2014/7/20

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No.74

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Asian Women’s Shelter HELP

Network News

“I cerebrate and shourt becaouse of myLord God.” Isaiah 61:10

No.74☎ (03)3368-8855 PO ACCT 00110 － 5 － 188775

Where Have We Come from, Where Are We Going?
Residents at HELP come to stay here for a varietyof reasons. (Please see next page.) Recently there
has been a marked increase in pregnant and elderly
women. During the brief time they are at HELP, intheir own way they each ask themselves “Where
have I come from and where am I going?”
Ms. A came to HELP with her four-year old childafter leaving her non-Japanese husband. Though
she had been severely abused by him she was barely
conscious of it. She told a counselor that at the time
she had had little mental or physical energy to spare,and she did not even notice that her own child was
becoming violent. She stayed at HELP for about
one month, and when it was time for her to move toanother facility, she had reached a point that she wasable to make her own decisions for their future.
Ms. B was in her late 20s. She had been abruptly
fired from her live-in job and consequentially losther place to stay. While at HELP, she worked hard
every day to find work so that she could move toan apartment as quickly as possible. But it wasdifficult for Ms. B to find an appropriate job and shelost heart. In the end, she decided to move to otherlodgings and put more time into her job search.
Ten-year old Girl C came to HELP along with her
foreign-born mother. They had fled from her Japanesefather’s abusive treatment of her mother. After about
two weeks the mother started to say that she wanted
to go back to her husband. Girl C adamantly opposed
this saying that he would kill her mother. It seemedthat the mother and daughter would regularly discuss
this until late into the night. After about one month
her mother went back to her father while, to thesurprise of all of the adults, Girl C insisted that she
would not go home, but instead went by herself to achildren’s group home.

Ms. D was in her early 20s and a single mother
who was released to HELP after giving birth toher second child. In her three weeks with us, sheshowed us her motherly side when her older childcame to stay. Ms. D expressed a desire to return toher apartment, so all of the relevant organizations
gathered to talk over how to support this request.
A significant issue was how she would rebuild herlife with her children. With a great deal of support,
Ms. D moved back to her apartment. No matter
how many agency officials use their ingenuity andbuild support programs, only Ms. D can put those
programs into action.
More than a few women come to HELP due tointimate partner violence and then later return totheir husband or partner. Ms. E, a foreign national,
entered our facility with her three children becauseof abuse by her Japanese husband. Between savings
from her public assistance money and support fromgovernment agencies, the four of them were able toreturn to her home country in two months. A few
months later, she returned to her husband. They
had been in contact through Facebook and he hadcovered return expenses.
We have learned that the road that each person
walks and the path by which they escape is prepared
for them in ways we cannot imagine. HELP is also
being asked where it is going and what its role is asa public shelter during a time of significant change.
Our business report states that “The spirit of HELP
has not changed since its inception – to support
women and children who live in legal gaps.” We
at HELP are confident that our path from here has
been prepared.
Hiroko Ueda
HELP Director

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An Overview of the Beneficiaries of HELP in FY2013～ Increased Homelessness of Non-Japanese & A Baby Boom ～In FY2013, the beneficiaries of HELP included 19
women of foreign nationalities, 47 Japanese women and
14 accompanying children for a total of 80, adding up to
1,876 nights (92.3% of previous fiscal year). In the firsthalf of the year we ran a training project and from August
we enhanced our program to support the mind and body,which included music therapy, flower arrangement,
herbal therapy and aromatherapy.
HELP staff accompanies residents to medical facilities
in order to ensure the safety of female victims ofdomestic violence and provide support for non-Japanesein their native languages. In FY2013, those accompaniedrose to 35% of all residents (123.2% over previous fiscal
year) but made up only 33% of non-Japanese residents(51.1% from FY2012).
<Non-Japanese Female>Approximately half of the 19 women of foreign
nationality were accompanied by children. There were
11 accompanying children close to half of whom wereages 10 and above, though all age levels reside at the
shelter. In looking at reasons for seeking shelter, asignificant change from previous years was noted; a large
portion of those non-Japanese sheltered had no dwellingplace (30.0%), making it the number two reason. The
settlement of non-Japanese women is progressing, andappears to reflect a growing similarity in consultation
topics with that of Japanese nationals.
Intimate partner violence was the number one reason
for seeking shelter (46.7%); and when combined withviolence by family members (16.7%), brought the totalof those non-Japanese taking refuge due to domestic
violence to over 60%. In contrast, victims of humantrafficking and pregnancy were both at low rates of 3.3%.
The average stay for all non-Japanese was 23.39 days,
which is the lowest average total in five years. However,in actuality, this is the average of extremes – those whostay only a few days and those whose stay is extended
due to such reasons as being wait-listed for a facility
opening.

● DV victims: In FY2013, we saw a number of families
in which it became clear that there was a difference in
how “a life with violence” was recognized by mothers
versus children after they had taken refuge. While somemothers hoped to return to the husbands that had beaten
them, some school-age children (primary school) clearlystated their resolve not to return. In some cases thisresulted in mothers and children going their separate
ways after they left HELP. It’s not that they have a badrelationship; but rather that the mother who does nothave the skills to create a harmonious relationship is
confronted by a child who is tired of supporting her andhas said, “No more.”
Besides this, we also sheltered numerous women
who said, “I always thought that because I’m a foreigner
I wouldn’t be helped.” In some instances, in spite ofbeing proficient in Japanese, regional governments still
took a negative attitude toward these women; other
women thought “Everyone in the city hall is Japanese soof course they will take my (Japanese) husband’s side.”
And in another case, a woman moved with her children
from friend to friend over almost two years until her
access for consultation. The effect of a perpetrator’s
threat concerning a non-Japanese woman’s nationality
and/or legal status is powerful; these examples once
again show just how great an obstacle there is to nonJapanese receiving appropriate support.
● Human trafficking victims: In FY2013, a trafficking
survivor staying with HELP was extremely busy withdaily interviews by a related organization. Despite this,the character of this woman who poured out her love
to children at our shelter was such that she overcame
language barriers and gained everyone’s trust. Due to2014/7/20

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circumstances, however, before we were able to see her
through to the completion of her support, we had to send
her off with our hope for her a speedy return to her homecountry were realized.
● Homeless: Of those women we received in
FY2013, there were those who during their stay at
HELP made and executed plan after plan to go out, they
exercised regularly to become fit and took other actions,
exemplifying independence and vitality. Additionally,
there was a teenager whose mother repeatedly moved
internationally, so she was constantly interpreting. Afterleaving HELP, she found “her place” and friends throughjunior high night classes. Seeing this teenager’s smile
made us feel the significance of the effect that healthy
development and educational opportunity has on children.
● Aftercare: Through the cooperation of otherorganizations, fun activities continued in FY2013 – we
had a cherry blossom-viewing party and celebrated otherseasonal festivities, participated in dessert and breadmaking classes under the instruction of top-class hotel
chefs, and received tickets to Disneyland. Services suchas legal support and assistance with resident status arecontinued for former residents.

However, we have also seen the case of a woman
who, until just before the baby’s birth, suffered throughrepeated run-ins with public agencies in which they
were unable to come to a decision concerning support
for her child after the baby’s birth. The fact that thiscreated a situation in which she was unable to move to an
appropriate facility despite the proximity of her due dateis obviously undesirable from the perspective of ensuringa safe delivery. We believe that we must work towardmaking improvements in this area in the future.

<Japanese Nationals Female>
Forty-seven women were Japanese nationals, threeof whom were accompanied by children. Reasons forseeking sanctuary at HELP included, as with previous
years, homelessness, making up the largest number at
52.0%, and intimate-partner violence at 22.0%. FY2013
was characterized by violence at the hand of family
members (12.0%) being surpassed by the high number of
those seeking shelter due to pregnancy (14.0%), making
it number three in reasons.

Of foreign language calls received, consultations
related to Philippine nationals dominated as in previous
years. However, compared to typical years in which thenumber captured more than half the total, it remained at
40% for FY2013. Foreign language calls covered personal
consultation concerning domestic violence, divorce,
resident status and workplace harassment; calls fromchild guidance centers and city halls requesting support
are also included in this figure.

The average length of stay increased by almost 10
days from the previous fiscal year to 24.42 days. In manycases, stays were prolonged for both older women andthe numerous pregnant women accepted in FY2013 due
to such issues as acceptance to facilities they were to
move into after leaving HELP as well as availability of
support after a child is born.
Not too long after one of these pregnant mothers had
consulted with government agencies about her intentions
to be a single parent, the child’s father and she suddenly
started to talk about marriage and building a new life
together after the baby was born. HELP’s staff wasdelighted because in the shelter’s long history this wasindeed a rare event.

In another instance, a woman who should havereceived public assistance lost a place to go due tothe harsh judgment of public agencies. We call for theappropriate application of the law.
<Telephone Counseling>
Twenty-eight countries including Japan wererepresented in the FY2013 telephone consultations,which added up to 658 calls. A significant decrease in
the total number of consultation calls is attributed to a
decline in the number of HELP staff and our inability torespond to Thai language calls since last year.

Calls received from Japanese natives included a
divorced woman who had not received support as a victim
of domestic violence and a request for an introduction
to a lawyer who understood Catholic teachings. There
were some situations that we felt callers were looking forsomeone that recognized the need for religious support
in the healing process of domestic violence survivors.

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No.74

HELP Resident Statistical Report (April '12 ～ March'13)
Number of Adults with Children

Residents by Nationality
Nationality

Women

ChildrenJapanese3 out of 47

Philippines

7

4

Non-Japanese

9 out of 19

Colombia

3

2

Taiwan

2

3

China

2

2

Rwanda2

0

Thailand

1

0

Korea

1

0

Malaysia

10

Subtotal

19

Japan
Total

Foreign Users by Prefecture
Location

Number

Tokyo

14

Aichi

2

Nagano1

11

Yamanashi

1

47

3

Gunma

1

66

14

Total

19

User Destination after Departure
Destination
Japanese

Non-Japanese

Facility

24

8

Apartment

40

Women's center

24Home country

0

0

Home

5

1

Home of Friend or Acquaintance

10Streets00

Hospital

1

0Live-in job

00

Unknown83

Undecided1

1

Others

1

2

Total

47

19

Use Breakdown (Japanese)
April 1, 2013-March 31, 2014
Violence by
Family12%

Avg. Stay by Non-Japanese
Users (in days)
2009

37.85

2010

31.06

2011

28.93

2012

25.00

2013

23.39

Use Breakdown (Non- Japanese)
April 1, 2013-March 31, 2014
Humantraﬃcking Pregnancy
3%3%Violence by
Family17%
Intimate
Partner
Violence
47%

Pregnancy
14%
Intimate
Partner
Violence
22%

Homeless
52%

Homeless30%

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User Distribution by Age

Number10

Japanese
Foreign

8
6
4
2
５

70

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

74

Telephone Counseling Calls(number by nationality)
Nationality

Calls

Japan

403

Philippines

104

Thailand

26

China

21

Colombia

9

Malaysia

9

United Kingdom

7

USA

6

Russia6Peru

5

Myanmar (Burma)

5

Korea

4

Taiwan4

Ruwanda

4

Nepal

3

Japan (naturalized, etc)

3

Poland2

Bolivia2South Africa

2

Nigeria

2

Iran

2

Hungary

2

Singapore

2

Slovakia

2

Canada

1

Spain

1

Viet Nam

1

India

1

Unknown

19

Total

658

―

65

―

60

―

55

―

50

―

45

―

40

―

35

―

30

―

25

―

20

―

15

―

10

10

―

―

０ ５
―

0

Over

Telephone Counseling Calls (by topic)
Intimate partner
violence
Violence by family
Japanese
Foreign

Human-traﬃcking
Residentstatus/
Immigration
Labor
Temporary protective
custody
Info provision
Mentalissues
Marriage
Divorce
Married life
ChildrenHomelessness
Frequent caller
Others
0

50

100

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2014/7/20

Seasonal Attire for Celebrations
There are various milestones in life that we celebrate by wearing special attire. But,
what happens when that “special moment” comes while someone is in a shelter? Does
she have to give up and let the event pass by without being celebrated?
As an extension of our regular provision of clothing, we would like to offer two
examples of our efforts to provide clothing appropriate for celebrating a special event
as a truly “special” event.
“Commemorative Photos–The beginning of amother and child’s new life”“My girl had clothing for the ‘Seven-Five-Three
Festival (Shichi-go-san)’ that she had received
from relatives…” murmured one mother quietly.
Her daughter was just the age for this festival.
She mentioned this on the train one day whenadvertisements for the festival were everywhere.
I was certain this mother would regret it if she
wasn’t able to celebrate her daughter’s Shichi-gosan. And so I wondered if they could at least have acommemorative photograph taken. After consultingwith the mother, we resolved to take the photo andmake a reservation at a photography studio. But aswell as studios being completely booked due to thetiming, we were further challenged in our search
by a timeline that limited us to that period that themother and daughter were residing at HELP.
Finally, the day of the photo shoot arrived! HELP
staff sent off the mother, daughter and me with thefull ensemble– a suit found in the nick of time, apurse borrowed from a staff member, in addition to
make-up and other necessities. I’m so grateful to our
HELP staff.
With heads held high, we headed off to the photostudio. Quite unexpectedly, the studio provided akimono for the mother and helped dress her free ofcharge. The daughter’s eyes lit up when she saw
the dress and kimono; her mother smiled happily.
(I followed along the entire time as if I were a close
relative.) Of course, the daughter looked very
cute, but the mother’s dignified appearance mademy day. Her determination stood out clearly in thephotographs.
(Y.T.)“A Brand New First Grader” (School Entrance
Ceremony)
It was already into March when a foreignborn mother and her children who had sufferedfrom domestic violence entered the shelter. The
oldest child would enter first grade from April (thestart of Japan’s school year). This child was verymuch looking forward to starting primary school.
Preparations were proceeding along steadily basedon a support policy of “moving residents in timefor entrance ceremonies.” Somehow we managed
to move her and her family by March 20th. “Now
we have to get them some clothes for the entrance
ceremony,” noted one staff member.
Children’s clothing is a difficult one. Either
something fits or doesn’t depending on the child’s
gender, age and build. As we sat worrying aboutfinding something appropriate, a staff member
hollered from the clothing warehouse, “Got it! How
about this?”“Oh! That’s great!” We immediately called thechild in to try on the clothes. They fit perfectly!
With this success, we plowed forward. “OK. Next,
let’s look for shoes.” And with that a shoe box was
opened and a pair of formal shoes was pulled out.
These were also just right. “Oooh! How cute,”
cooed the staff as they admired the slightly bashfulchild. It’s absolutely at a time like this that we are
extremely grateful for having clothing and shoes at
the ready… and for those who kindly send them tous.
“All right. Mother is next.” The zealous stafferthen embarks on finding an outfit for the mother.
The suit, blouse and shoes were assembled one byone; the remaining purse and necklace were laterbought by the mother at a nicely timed bazaar. And
with that, a “brand new first grader’s mother” wasassembled.
“I never imagined this would be possible. Thankyou,” said the mother as she and her children left
HELP. Our staff members were filled with the joy ofbeing involved in this “joint venture.”
We have since heard that the “brand new first
grader” is enjoying going to school.
(H.S.)

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From the Night Guard
Being a night guard means spending evenings
together with the residents–sharing a meal,playing with the children, enjoying each other’scompany while watching TV. Within the shelter,
residents pass time eating a delicious meal, in deep
concentration as they knit, enthusiastically watching
TV with others or in other personal ways.
Although it may seem that these women have noworries, you can hear their fears and concerns as
they speak. Each resident is dealing with a varietyof thoughts – a loved pet that had to be left behind,family, life after leaving HELP. A significant roleof the night guard is to listen silently and carefully

to what the resident says when she chooses to talkabout these thoughts.
Protecting the safety of residents is anotheraspect of the night guard’s role. Some residents
are in extreme danger while others have healthconcerns, so we must respond when an emergency
arises. Great care is also taken to prevent infectious
diseases such as influenza and norovirus.
While serving a vital role that bares great
responsibility, time spent playing with the children
and speaking with residents is the most enjoyable
part of the job. It’s important to me that everyone at
HELP is able to spend a relaxed evening and night.
（Tazawa Mutsumi）

From the Dining Table of HELP
Six months has passed since I joined HELP and I’ve
finally grown used to my commute and job. It’s myfirst time to commute an hour and a half by train andfor a while I was exhausted just from the trip; but now I
manage all right.
Cooking also was a chore in the beginning: When
faced with making five dishes for each lunch and dinnerwithout any real idea what to cook, I ended up dwellingon the menu from the day before and then became
depressed.
But, when we ate lunch together it was encouraging
to see that the residents happily ate the food I had
prepared and even said that it was delicious. I’ve sincedeveloped the confidence to say, “Hey, I’ll try this otherrecipe next time.” I can also now think up a menu thatmeets the health needs and the tastes of the residents
for that particular day, in addition to planning meals
that everyone can enjoy even when there are foodrestrictions for religious reasons.
This achievement is thanks to the caring ways ofthe staff I work with and the encouragement of theresidents, for which I am very grateful.
I hope that as one of the recipes that I’ve learned,
this will benefit HELP, which offers socially meaningfulactivities, and be a delight for those who try it out.
I will do my best in the future to provide even moredelightful dishes.
(N.T.)

Stir-fried Cellophane Noodles
The key here is reconstituting the noodles
so that they are slightly firm. This dish is also
delicious when it is lightly flavored with only thejuices from the meat and vegetables.

① Chop up garlic and ginger.
② Thinly slice carrot and Chinese chives into
sections 3cm in length.
③ Soak cellophane noodles in hot water for one
minute. Remove and cool under cold water. Cutinto easily eaten lengths.
④ Add sesame oil to fry pan. Stir-fry ① andground pork. Next, stir-fry ② and bean sprouts.
⑤ Flavor with ½ teaspoon of salt and a little
pepper. Then add ③ and stir-fry. Season with 1
teaspoon of soy sauce.

To serve 4:
1 clove of garlic
Small amount of ginger
100g ground pork
50g of cellophane noodles
Salt, pepper and soy sauce

1 bag beansprouts
1 bunch of Chinese chives
1 inch of carrot
2 tsp. sesame oil8Network News

♪ For those interested in the work of HELP ♪
HELP holds an activity information meeting at
1:30 pm on the first Friday of the month (¥500 formaterials). Time is provided to consider together
HELP’s activities as well as the issues that canbe seen through these activities. We ask that you
attend this information meeting if you are interested
in volunteering. Please call us before your visit.
(Note that the shelter is not available for viewing.)♪ We are looking for volunteers! ♪
1 Help with cooking, picking up, cleaning and otheractivities.
2 Handicraft classes (sewing, knitting, etc.) If you
have skills in this area, please lend a hand!
3 Play, study with and read to our children!
4 Garden once or twice a month (take care ofplants, pull weeds, etc.)

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No.74

make-up.
＊ We have sufficient quantities of conditioner.
≪ Clothing ≫ Adults and children: pajamas, sweat
suits, socks, room shoes, jackets
Children: short-sleeved shirts, boys pants (ages 4-10), undergarments and clothing for babies
Adults: Parkas, postpartum underwear, front-opening
pajamas＊ We would be delighted to have new clothing.
HELP has a significant amount of used clothing
and so is not requesting it at this time.
≪ Others ≫ Strollers (new), sunglasses, shoes,
sneakers, notebooks, light-weight blankets, bathand face towels (new), handicraft supplies (ex:needlework material and thread, knitting yarn),
alarm clocks, clean books and CDs (various genres)♪ Please support HELP ♪
With thanks for your generosity &a request for future support
The entire staff at HELP thank you for yourthoughtful donations!
We kindly ask for your support in collecting
currently needed items.
Our office is closed over the weekend, so when
mailing items please request Monday–Friday
delivery times.
Send to:〒 169-0073
HELP Officec/o KYOFUKAI – Japan Christian Women’s
Organization
Hyakunin-cho 2-23-5, Shinjuku-ku Tokyo≪ Food Items ≫ Condiments (salt, soy sauce,vegetable oil, dressing, jam), sugar, sweets, rice (ricecoupons also welcome!), and drinks (coffee, blacktea, cocoa, green tea, barley tea, juice)＊ Please make sure items are within expiration
dates.
≪ Everyday Items ≫ Shampoo, laundry powder/detergent, dish soap, diapers, bottom wipes, toilet
paper, tissues, face toner and lotion (small bottles),HELP is largely supported by contributions
from the public and the hard work of volunteers.
We kindly ask for your generous support andcooperation.
Postal Transfer Account001100 － 5 － 188775
Account holder:「女性の家 HELP」
OR
00140 － 1 － 32469
Account holder: KYOFUKAI, Japan Christian
Women’s Organization「財団法人 日本キリスト教婦人矯風会」

Editor’s Note
Even if we do say so ourselves, we are proud of ourdelicious meals at HELP. However, to tell the truth, ourbreakfast menu is rather monotonous. Just the otherday our staff remarked, “Long-term residents are having
trouble dealing with this.” There followed a heateddiscussion in the office (perhaps a frequent occurrencein living facilities?) about at least adding cheese to themenu. The next day, a certain staff member said quietly,“Yesterday my head was filled with cheese! Yes, cheese isimportant, but we shouldn’t forget the ‘objective’ to which
we aspire.” May this fiscal year also be one in which, witha fresh start, we stay focused on our support of womendealing with challenging issues.
(H.S.)