DAWN rising on growth pains in Japanese-Filipino children advocacy
by CES RODRIGUEZ
(Updated March 29, 2006)

THEY flailed, they warbled, and they minced through skits brick-heavy with slogans, lessons, and meaning. They were amateurish, yet they elicited tears from a sophisticated audience composed of embassy officials and legislators, journalists, and NGO officers.

They were former migrant women from Japan and their Japanese-Filipino children (JFC). They make up Teatro Akebono and they exist to fight for the legitimacy of JFCs and other concerns.

The occasion of their recent performance was the 10th year anniversary of the Development Action for Women Network (DAWN) last February 10 at the Bayview Park Hotel in Manila, which was marked with a conference to shed more light on the issues of migration and trafficking and their effect , among others, on JFCs .

There are no hard numbers but the Development Action for Women Network and fellow nongovernment organizations Batis and Ligaya estimate there are more than 2,000 JFCs.

An editorial that ran last year in Sinag, DAWN's official newsletter, said this is "a small fraction of the total number of mostly unrecorded cases." These JFCs, according to the editorial, are a product of "relationships that usually began in the bard and clubs." DAWN expects the number to increase with the imposition of stricter immigration requirements for foreign entertainers, particularly overseas performing artists (OPAs) beginning March last year. The Japan government tightened its immigration policy after the country was placed by the US State Department in its Watch List of the 2004 Trafficking in Persons Report.

In the aftermath of the new policy, the number of visas issued in 2005 by the Japanese government decreased by nearly 31 percent. Tomoaki Naguchi, First Secretary/Labor Attaché of the Japanese embassy, said they issued 47,099 entertainment visas in 2005.

This was down from 70,619 recorded by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in 2004, according to DAWN's executive director Carmelita Nuqui.

Drop
The policy change is expected to see a drop in Filipino-Japanese marriages, 4,000 of which were recorded in 2003 alone, even as the Sinag editorial noted that "cultural and personal differences" accounted for "many" of these marriages ending in divorce or abandonment.

The break-up of marriages has reared a host of problems, the editorial continued, including child custody, financial support, visas, reports of domestic violence, and discrimination.

Since its creation, DAWN has handled 350 cases of women and 440 Japanese-Filipino children.

Nuqui said "the number of women and children seeking assistance from DAWN increases everyday." She added they get referrals from the Japanese embassy, some Philippine government agencies, as well as those who have read about DAWN in the papers and heard about it from radio and television programs.

DAWN, according to Nuqui, assists work contract violations, abuse and harassment in the work place, abandonment of Japanese husband and other marital concerns, JFC's right to paternal recognition and support, as well as the citizenship of the JFCs."

It has also provided "women and children with health care, educational assistance, counseling, airport/travel assistance, Manila-based DAWN Center for women returnees and their JFCs, lessons on Japanese culture and language, workshops and other get-together activities to further support their various social, mental, health, and emotional needs, among others."

But Noguchi said the new policy addressed the issue of "prevention," one of the three Ps that direct Japan's anti-trafficking action plan. Noguchi also noted the rise in cases against trafficking, crediting the Japanese government's crackdown, as an example of the second P—"prosecution."

Third P
As far as the third P—"protection"—is concerned, Noguchi said the Women's Consulting Offices in Japan have seen an increase in trafficking victims seeking help. In 2003, for example, of six cases noted, three were Filipinos.

By the end of December, the total number had risen to 104, with Filipinos making up 55 of the total. He also said that the government has asked the help of the International Organization of Migration (IOM) to repatriate victims beginning April 1st.

In response, Nobuki Fujimoto, a member of the Japan Network Against Trafficking in Persons (JNATIP), believes that while he appreciates the efforts of the Japanese government, there are "remaining issues" that it must tackle.

The prickly issue of the victim's Japanese residency "should not be recognized at the discretion of the Justice Minister," he said.

"Instead, the recognition of residence status should be considered as a right in order for victims to seek justice." He suggested a "trafficking victim recognition system" that would grant victims not just "temporary stay in Japan but also 'Long Term Residence' status." And yet, Noguchi himself could not directly address the issue of Japanese-Filipino children.

"I am very much sorry and unfortunately (sic) to say that I am not the right person to talk about this issue, because I am a father of a JFC," he confessed. "My marriage with a Filipina unfortunately broke down almost eight years ago, with my daughter left with her mother. Because of my position, I am quite hesitant to openly talk about the issue (sic)."

The answer seemed to lie in one of the doodles the Japanese-Filipino children left behind on the hotel notepad provided for conference attendees.

The drawing shows a little girl's face split in two, each side wearing a different expression. Above one half is an exclamation point and above the other half is a question mark. Also written down is "Half Japanese Half Filipino."end

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