Empowering Returned Filipino Women Migrants and their Children:
The Batis Center for Women Experience*
Andrea Luisa C. Anolin and Lara Salud C. Javier

E

xposure to institutionalized labor and sexual exploitation in
Japan’s adult entertainment industry shaped the experience of a significant number of the Filipino women who worked as entertainers
during the past three decades since late 1970s. These women found themselves confronting daunting problems. They were at the losing end of theeconomic, cultural, and social changes at the individual, family and community levels brought by working in Japan.
The Batis Center for Women (Batis) was established in 1988 in responseto the growing number of Filipino women migrant workers coming homefrom Japan in distressed conditions. Since then, Batis has extended assistance to more than two thousand women returnees from Japan, and othermembers of their family including children. The women sought the assistance of Batis for the problems encountered while they were working inJapan as entertainers such as illegal recruitment, labor contract violations,trafficking, and sexual abuse and exploitation. They also sought assistancefor problems (such as domestic violence and abandonment) that arose when
they became partners or wives of the Japanese men they met in their work.
In the early years of its existence, Batis provided immediate psychosocial and welfare services (such as counseling, airport assistance when theycome home, provision of temporary shelter, and medical and legal assistance through the Social Case Management program) to the women. The
work of Batis evolved to include women’s empowerment through organizing, education and training, social enterprise development, and advocacy
under its Women Empowerment Program.

*This article draws from the papers of the authors in the Roundtable Conference entitled“Immigrant Children and Women Empowerment Social Work in Diverse Communities inJapan” held at the Japan College of Social Work, Kiyose City, Tokyo, Japan on 3 November 2010.

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Batis Center for Women
These Filipino women sought Batis because of their negative migration experiences and Batis’ mission to “respond to the needs of distressed women
migrant workers and their families including Japanese-Filipino Children(jfc) to enable them to rebuild/regain their sense of dignity and self-worth.”
In the course of extending support, Batis was able to understand theexperiences of the Filipino women in Japan. Initially, the women shared only
such experiences that were needed by Batis to manage their cases. But as
the “helping relationships” evolved, the women gradually shared their life
experiences with people in Batis who empathized, withheld judgment, andoffered a lifeline of assistance and support services. The women told stories
that revealed their fear, regret, failure, disappointment, sense of uncertainty,
inability to cope with problems, and continuing struggle. But the stories also
revealed the women’s courage, desires, strengths, resolve, sense of responsibility, and passion. Sharing experiences was not easy but it paved the way
for the women to come to terms with them. This was the first yet reluctant
step towards healing.
As the earlier generation of women clients came to accept and learn
from their experiences (either willingly or reluctantly, and at their own paceand readiness), Batis joined them in rebuilding their lives through continued
individual and group interventions.
Batis fostered the idea of a shared identity as survivors among thewomen to enable them to see the links among their experiences. In orderto facilitate the transformation of their status from victims to empoweredindividuals, Batis helped raise the awareness of the women about migration and women, and other related issues; acquire, build and strengthen theskills and opportunities in helping and providing support to one another,in getting the messages of their shared experiences across to others, andin building a collective identity in order to address, and work for the transformation of, social conditions that perpetuate the continued migration ofFilipinos for overseas work and the increasing feminization of Philippine
labor migration.

Empowering Returned Filipino Women Migrants and their Children

45Japanese-Filipino Children
Among the thousands of Filipino women working in Japan, many had relationship with Japanese men, mostly their customers, and bore JapaneseFilipino children. Unfortunately, some of these Japanese men had familiesof their own while others were unwilling to commit themselves to their
Filipino women partners and their children. Some of the Filipino-Japanesemarriages ended in divorce, while some Japanese husbands abandoned their
Filipino wives and children.
The women sought Batis assistance in getting legal recognition andsupport for their children from their Japanese fathers. Thus, in 1992, Batis
formally started its japino (short for Japanese-Filipino) Program to focus
on the increasing number of women returning with their children – withmost of the children being born with absent fathers. Most of the mothers
were poor and uneducated, and the children suffering from malnutritionand sickness.
Under the japino Program, the children received assistance in theform of food, shelter, clothing, medical assistance and referrals to charitable
institutions. Batis also provided “search” services, counseling and legal assistance to the women. Government institutions and non-governmental
networks of organizations in Japan facilitated the search for the Japanesefathers or both parents (for children abandoned by both mothers and fathers). Private individuals and institutions helped provide whatever educational assistance was needed. Social workers monitored the cases along with
continuous campaign advocating for the rights and welfare of the children
and their mothers.
Most of the children clients under the japino Program at that time werestill very young, thus the great need for assistance. They were left to the careof their Filipino mothers who were unemployed single parents, or to theiraging grandparents who barely had enough to support their basic needs.
While most of the children were inquisitive and sensitive especially towards other children, some were alienated and insecure about their personal identity.
Many jfc in the Philippines were adversely affected by the gap between
the reality of their poverty and the public perception of the Japanese as
rich people. Jfc living in the Philippines also faced discrimination and ridicule stemming from the public’s negative perception of their mothers’ work46

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in Japan and their different physical features from other children. The jfc
questioned their identity while growing up faced with so many challenges,
but began to search for their own identity as they became adolescents.
Many of the jfc are now entering the workforce and sharing the responsibility of supporting their family needs. Some have to give up their education in order to work and help their families. Under this situation, legal
recognition from their Japanese fathers becomes important either to obtain
Japanese citizenship, or get the visa needed to work in Japan.
In a society that puts premium on a “complete” family (wife, husband,and children), it is not surprising for some jfc to see as self-fulfillment the
chance to meet their Japanese fathers or visit Japan despite the love and affection of their mothers and relatives. This longing to meet their Japanesefathers and the need to financially support their families are reasons why
would they want to leave for Japan.
In a workshop among jfc who visited Japan, the jfc expressed in apoem their collective thoughts and views about their identity:
Who Am I?
Who am I? Who am I really?
I am Yuri, I am Shig
I am Mikas, I am Yuki
In the Philippines, I’m different.
In Japan, even more different.
Even though this is what we encounter
we have never even once thoughtthat life is worthless.
I don’t try to become like the others.
I accepted who I am
Even when I get mocked in school,by other people. I am who I am.
Though they laugh at my nameOr mock me because of my race.
I am myself who is fighting the world
for my rights and showing my abilities.
Even though my father and mother’s races are different.
I am like this when I was born.

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Sometimes confused as to where I belong.
“I am both, that’s how I was raised.”
I am Yuri, I am Shig
I am Mikas, I am Yuki
I am Ai, I am Yumi
Filipino, Japanese, I am both.
Empowering the Women and the Children
From an institution that initially offered direct welfare assistance, Batis
evolved an empowerment program for the former women migrant workers
and their families using a rights-based framework (“Self Help, Help Others,
Help Community/Society”).
This empowerment program resulted in the establishment of Batis
aware Women’s Association (the self-help organization of Filipino women
returnees from Japan) in 1996 and Batis–yoghi (composed of children of
the women returnees) in 2000. The two associations provide the women andtheir children with means to support to one another as well as to address
the issues confronting them as migrant workers and as children of migrant
workers respectively.
In 1995, Batis established the Women Empowerment Program (wep),
to continue the interventions of the Social Case Management program(scm) albeit beyond the personal and individual levels, and to work with thewomen collectively and later on with their children through the Children
and Youth Development Program (cydp). wep considers women clients aspartners for the promotion of human welfare and development instead ofjust recipients of programs and services. They are in the best position toadvance their rights, and to improve or change their situation.
1996 was a watershed year for Batis as it marked a shift in the thrust of
the institution’s service delivery. It redefined its role “beyond merely providing welfare services to the women to being an active facilitator of genuine
women’s empowerment through its framework, using a holistic and sustainable strategy and approach.”
Batis organized a core group of women to develop their capabilities
as peer counselors, public speakers, writers, advocates, project managers,
among others. This paved the way for the establishment of Batis – aware in
1996. Having their own organization apart from Batis served as their venue

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to help and support each other, foster cooperation, and build teamwork,
trust, and confidence.
Batis focused on helping Batis-aware women to gradually run theirorganization by themselves through knowledge enhancement, skills andcapability-building activities, and provision of support to their livelihood
pursuits.
After several years of providing support to the women as they work
towards empowerment, Batis grew more confident in transforming theirclose, at times interdependent, relations with Batis-aware to provide more
space and opportunities for the women to gain full control of their organization. The conscious step towards transformation was Batis’ response to theexpressed interest of Batis-aware to become an independent organization.
Empowerment: From the Point of View of Women1
In a 2005 review of a decade of Batis work on women’s empowerment, thepartnership with Batis-aware was a major highlight. There was also a sensethat Batis was coming full circle in providing services and support to theearlier generation clients. An internal assessment of Batis’ work surfaced
the earlier generation clients’ views and experiences on empowerment in
the context of their involvement and engagement in various Batis activities.
Views on Empowerment
The women said that empowerment helped them deal with pain andproblems towards healing and coming to terms from their hurting experiences as women migrants from Japan. They also said that Batis••••

provided “a safe, comfortable space for women.” Batis thus served
as a refuge for women victims of violence.
existed to help women empower themselves because there wasdeep trauma in each of them.
helped develop women’s capacities. Respondents shared that Batis
helped women see alternatives from their own experience, showing
them the way to develop on their own as women.
helped women rebuild their lives. What is important to note hereis that the starting point for the women in this response is no lon-Empowering Returned Filipino Women Migrants and their Children•

49

ger the pain of their experience as former migrant workers, but thecontrol of their lives.
helped women help other women. WEP does this through its theater advocacy work, where the women actors of Teatro Batis areable to share their experiences with prospective women migrant
workers to enable them to know the real situation of migration(through guided group discussions after the performances). WEP
also teaches the women to help other women, like family andfriends, through personal advocacy.

Definition of Empowerment
What then is the earlier generation women clients’ organic concepts andpractice of empowerment? For the women, empowerment involved having
a set of values, a framework, perspectives, and knowledge. For women to be
empowered, they have to be aware of their social situation and their rights,
especially knowing how to fight for them.
The earlier generation women clients of Batis underscored their experience of empowerment as a process. For them, empowerment is developmental, a course of action toward achieving results incrementally. Thistranslated to the individual or group deciding how to make their empowerment progress from one point to the next, depending on their definition of
the next stage of empowerment.
“How to’s” of becoming empowered
For the women, seminars and trainings facilitated empowerment. They
helped the women view difficulties with proper attitude, taught them not toblame themselves, and encouraged them to reclaim the power that was taken away from them by their negative experience as migrants returning fromJapan. They helped raise the women’s awareness or understanding of theirown situation, guiding the women in coping with the situation they foundthemselves in. They facilitated deeper understanding of the Philippine situation, and provided a forum to share their learnings with other women, without breaking down in tears.
Some of the seminars and trainings held over the years included gender sensitivity training, discussion on violence against women and women’s
rights, peer counseling, and various life skills trainings.

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A favorite Batis activity was theater advocacy. Sharing their experiences
as former migrant workers through the performing arts enabled the women
to show the people watching the performances that they were able to moveon despite their heartbreaking experience in Japan. These performances
helped them stand on their feet and face other people, without the shame.
The members of Batis aware organized a theater group called Teatro
Batis in 2000. As part of theater advocacy, the group performed for secondary school students in several provinces (Pampanga, Laguna, Samar,and Davao), and for women in various communities in Dagupan City,
Pangasinan. They also performed for policymakers in the Department of
Foreign Affairs, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and
the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. Teatro Batis likewise
mounted performances in various places in Japan (Chiba, Tokyo, Hyogo,
Kyoto and Yamagata).
One of the women said that dealing with different kinds of people
from various sectors and sections of society, even policymakers from thePhilippine Congress (national legislative body), was empowering because
the women proved that they could confidently carry themselves and talkabout their analysis and position about migration issues. She added that if
one did not have the guts, one could not face others. Batis helped embolden
the women.
Batis and Batis aware, as members of the Alliance of Migrant Workers
and Advocates to Amend Republic Act 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act
of 2995 (amend), actively participated in legislative advocacy to repeal the
deregulation provision in the law.2 Deregulating the Philippine labor exportindustry means doing away with government regulation of the deploymentof Filipino workers for overseas work, a necessary layer of protection, andleaving the matter of sending Filipinos for overseas work in the hands of theprivate sector whose objective of gaining profit from the business of sending
workers overseas will take precedence over the protection of the rights ofoverseas Filipino workers
The officers of Batis aware served as resource persons during the legislative hearings in early 2005 on the proposed policy change of the Japanese
government on requirements for people who want to apply for entertainers
visa.
The women said that Batis activities were not the only means that facilitated their empowerment. For some, it was also about the people who

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51

helped them. Thus, the Batis staff played a big role. The Batis staff knew how
to carry out the activities and services, how to relate to the women in various levels of distress, recovery and empowerment, and how to listen to thewomen when they needed someone to talk to. The attitudes and behaviorsof the staff also enhanced the empowering character of the institution.
Manifestation of Empowerment
With the experience so far of empowering women, Batis describes empowerment in the following terms.
Empowerment has to take root in oneself. An empowered person develops inner strength. She comes to terms with her traumatic experience.
She faces the challenges in her life with the help of support groups like Batis.
She survives all her problems, and is able to take care of herself. She makes
decisions for herself, as well as do things now that she was not able to do
before. She runs her own life and lives life on her own terms. An empowered
woman stands on her own. She is responsible for herself, for her action andits consequences. She can control her own action, especially if it does not dogood to her and to others.
An empowered woman also exhibits certain skills and acquires more
knowledge. She expresses herself, dialogues and connects with others. She
knows how to deal with or interact with people, and shows the world her
evolved self. She is not shy or embarrassed anymore, even in the presenceof those who may seem to have “more” than her (money, education, knowledge, etc.). As a mother, she has the confidence to raise her child by herself,and stands on her own.
An empowered woman gains organizational skills. She knows what to
do when women come together for collective action. She has skills in handling the women, and is not always dependent on others. Yet, she also knowsthat she cannot do everything by herself. She is part of a community, where
she lives, and participates in community life.
One feature of empowerment, according to the women, is being able touse their empowerment to help others. An empowered woman helps other
women see their potentials and values in life in the midst of challenges.
At present, the officers and members of Batis aware work as peer
counselors to the recent generation clients of Batis. They accompany theclients for their medical check-ups, help them in their reintegration activities (either through enterprise development or enrollment in formal or non-52

H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cformal education), as well as assist their involvement in advocacy activities(such as March 8 International Women’s Day rallies).
Aye! Aye! To Empowerment
The earlier generation women clients agreed that Batis’ empowerment
work was good for them. With space and opportunities to express theirconcerns, the women became more aware of their rights, their involvement
and engagement in the activities of Batis. These also helped boost their selfesteem and strengthen their self-confidence, which ultimately enabled themto heal from their negative migration experiences.
The women said that Batis’ work on empowerment was about alternatives. The continuing challenge is to create, widen or expand these options
for the women; equipping them with the resources to make decisions, andcreating the safe space and setting up the support system for the decisions
they make, especially non-traditional and unpopular ones.
Learning the lessons of the past, Batis started to take on new challengesof effectively providing assistance, services and support to a new generationof returned distressed women migrant workers from Japan and beyond.
Empowering the Japanese-Filipino Children
As a first step in empowering the Japanese-Filipino children, Batis started torefer to them as jfc instead of japino. In a survey done by Batis of clientsand partner organizations, majority indicated that the term japino might
be discriminatory, causing stigma and offensive. It put the children in a
special category and could easily be attributed to children born to Filipino
entertainers and Japanese men. The term jfc is more general, referring tochildren born to Filipino and Japanese parents. This is way better than theterm that was originally used to describe them, “hinomaru babies” or children who were born due to economic needs.
The japino Program of Batis Center for Women then evolved to become the Children and Youth Development Program (cydp). The cydp
aims to promote the development of total self by making the children andyouth enjoy human rights, and strengthen self-awareness, self-confidence
and sense of responsibility through workshops on migration and other socio-economic-cultural issues in the Philippines and Japan, summer camps,

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exposure trips, sports festivals, youth meetings, and scholarship and educational assistance.
While the cases for legal recognition and child support from their
Japanese fathers were ongoing, the cydp provided venues and opportunities
for the jfc to discuss and come to terms with the issues they face as childrenof migrant workers, learn about their rights, and involve themselves in selfdevelopment activities. More importantly, the cydp organized the children
to provide support to one another and address the issues confronting themas jfc and youth in general.
In 2000, with the encouragement and initiative of the program, the children and youth then formed Batis-yoghi or Youth Organization that Gives
Hope and Inspiration. The name sums up what the organization desires to
do—to give hope and inspiration to fellow jfc. That same year, they elected
their own set of officers, drafted their constitution and by laws and designed
their organization’s logo.
Batis envisioned an organization where all jfc are empowered—readyto face and overcome the challenges of growing up, and actively participate
in addressing issues that affect them.
From Children to Young Adults
The establishment of Batis-yoghi came at a very opportune time when majority of the jfc clients were transitioning from kids to young adults andtheir needs and issues were changing. By supporting them in their decision to form an organization, Batis helped them create a collective identity
and sense of unity. Batis provided opportunities for individual and collective
development in the form of workshops, trainings, educational discussions,interactions, and the like.
From the art workshops and mother-and-child sessions that the jfc
joined when they were small, Batis saw the need to develop a more mature
and age-appropriate educational sessions for them to foster their social, psychological, physical and intellectual well-being.

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Activities for Empowerment3
Batis-yoghi holds a number of activities such as the following:4••••Peer Counseling Training
Production of Batis-yoghi Publicity and Information, Education
and Communication (IEC) materials
Young Leader’s Mentoring Program
Educational Sessions.

Since young adults face a lot of challenges (friendship concerns, uncertainty about their future, lack of resources to pursue education, sexuality
issues, media’s influence on young people, among others), they more often than not turn to their friends and peers for information and support.
With this in mind, Batis-yoghi initiated the Peer Support and CounselingTraining to develop the peer support and counseling skills of a select number of jfc to enable them to reach out to the members of Batis-yoghi who
face problems. Batis-yoghi helps members strengthen themselves when
encountering problems and challenges that may be too difficult for them toface on their own.
Such support structure in Batis-yoghi helps jfc adjust to their new
status as young adults who bear increasing personal and familial responsibilities, and offers a positive image of jfc who are working to overcome personal problems. This allows Batis-yoghi to provide jfc with wider options
in life despite difficulties relating to the circumstances of their birth.
The Young Leaders’ Mentoring Program serves as a semi-structured
learning experience for the jfc by getting them involved in project implementation. They lead small group discussions, organize monthly meetings,
undertake administrative and logistical work, etc. The cydp Coordinator
acts as a mentor who ensures smooth project implementation, while the jfc
develop their potentials that would enable them to effectively manage Batisyoghi by themselves in the future.
Batis-yoghi members also hold short discussion sessions on various issues that are of interest to young people in general. They include the Career
Orientation and Planning Session and the Adolescent Sexuality Seminar.
The 2008 decisions of the Japanese Supreme Court granting Japanesecitizenship to ten children with Filipino mothers (but unmarried to theirEmpowering Returned Filipino Women Migrants and their Children

55Japanese fathers) triggered the jfc’s interest on Japanese nationality andits relevance to their own status. The Japanese Supreme Court ruled that
Article 3(1)5 of the Nationality Law of Japan (that required marriage in caseone parent was non-Japanese in order that Japanese nationality could beacquired by their children) discriminated against children who were bornout of wedlock yet acknowledged by their Japanese parents after birth, andviolated the equality provision (Article 14-1)6 of the Constitution of Japan.
Thus Batis-yoghi held a “Nationality Discussion” session that aimed at• Understanding the concepts of identity• Defining the meaning of jfc• Becoming aware of the issues faced by other jfc• Understanding basic concepts of the United Nations Convention
on the Rights of the Child and its relation to the issue of nationality;• Differentiating citizenship from nationality, and• Being informed of the recent developments on the issue of citizenship in Japan.
Batis-yoghi tries to inform the public of its existence and services
through the production of publicity and iec materials such as brochure,website, and newsletter. It aims to help other jfc who are not assisted byngos get the support they need.
Batis and Batis-yoghi are continuing the development of activities andnew strategies to address the growing issues and concerns of jfc.
To quote Batis-yoghi President Mikas Matsuzawa, the activities7
address the needs of the members of our organization in a timely
way focusing not only on our unique situation as jfc but also
on our needs as we grow up. Here, we are given space to showcase our talents, learn new things and be creative. Here, a venue
is offered for us children and youth to step out of the box andfully enjoy learning and participate in issues that concern us.
From the mother-child relationship and child rights workshop
up to the gender sensitivity and adolescent sexuality discussion,
training activities were arranged in consideration of the need tostrengthen and empower Batis-yoghi members, from just being
beneficiaries into independent and brilliant young leaders.
The jfc see empowerment as a process that they undergo at different
paces. They acknowledge too that empowerment can be facilitated by sup-56

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portive individuals, family members and groups, opportunities for self-development activities and exposure to jfc issues, constant self-reflection andculling out of lessons from the challenges they experience in life.
They do not claim to have acquired all the qualities of an empowered
jfc. But their definition of an empowered jfc serves as a guide as they undergo the process of becoming an ideal jfc.
The jfc leaders express their concept of empowerment by answering a
number of questions including: Who is an empowered jfc? How is empowerment manifested by a jfc? What would help jfc achieve empowerment?
Their answers are as follows:An empowered jfc is someone who “owns” the issues that affect her/
him and puts a stake on jfc causes. This empowered jfc does not only havea say on her/his personal issues but claims other jfc issues as her/his personal issues as well.
An empowered jfc is responsible for her/himself emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially. S/he knows how to make decisions for her/himself and can stand the consequences of her/his actions. An empowered
jfc is a responsible member of her/his family and society.
An empowered jfc is conscious that the search for one’s true identity isa long, tedious and painful process. But s/he never tires of seeking answers
and completing this process. A raised consciousness that the empowered
jfc shares with other jfc is the product of the long process of knowing one’s
identity.
An empowered jfc seeks dialogue to find answers regarding questions
on identity. S/he knows how to forgive and let go of her/his past. S/he canforgive her/his parents for their shortcomings and can look at her/his pastwith confidence. S/he draws strength and inspiration from the hurts andsufferings s/he suffered before­—this strength serves as a foundation that
other jfc can lean on.
An empowered jfc does not have a victim mentality. S/he takes on thechallenges confronting her/him. S/he may have been a victim of circumstance but s/he looks beyond that. S/he lives for the present and preparesfor the future.
Education is very important for the empowerment of jfc. Formal education, a privilege rather than a right for some jfc, prepares them for theirlife ahead, opens more opportunities for them, and helps them veer awayfrom the path their mothers treaded before.

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Jfc leaders consider the cydp and Batis-yoghi activities as helpful ingetting empowered. Through these activities, they recognize the importance of each jfc’s contribution in advancing their cause. Youth-centeredand -oriented training activities catch their attention and sustain their interest on the jfc issue. Cultural exchanges and study tours allow them toknow both their own world and the realities and ways of life of other people.
Regular team building activities also help strengthen their bond and shareexperiences with other jfc.
Another manifestation of empowered jfc is the establishment of theirown organization. Their organization facilitates their own personal development while benefiting the entire jfc community at the same time. It provides them a good training for their work on their own issues, and a basis for
future work of reaching out to other interracial children.
Lessons Learned
Batis’ engagement with children and young adults stemmed from its commitment to helping returned distressed women and their families. Batis
helps the jfc develop their full capacity by providing them with the knowledge and proper information needed by young people like them in making
informed choices in life—something their mothers did not have before.
The 2009 award to Batis-yoghi as one of the ten accomplished youth
organizations in the Philippines reassured Batis that its work with the jfc
was on the right track. (See Annex for details of the award) This award wasa reason for celebration among all jfc not just the members of Batis-yoghi.
Instead of being a target group or beneficiaries, Batis-yoghi plays animportant role in finding solutions to their own concerns. Instead of being
passive recipients who rely on adults, the Batis-yoghi members become active participants, “own” their issues, and find ways of working towards theirempowerment. Providing them with opportunities to articulate their needs
in participatory process allows them to make decisions and to play important roles in their own organization. They become genuine partners in thework of Batis. These jfc bring with them optimism and dynamism which
they easily pass on to fellow jfc and even to adults. This is one thing adults
should learn from them.
The ideas and creativity of the Batis-yoghi members make other jfc,
the general public and other stakeholders know their issues.

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i cPartnership with like-minded organizations and individuals in thePhilippines and Japan who help advance their cause is essential to the workthat Batis does with the jfc. Without their help Batis would not have gone
far with the jfc.
Most importantly, the realization of their rights as jfc and human beings—right to nationality, right to education, right to basic needs, rightto participate in matters that affect them—are most crucial in attaining
empowerment.
Batis exists to facilitate the empowerment of the jfc. The jfc can empower their own selves provided they have an enabling environment. As
long as they are provided with opportunities to empower themselves, thejfc will continue to create better future not just for themselves but also forother jfc and the society in general.
Going Beyond Full Circle
In 2009, Batis celebrated its 20th year anniversary. The institution considered it a bittersweet moment in the continuing “herstory” of Batis Center for
Women. It came at a time when an ever-increasing number of Filipino women and men found themselves working overseas; when policies in countriesof destination presented challenges to migrant workers due to stricter border controls and labor market realities; when employment opportunities forlow-skilled work attracted the next generation of vulnerable migrants; andwhen threats and vulnerabilities were ever present especially for women migrants and low-skilled, temporary migrant workers.
Considering this global migration landscape, Batis is pleased to see how
it has evolved as an institution, how its programs and services have responded to the changing needs of its beneficiaries. Utilizing to the fullest the opportunities to innovate, try out new approaches and explore new directions,Batis tries to make its services more accessible, relevant, efficient, effective,
and heartfelt. It is reminded of the strength and resilience of women andthe children as its works together with Batis aware and Batis–yoghi inprotecting and promoting the rights and welfare of women migrant workers
and the children.
Batis looks forward to meeting the challenges of providing direct services, working for women and children’s empowerment, and in transforming individuals, groups, communities and societies in the next decade of its
existence.

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Endnotes
1. The discussion in this section is based on Joe Takeda and Marilyn T. Erpelo,
editors, Behind the Drama of Filipina Entertainers in Japan (Quezon city: Batis
Center for Women, 2008).
2. The Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995 has the following
deregulation provision:“VII. DEREGULATION AND PHASE-OUT
SEC. 29. COMPREHENSIVE DEREGULATION PLAN ON RECRUITMENTACTIVITIES. - Pursuant to a progressive policy of deregulation whereby the migration of workers becomes strictly a matter between the worker and his foreign
employer, the DOLE within one (1) year from the effectivity of this Act, is hereby
mandated to formulate a five-year comprehensive deregulation plan on recruitment
activities taking into account labor market trends, economic conditions of the country and emergency circumstances which may affect the welfare of migrant workers.”
Text from www.poea.gov.ph/rules/ra8042.html.
3. The discussion in this section is based on Marilyn T. Erpelo, editor, A Sneak
Peek at Batis-YOGHI Development: A Handbook on the Learning Experiences ofJapanese-Filipino Children (Quezon city: Batis Center for Women, 2009).
4. Through Batis, Batis-YOGHI obtained in 2008 funding for its project“Strengthening the Organization of Japanese-Filipino Children and Youth” from theGrant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects of the Japanese Embassyin the Philippines. The project was meant to develop and strengthen Batis-YOGHI
activities.
5. A quote from the website of the Supreme Court of Japan on the case provides
the provision of Article 3 paragraph 1 of the Nationality Act:“A child who has acquired\ the status of a child born in wedlock
as a result of the marriage of the parents and the acknowledgment byeither parent and who is aged under 20 (excluding those who have been
Japanese citizens) may acquire Japanese nationality by making a notification to the Minister of Justice, if the father or mother who has acknowledged the child was a Japanese citizen at the time of the child’sbirth, and such father or mother is currently a Japanese citizen or wasa Japanese citizen at the time of his/her death.” See www.courts.go.jp/
english/judgments/text/2008.06.04-2006.-Gyo-Tsu-.No..135-111255.
html
6. Article 14 (1) of the Constitution of Japan states:“All of the people are equal under the law and there shall be nodiscrimination in political, economic or social relations because of race,
creed, sex, social status or family origin.”
7. Erpelo, op. cit., Introductory Note.

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H u m a n R i g h t s E d u c at i o n i n A s i a - Pa c i f i c

Annex
Batis-YOGHI: 7th TAYO Awardee
Batis-YOGHI was one of the ten Philippine youth organizations that received the 7th
Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations (TAYO) Award in 2009. Batis-YOGHI submitted
the YOGHI Manga project for the TAYO Award. YOGHI Manga is a comic book on theexperiences of Japanese-Filipino children. These experiences are told in three stories
that deal with issues of discrimination and prejudice, right to informed choice, rightto choose nationality, right to participate in issues concerning the youth, the right torecognition of Japanese fathers, and the right to cultural heritage.
The TAYO award recognizes youth organizations across the Philippines that, throughtheir projects, have helped their communities. This award encourages young people toget out of their comfort zones andtake part in society by making
a positive difference throughinnovative initiatives.
Organizations are judged on
the basis of the following: Impactof Project Entry on Stakeholders;Harnessing the Spirit ofVolunteerism and Citizenship;
Creativity and Innovation;
Sustainability and Effective Useof Resources. All organizations,clubs, societies, groups, theSanggunian Kabataan (Student
Council), or even barkadas(groups) can join the search as
long as the membership andleadership are composed of atleast fifteen (15) members whoare 15 to 30 years old.
Text based on Mikas Matsuzawa, “YOGHI wins Prestigious
7th TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations) Award,”
available at http://batisyoghi.multiply.com/journal/item/17/
YOGHI_Awarded_with_Prestigious_7th_TAYO_Ten_Accomplished_Youth_Organizations