Scripture″

Now maythe God of hope lllyou with alljoy andpeace in believlng′ so that you、 〃‖labound in hope,bythe powerofthe HolySplrite〃

Epistle to the RoMang 15:13

丁he⊂ herry tree in the front yard of KYOF∪ KAI」 hasagainst it are bearing fruit。

丁he rnomenturn based on theblossomed.on⊂ e again thls year and rnany passersby haverea‖ zation that people⊂ an⊂ hange so⊂ iety by ralsing theirstopped and enjoyed the blossomsin theirtra⊂ kse tthevoi⊂ es′ as experien⊂ ed in the rnovementto remove thetree was planted in⊂ ommemoration ofthe establishment

previous president frorn om⊂ e′ shows no signs ofofthe Anti― prostitutlon Actin 1 956 foHowlng years of our

stoppinge Dis⊂ rirnination for⊂ es upon lts vi⊂ tirns a sense of⊂
ampaigning forthe abolitlon of prostitution。

oppression、 〃ith lifeo Financial disparity⊂ auses people tolt is l‖ ed

with the hope that this history willlong remain ln
people′s memory.

Sin⊂ e lts founding′lose their homes and be⊂ ome homeless,丁 he sense ofdis⊂ rimination that holds women in⊂

KYOF∪ KAl has formally obje⊂ ted toontemptand meninhigh regard produces a breeding ground for domesti⊂

the demeaning offemale sexualityo We have subrlnitted ahese are major reasons for seeking shelter atviolen⊂ e。 丁petition for monogamy to the senate and have also

HELP Asianヽ Ⅳomen′ s Shelter.

laun⊂ hed a rnovement to abollsh prostitutlon in strong

KYC)F∪ KAl has long operated two shelters:HELP′ a

Ⅵ/rlter

Minori Kitahara writes ln her book Feminlsm in」 apan:

temporary emergen⊂ y shelterforlⅣ omen′ and KYOF∪ KAI〃hi⊂ h provides medium to long― terrll shelter。
Step House′ 、Since 1886¨ 一 A Gender Battle that femlnisrll is a

However′ the numberofwomen、 Ⅳho seek shelter at Step

opposition to the ll⊂ ensed prostitution systeme

women′ s battle of fa⊂ ing the hurt thatis thrown their

House has⊂ ontinued to de⊂ line in re⊂ ent years′ su⊂ h thatway sirllply for being a female and of seeking sexual

we have provislonaHy de⊂ ided not to take in new

dlgnitye She a150 Says this battle began ln the year

resldents frorn Aprilo An NHK Spe⊂ lalreported that more

KYOF∪ KAl wasfounded.

than 33′ 000 young people in theirteens and twentles

Nevertheless′ a⊂ ￨lmate offemale dls⊂ rlminatlon sti‖disappear or go lη lssing every year without any

strongly persists today even after 1 31 yearso A⊂ ross the⊂onne⊂ tion to welfare and、 Ⅳithout seeklng any help fromseas′ female⊂ elebrities have begun to break thelr silencea publl⊂ facillty。 丁hisis notto say that Step House is no

and te‖ theirstory aboutthe sexual harassmentthey have

longer needed′ but the situation rnakes us think about

suffered′ and feelings ofempathy with these women who

how we may respond to diversifylng needs.

dlsplayed the⊂ ourage to lndi⊂ t thelr offenders are〃

Ⅳe rnust give further
Before、 Ⅳe⊂ an re― open Step House′ 、

spreadlng underthe hashtag〃 Me ttoo。 Meanwh‖ e ln
」apan′ the a⊂ tlon taken by Ms.Shiorl lto′ lⅣ h o⊂ourageously came forward as a vi⊂ tirln of sexual
harassment′ garnered attention′ and there have beenthoughtto the ldeals of women/ s welfare′

women、 Ⅳho have foHowed in herfootsteps′ butlt has notprayersr Offerings and donatlons frorn everyone、

developed into a large rnovementetthoughtless⊂ riti⊂ isrns
against those、 Ⅳho raise thelr voi⊂ es are perhaps keeplng

supports us give ustremendous strengthe We thank you
arrYl and generous support
with aH our heart for your Ⅷ′

also speaklng

and hope you will⊂ ontinue to favor us with yourother vi⊂ tirns of sexual harassment fron∩outeln our ne19hbOring⊂ ountry of South Korea′ con⊂ ern
about sexual harassment has spread、 Ⅳidely′ and protests

but we areproperly rlnaintaining the facility so that lt⊂ an bere―opened at any tirlne.

We feelthe dil■ ⊂ulty of operating a shelter′but the〃hopatronage.

Yasuko Kawano(Fa⊂ ￨lity Dire⊂ tor and President)Overview of HELP Benel⊂ larles in 2017
Non― 」
apanese women and⊂ hildren vi⊂ tims of violen⊂ e

and Japanese women stepping outinto a neⅥ ′life despite their worries
ln 2017′ HELP provided shelterto 8 women of non―」apanese natlonaHty′

45 women ofJapanesenationality′ and 13 a⊂ ⊂ompanying⊂ hlldren.丁 hese 66 residents stayed at HELP for a total of l′ 567 nights(74.9%⊂ ompared to the previous year)。 BOth the number ofresidents and thelrlength ofstay de⊂ reased
compared to 2016′ due in part to our measure to temporarily suspend the acceptance of new residents
until Aprl1 24′ 2017。

We⊂ ontinued to offer music therapy again throughoutthe year as we did last year at a frequen⊂ y ofabout
three tirnes a rnonth′ and HELP staffac⊂ ompanied residents who are vi⊂ tirns of domesti⊂ violen⊂ e to
medical fa⊂ ￨litles to ensure their safetyo Among a‖ residents′ 14.7%and the same percentage ofresidents aslast year were ac⊂ ompanled to a medicalfa⊂
88。

￨lity′

butthe per⊂ entage was an extremely high 80%(frOm

5%in the previous year)amOng non― 」
apanese residents
apanese residentsotthe high rate at whi⊂ h non― 」

are ac⊂ ompanied to a rnedi⊂ al facility has been⊂

ontinuing forsome time now.

<Non―Japaneseヽ Ⅳomen>Amongthe 8 women ofnon― Japanese nationality whom we tookin thls year′

ere ac⊂ ompanied
5、 〃by theirCh‖ d(ren).丁 here were 8⊂ h‖ dren in a‖ ′mostly s⊂ hoo卜 aged but also in⊂ luding a pres⊂ hooler underthe age ofsix。

Most ofthese women soughtshelterat HELP to es⊂ ape from domestic vlolence(87.5%)′ and the rest due tohomelessness(12.5%).丁 here were no pregnant women among them′ as was also the⊂ ase last year。

丁he averagelength ofstay by these non― 」
apanese residents was 16。 38 days′ which、 Ⅳas about 25 days shorter⊂ompared to the average length ofstay in 2016.丁 he shorter stays⊂ ould be attributed to our efforts to help
residents vvith school― aged ch‖ dren leave ourfa⊂ ￨lity as early as possible。 lt was also be⊂ ause we tookin rYlany

homeless women who wished to return to their home country.

● DV vi⊂ tims:丁 he majorlty of DVvi⊂ tims who werelntrodu⊂ ed to HELPln 2017 were women and⊂ hildren who
were able to engagein da‖ y⊂ onservation in Japanese.Particular care、 Ⅳas directed to s⊂ hoo卜 aged children′ byprorYlising the fu‖

support of an adult supporterso they⊂ ould⊂ ornrnute to s⊂ hool as promptly as possible after⊂orning to HELP′ and rnaking tirne everyday to help them study and to take thern outdoorsto playln an attempt
to give shape to theirlives at the sheltero Seeing these children regain their⊂
healthily in a safe envlronment free from theirfather′hild― ￨lke inno⊂ en⊂e and grows abuse was a source of happiness to the residents andstaff ofthe shelter.
HELP staff also cared for elderly、Ⅳomen、〃ho have no farYlily′ by engaging them ln slow― pa⊂ ed⊂ onversation in

their native language and offering an opportunity to rele⊂t on theirlong years of hardship。

● Pregnant women:Wetookin no pregnant women′ as was also the⊂ asein 2016.
● Homeless women:丁 he homeless women we tookin in 2017 had been awaiting an early return to their own
country.When they lrst⊂ ameto HELP′ they appeared both physica‖ y and emotlona‖ y drained and showedstrong wariness′ presumablyfrom the hardships ofthelrlife untilthen.A woman who had beenin」
a short while′ in partlcular′ seemed⊂ ompletely at a loss v

apan forjust

thout being able to speak Japanese′ but when theprospe⊂ ts of her returning to her country be⊂ ame brighter vvith the⊂ ooperation ofthe embassy andirnmlgration bureau′ her expression brlghtened day by day and she began to talk rnore freely.We⊂an stlH

rememberthesmlleonherfacewhensheleftHELPwiththejoyofsoonbelngabletoreturntoherfamilyba⊂
home。

● ⊂are for resldents and former residents:ln 2017′ we were unable to hold our usualspnng and summer outing
events′ but we organized events for ourresidentsinside the fa⊂ ￨1忙 y(Hal10Ween⊂ ostume party′ etc.).
As an ongoing effort′ we also concentrate on creating pla⊂ es where former HELP residents can gain a sense of

belonging and providing the supportthey need.

2k<JapaneseヽVomen>
丁his year′ we tookin 45、 Ⅳomen ofJapanese nationality′ in⊂ luding 4 who、 〃ere accompanied by theirchild(ren).At 36。 0%each′ homelessness and domestic violence(intimate partner violen⊂ e(IPV))Were the
top reasons for their seeking shelter at HELP′ foHowed by pregnancy(14.00/0)′ violence by a family
member(8.0%)and Other reasons(6.0%).⊂ Ompared to last year′ when close to 60%of」 apanese
residents sought shelter at HELP due to homelessness′there was a larger per⊂ entage of women this year
who sought shelterforreasons of DV(IPV)′ ViOlen⊂ e by a family member′ or pregnancy.
Among the women who cameto HELPto es⊂ apefrom DV(IPV)′ there were those who spenttheirtime
under HELP′ s many restrictions vvithoutlosing sight ofthernselves even as they devoted themselves totheir baby and to providing the right care at the right time′ su⊂ h as when to begin、 Ⅳeaning′ while also
struggling、 〃ith concerns about their future.Similarly′ young、〃omen、 〃ho were victims of violence by afamily member spent theirtime at HELP struggling to come to terms with their various complicatedcircumstan⊂ es′ but they also、 Ⅳent out oftheir Ⅷ′
ay to entertain the other residents vvith something they
tooklessons in、 〃hen they were sma‖ orto befriend children in the fa⊂ ‖ity.
Furtherrnore′ amongthe women、 〃ho sought shelter due to homelessness′ there were those who
were naturalized and gained Japanese nationality but whose cultural and linguisti⊂

roots lay in a different

country.∪ pon〃 returning〃 to」 apan′ they came to HELP seeking a pla⊂ e to stay untilthey could ttnd
somewhere to settle.VVithin the international atmosphere at HELP′ they were encouraged tocommuni⊂ ate in the language they feel comfortable、 〃ith to graduaHy become accustomed to living in」
apan.Meanwhile′ a、 〃oman、 〃ho had、 Ⅳorked for years and survived on her own showed the strength tostep into a new life after realizing and silently accepting′ while staying at HELP′ that her relationship withherfamily will not mend as she wishes。

丁he average length ofstay by these Japanese residents was 26。 6 days.丁 his was roughly two days
longerthan the previous year and rnarked an increase forthe second consecutive year.

Art、 Ⅳork<丁 elephone⊂ onsultation>of paper⊂ ranes made by HELP residents

ln 2017′ we handled 681 telephone consultations(103.9%compared to the previous year)frOm people

frOrY1 28 countries in⊂ luding」 apan.丁 his marked a slightincrease in the range of nationalities of residents

who caHed in for consultation⊂ ompared to last year.丁 he consultations covered diverse topics′ including

a consultation from a man、 Ⅳith a disabled、Ⅳife about the appli⊂ ation pro⊂ edure for obtaining status ofresiden⊂ e to live in」 apan′ and an inquiry about social resources that are avallable to a foreign national

who has been consulting a lawyer and a rrledical consultation omce in a hospital.丁 here、Ⅳere also caHs
seeking crisisintervention from people having limited access to information due to the language barrier
orto being a victim of DV.

丁elephone consultations from Japanese people mainly con⊂ erned the hardships ofliving after having
suffered DV or sexual abuse.丁 here Ⅶrere also more than a few⊂ aHers wholooked up HELP′ s telephone
number on the lnternet and⊂ aHed in for the ttrst time.丁 he tentative and stumbling、 Ⅳay in、 Ⅳhi⊂ h they、
begin talking as though they do not reaHy kno鴇 ′〃here to start′ is te‖ ing ofthe anxieties and hesitation
many ofthem⊂ ontinue to feel untilthey inaHy ava‖ themselves of ourtelephone⊂ onsultation service.

3

Statisti⊂ al丁 ables for 201 7

Resident Distributlon by Age

Breakdown of Residents
Apri1 1′

Non…

2017‑March31′ 2018

ξ
∬
0‑4
5‑9

Japanese Nationals

烏
熙R:: 0

1

2

3456

10人

==::
1

10‑14

1

]

15‑19
20‑24
8,0%

1

25‑29
30‑34
35‑39

5

1

40‑44
45‑49
50‑54
Homeless

18

Victims oflPV

18

Pregnant

7

Victims ofviolenceby family members
Other

4
3

1

55‑59

1

1

60‑64

1

65‑69
70‑74

1

75+
丁otal

Noo of HELP Resldents by Nationality
Non― Japanese Nationals

31′ 2018)ln⊂ luding those who stayed from the previous to the current year。

(Apri1 1′ 2017‑March

Noo of HELP Resldents by Nationallty
Women

Nationality

Philippines⊂ambodia

1

Bangladesh

lil:躍 lanylǹ

『詳
:∬ 度
I‖ 」
蝋鷺
レ颯

Sub― total
45」 apanese women ofwhichJapan

4 were accompanied by children

丁otal

Vlctlms oflPV

53

Homeless

Breakdown of Non― Japanese Residents by Region
Reslon丁okyo
Saitama
丁otal

4

No。

Number ofttelephone⊂ onsultations
By⊂ ontents

By NationalityNon―

線誦 : 憎朧 :DV84

Violence by famlly member

36

Human ttralmcking

1

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

33

Nationality

No.of
Consultatlons

Japan

535

Philippines

49

Bangladesh
丁hallandResident status/lmmigration

USA

Work
丁
emporary protective custody req

109

37

Provision of irnforrnation

29

33

Ernotional problerns

77∪K

RusslaPakistan

FranceMarrlageBrazilDivorce⊂hina
23

Married life

Vietnam⊂hlldren4⊂anadaHomelessness

Moldova

Other

117

丁otal

535

⊂ameroon

146

Nigeria∪ganda⊂ambodiaSouth Korea

Destination of Resident
after Departure
Destination

憎朧 : 線朧 尾

Women′ s⊂ enter

44Home country

Japanese Residents

North Korea⊂olumbia

Non―

Welfare Homes

Apartment

AvgoStay of Non―

lndia

2013

23.39days

2014

38.1 4days

2015

27.14days

2016

40。 1 4days

2017

16.38days

1lndonesia

Nepal

1

Gulnea1

Kyrgyzstan
Syria

Home

MexlcoHome offriend∪nknown

or acouaintance丁otalStreets

Hospital
Live―

1

Length ofStay by N譜

in employment∪nknown

Undeclded
Other
丁otal

50

」
apanese National

1305

Non¨ Japanese Natlonal

262

丁otal

1567

5

「
票

lity

681

,

Please support HELP a⊂ tivities!

Volunteers
HELP Activity leetings: First Friday of every month fron∩lfyou are interested in volunteering′

1:30p.rn.

please register by telephone or via the KYOF∪ KAI、 〃ebsite.

<Ⅳ lain volunteer a⊂ tivities> Help with tidying and⊂ leaning′ ⊂aring for plants′ etc.

ltems for Donation
丁he entire staff at HELP sin⊂ erely thank you for your donations.
At HELP′ Ⅶre pass on items of dally ne⊂ essity to our residents′ not only to bring a measure ofbasi⊂ comfort to their dally lives′

but to also deliver a rnoment of healing to、 Ⅳomen and children

personal
relationships and much oftheir precious belongings so they may get the rest they need andwho have rnade it to our shelter after having left behind their familiar surroundings′

eventua‖ y nurture hope and the、 〃￨￨lto begin a ne鴇 ′life.We、 ⅣIIl use your generosity to respond to

the diverse needs of each of ourresidentsin accordance、 Ⅳith their age′ nationality′ culture′ etc。 ′and kindly ask for your cooperation as we⊂ ontinue our efforts.
Food】【⊂ondiments(sugar′ Salt′ soy sauce′ vegetable oil)′ jam′ snacks′ drinks(⊂ offee′ tea′
cocoa′ green tea′ juice′ creamer)XPlease make sure these items have not passed

their expiry dates.

Sundry 9oods】 Shampoo′ laundry detergent′ kitchen detergent′ tissue paper′【skn lotion(medium― sized bottles)′ milky lotion(medium― sized bottles)′cosmetics′ toothpaste(medium size)⊂lothing】【

Pajamas′ sweat suits′ socks′ slippers′ jackets― 一for adults and children.

Hooded sweatshirts′ underclothing(short and long sleeved)― 一―
fOr adults

XNeⅥ/items are appre⊂ iated.
()ther】【

Baby stro‖ ers(neW)′ Sunglasses′ shoes′ notebooks′ ⊂otton blankets′

bath towels(new)′ face towels(new)′ Sewing supplies(embrOldery thread′et⊂ .)′

Quo⊂ ards(prepald⊂ ards)
Send to:KYOF∪ KAI
2‑23‑5 Hyakunincho′ Shinjuku― ku′ 丁okyo (169‑0073)※ We are not able to re⊂ eive on Saturday′ Sunday′ and holidays.

Preparation against⊂ rime and disaster一 ―Ourinitiatives in 201 7‑一ヽln 2017′ we took the following initiatives to eハ sure a safe environmentin ourfacility.

・ e ihcreased the number of security camerasin ourfacility.
t We′ urchiard emergency suppliesin⊂ ase of disaster′ including solar panels and emergency
tableltoilet tents.

■

HELP staff participated in the General丁 rainingヽ Ⅳorkshop on⊂ rime and Disaster Prevention。

2018 Requestfor Donations t
We hope you are、 Ⅳel⊂ oming this sei
On⊂ e again this year′ 、Ⅳe、 Ⅳish to express our deepest gratitude
to ea⊂ handeveryoneofyouforyourgeneroussupportwhi⊂ha‖ oⅥ /s usto⊂ ontinue our a⊂ tivities to help、 Ⅳomen and⊂ hildren in need of help.
Last year′ HELP provided shelterto 53、 Ⅳomen from Japan′ the Philippines′⊂ambodia and Bangladesh and 13⊂ h‖ dren of diverse ages′
and re⊂ eived telephone⊂ onsultations from women representing 28⊂

ountries。

ln today′ s so⊂ iety fu‖ ofvarious in⊂ idents and a⊂ ⊂idents′there are many women and⊂ hildren、 〃ho es⊂ ape from violen⊂ e and abuseby parents and family members and need a safe home.
丁here are a150 many women、 〃ho seek a pla⊂ e to belong
so they⊂ ould dispeltheir sense of oppression、 〃ith life.

丁o help these people、Ⅳho seek shelter at HELP′
all of us staff、 〃￨￨l make redoubled efforts to provide heartfelt support.

Amid⊂ onstantly⊂ hanging⊂ ir⊂ umstan⊂ esin Japan and overseas′′⊂reating an environment as a′ home〃 that provides safety′ se⊂ urity andthe basi⊂ ne⊂ essities of‖ fe has be⊂ ome an even more pressing issue than ever。

Despite our dif■ ⊂ult inan⊂ ial situation′ Ⅵre strongly vvish to⊂ arry out HELP′
mission′and thus ask for your kind supportin the form of maintenan⊂ e donations。

June 2018
Japan⊂ hristianヽ Ⅳomen′ s Organization′ est。 1886
HELP Asianヽ Ⅳomen′ s Shelter%lida′ Women′ sヽ Ⅳelfare⊂ ommittee⊂ hairperson
Yasuko Kattrano′ Fa⊂ i‖ ty Dire⊂ tor(and President)7sDonation to:
You are appre⊂ iated ifyou use the fo‖ owing a⊂ ⊂ounts for donation.

ln Japanount:00110‑5‑188775

Post Om⊂ eA⊂ ⊂ount Name「 女性の家 HELP〔 Josei nO le HELP〕 」

A⊂ ⊂From Overseas
Bank A⊂ ⊂ount:Benel⊂ iary Bank一 MUFG Bant LttD.

ode:BOttKJ PJ丁 )(SEIF丁 ⊂Bran⊂ hName:OKUBO BRAN⊂ H

APAN)(address:1‑1‑19′ Kitashinjuku′ Shinjuku― ku′ 丁okyo′ 」

ount Number:364‑0103915

A⊂ ⊂Benel⊂ iary Name:KYOFUKAI

8