported.

Around the time that I began my work here in 2001, the number of women and children, who had escaped from the abusive Japanese husband was increasing. Most of Japanese women here were also domestic violence survivors. At that time, society’s awareness of domestic violence was very low, and there were no legal systems set up to protect these women. Some ex-HELP residents (DV survivors) spoke up and Pandane (Yeast) Survivor’s Support Group was formed to present a public statement requesting the creation of anti-domestic violence legislation. In October 2001, the Anti-Domestic Violence Law was implemented and some of the changes proposed by concerned organizations passed in 2004. HELP will continue to monitor government actions in connection with the relevant laws of anti-DV and anti-human trafficking to protect the rights of these survivors and support them to prepare for new, independent life. Recently, more women, mostly Japanese, are being referred to HELP for issues other than DV and trafficking. Since the implementation of these laws, national women’s institutions have actively started accepting these non-Japanese women, and thus there has been a big change in both the climate and users of HELP.

Currently, we have four non-Japanese women and their five children. These children are Japanese nationals who are eligible to apply for welfare. Their mothers need to spend considerable time processing paperwork to gain legal status — a special long-term visa was issued to allow mothers of Japanese children raise them in Japan. Both mother and children leave HELP as soon as welfare is set in pace and their living situation is set up. One of the children came when he was a nine-month-old baby. When he took his first step, he received loud applause from all of us. We have one Korean who must leave Japan as soon as the legal procedure is completed. We will also have to find a safe shelter in Korea for her to stay since her Korean husband has already contacted people and places she might visit in Korea. Three elderly Japanese women have been waiting for a vacancy at the women’s institutions or old people’s homes for them.

HELP is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. At the end of March, our director for six years retired and until next March, we have an acting part-time director. Now there are two full-time caseworkers and five part- time caseworkers, as well as two dorm mothers and one accountant to help out the facility. Having lost our old director, we are facing new challenges, but are blessed with a warm and caring atmosphere.

Thank you for your faithful support of my ministry with HELP and the women and their children in our program.

Yukiko Altman
Tokyo, Japan