FOCUS

Focus
Asia-PacificNewsletter of the Asia-Pacific Human Rights Information Center (HURIGHTS OSAKA)

September 2021 Vol. 105

Contents
Within and Beyond the Human Rights
Museums: Kaohsiung City of Taiwan
This report explains the museums in
Kaohshiung City that present and preserve
the legacy and meaning of historical events inthe life of the people in the city, which also
influenced the history of Taiwan as a whole.
- Elsa Wen-Ying Hsu
Page 2
Liberation War Museum
This article explains the Liberation War
Museum and its activities aimed at ensuringthat people in Bangladesh remember andlearn from the struggle towards national
independence during the war for liberationin 1970s.
- Mofidul Hoque
Page 6
Stateless Second Generation Nikkeijins in
the Philippines
This is a short report on the many children
born in the Philippines before and during thesecond World War with Japanese fathers andFilipino mothers who want to become
Japanese citizens. Some gained Japanesecitizenship, but many others already in their
80s are still waiting to be recognized as
Japanese.
- Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support Center
Page 8Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity): An
Experiment on Community-based Initiativeon Violence Against Women and Girls
This is a short report on the evaluation of a
project in several villages in Tajikistan aimed
at eliminating violence against women andgirls using economic and family-centeredapproaches.
- Subhiya Mastonshoeva, Shahribonu Shonasimova,
Parvina Gulyamova, Rachel Jewkes, Nwabisa Shai,
Esnat Chirwa, Henri Myrttinen
Page 11

Editorial
Remembering and the Future
Remembering painful experiences can mean reliving the horrorsof the past. But such remembrance can also be part of a processof healing psycho-emotional wounds, of closing a chapter in life
and of paying tribute to heroic actions of people.
Many museums have been established to ensure that people
understand and appreciate the sacrifices of others in bringing
about justice and change in society. They serve as venues forlearning lessons of history – with the hope that such lessons
learned would prevent history from being repeated.
In the history of Asia, the 1970s was a period of turmoil. Wars
and political repressions occurred during this decade. Many
lives were lost, properties destroyed and people displaced
because of the wars and political repressions.
Museums in different parts of Asia have been established toremember these events and give homage to those who paid with
their lives or endured severe suffering to save others. The
sacrifice and heroism of these people are documented andpresented in these museums for people to reflect upon and findlessons that can guide the present as well as the future.

1

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

Within and Beyond the Human Rights Museums:
Kaohsiung City of Taiwan
Elsa Wen-Ying Hsu

Kaohsiung is a spiritual homef o r Ta i w a n ’s m o d e r n
democratic transition and a citywith a living human rights
history. The development of thecity reflects Taiwan’s economic
and political modernization, as
well as its ultimate
democratization. When we lookback at the historicaldevelopment of Kaohsiung, weare able to relive moments that
profoundly shaped Taiwan's
history, including the 228
Incident, the Ciaotou Incident,
and the Formosa Incident(Kaohsiung Incident), andplaces steeped in human rights
history such as the Unknown
Soldier Memorial, War andPeace Memorial Park and
Theme Hall, the Mingde Navy
Disciplinary Camp, and theFemale Laborers Memorial Park.
In Kaohsiung’s history, we findthe human tragedy faced byordinary people during theprocess of national
development
andtransformation. As we enter thetwenty-first century, we witness
Kaohsiung’s contemporary
human rights culture at sites
such as the Kaohsiung Museumof Labor, the Wild Strawberries
Movement at the Urban
Spotlight, and the memorial to
the residents of Siaolin who losttheir lives to Typhoon Morakot.
These human rights episodes
have created a unique sense ofidentity among the residents ofKaohsiung City. For outsidev i s i t o r s f r o m Ta i wa n a n dabroad, they inevitably evoke asense of shared human tragedy.
In terms of human rights
education, the city’s humanrights museums as well as
historical sites of injustice arecity campuses for developing
human rights awareness andcultivating more inclusive
human rights culture.
Kaohsiung Museum of History
and 228 Incident ExhibitionHall
Th e b u i l d i n g t h a tcurrently houses theKaohsiung Museum ofHistory was built in1938 and was
originally the second
Ta k a o ( m o d e r n
Kaohsiung) Provincial
Office. Following theretrocession of Taiwan
from Japanese colonial
rule, the building
became the Kaohsiung
City Hall and thecenter for municipal
local government.
However, it eventually
proved inadequate forits purpose and a new
facilitywasconstructed. The oldbuilding
wasdesignated as amunicipal historicalsite and converted for2

use as the “Kaohsiung Museumof History,” with the objective of
carrying forward and preserving
the history and culture ofKaohsiung. The new museum
was formally opened on 25
October 1998.
Aside from the architecturalvalue of the building, theMuseum encompasses a richhistory. As the Takao Provincial
Office during the colonial
period and the Kaohsiung City
Hall following retrocession,
before eventually becoming theKaohsiung Museum of History,

Kaohsiung Museum of History and
228 Incident Exhibition Hall

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
the building is part of the living
history of the city. The “228
Incident”1 is the greatest burdenin Taiwan’s recent historicalmemory. The Taiwanese had
become increasingly dissatisfied
with the mismanagement andincompetence of the Taiwan
Provincial Administrative
Executive Office following
retrocession, and in 1947conflict between native
Taiwanese and mainlander
immigrants spread across thewhole island. The subsequent
military crackdown acrossTaiwan began in Kaohsiung. The
building played an importantrole during the 228 Incident, andtoday the Museum houses a 228
Incident Exhibition Hall. The
building has not only witnessed
the historical development ofKaohsiung, but in the future willcontinue to preserve the life andhistory of the city. The Museum
also contains many otherhistorical materials related toKaohsiung City.

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
War and Peace Memorial Parkand Theme Hall
A site on the coast of Cijin,
Kaohsiung was chosen as thelocation for the War and Peace
Memorial Park. The choice ofsite captures the emotions of
Taiwanese soldiers as they left
the port and saw their homeland
for the last time. The park was
established as a memorial for
the Taiwanese who sacrificed
their lives in the Second World
War and the Chinese Civil War,and officially opened on 20
May 2009.
A theme hall situated in thepark is the only such memorial
in the world dedicated to the
Taiwanese soldiers who died in
the Greater East Asia War, theChinese Civil War, and the
Korean War. The hall also
displays items used in the wars
and the soldiers’ subsequent
fight for vindication. A databaseof Taiwanese war victims
housed in the hall is currently
the only such system in Taiwan.

The white doves of peace in thepark are made of marble andcast seashells. The exterior of
the monument consists of twohearts facing each other withtwo matching shapes
resembling flying doves ofpeace overlaid onto each heart.
These shapes also resemble apair of hands, symbolizing two
hands clasped together praying
for peace. Outside the theme
hall, the same face is portrayedin mosaic wearing different
military uniforms—JapaneseArmy, the Nationalist Army, and
the People’s Liberation Army—
to represent the fate of the
Taiwanese youth in the Second
World War and Chinese Civil
War.
Inside the park, a memorial lightwall uses twenty-four picturesand narratives to depict
incidents involving Taiwaneseyouth and women in the war
period. On the poles of them e m o r i a l l a n t e r n s , d ove s
symbolize peace and a gun
stuck into the ground represent
opposition to war. The bases ofthe signs in the park aredesigned as bombs stuck into
the ground, symbolizing
opposition to war and echoing
the theme of the park. The circle
near the monuments is called
the “heart of echoes.” Visitors
can stand here to pay homage
and offer prayers to the soldiers
who sacrificed for Taiwan.
Kaohsiung Museum of Labor

War and Peace Memorial Park and Theme Hall

3

Kaohsiung has a long history ofindustrial development,
h i g h l i g h t e d by i t s e x p o r t
processing zones, thepetrochemical industry, and theshipping industry. Although inrecent years Kaohsiung City hasembarked on a transformation

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
workers a place in theinternational history of labor.
Houjing Cultural Hall
The decision of the China
Petroleum Corporation (CPC)and the Taiwanese government
in 1987 to build Taiwan’s fifth
naphtha cracker plant at the
Kaohsiung Oil Refinery in the
Nanzih District led to a series ofenvironmental protests. A
scandal surrounding wastewaterpollution from the Linyuan
Petrochemical Industrial Park
further increased publicawareness of environmental
issues and the intensity of theprotests.

Kaohsiung Museum of Labor

from its old industrial role to amaritime city centered onrecreation and tourism, thedevelopment of labor culture
during Taiwan’s economic
takeoff is an important part ofthe city’s history that deservescommemoration. On this basis,
the Labor Affairs Bureau ofKaohsiung City government
officially opened the only
museum of labor in the country
in conjunction with theInternational Workers’ Day on 1
May 2010 with the aim ofpreserving labor culture andhelping better understand thecontribution of workers to
Ta i w a n ’s
economicdevelopment.

remembering of the past byworkers and the wider
c o m m u n i t y, p r o m o t i n gcommunity awareness andpreserving labor culture. The
Kaohsiung Museum of Labor
also joins the ranks of museums
with the same theme around theworld, enhancing theinternational reputation ofKaohsiung and giving Taiwan's

The Kaohsiung Museum ofLabor is dedicated to thecollection, study, preservation,and maintenance of resources
related to the topic of laboracross the country. The Museum
makes use of innovativeinteractive displays, educational
activities, and service provision
to encourage participation,interaction, learning, andSpontaneous demonstrations
occurred in Houjing after
residents became aware of the
CPC plans. Protestors vented
long-held anger at pollution in
the area, expressed
determination to fight thenaphtha cracker plant,
demanding an immediate halt
to construction at the plant andt h e ra p i d i n t r o d u c t i o n o fmeasures to address pollution at
a further forty plants. Protestors

Houjing Cultural Hall

4

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
also demanded that CPC draw
up a plan to move their plants
out of Kaohsiung in order tofacilitate the development of themetropolitan area and acomprehensive government
review of the high-polluting
petrochemical industry basedonecologicalandenvironmental considerations.
People established the “Self-help
Association to Oppose the Fifth
Naphtha Cracker Plant” at the
Fongping Temple in Houjing,
travelled to Taipei several times toprotest, as well as petitioned theKaohsiung City Council, theEnvironmental Protection
Administration, and theLegislative Yuan. During theprotests, there were frequent
clashes with the police.
Eventually, protestors won theagreement of the government tohold a referendum in Houjing on
the Fifth Naphtha Cracker Plant.
This was the first such referendumin Taiwan, and took place before
the passage of the Referendum
Law. In the referendum, 60.8
percent of voters were “resolutely
opposed” to the plans, while
only 39.2 percent “agreed tonegotiate.” However, the result of
the referendum failed to change
government policy.
C o n s t r u c t i o n o f t h e Fi f t hNaphtha Cracker Plant began in
1990, with the government and
CPC committing to paying a
total of NT$1.5 billion incompensation and relocating
the plant within twenty-fiveyears. The plant was opened in
1994, but subsequent oilleakages and an explosion at
the second vacuum gas oil plantp r o vo k e d l o c a l a n g e r. I n
response, Houjing residents
launched a “Yellow Ribbon

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
Campaign” in opposition to theplant.
Displays on the movement
against the Fifth Naphtha
Cracker Plant are housed in thesixth exhibition hall of the
Houjing Cultural Hall. The
Houjing Cultural Hall has a totalof seven exhibition halls, tellingthe story of Houjing andpreserving important historicalartifacts from the area.
Within and Beyond the City’s
Human Rights Museums
In addition to visiting humanrights museums, there are many
human rights historical sites in
Kaohsiung City that can facilitatea more comprehensive humanrights education. The main
discourses of Taiwan’s political
history or historical records
displayed in the National Human
Rights Museums may not include
the integrated ethnic spirit during
the 228 Incident as well as otherhuman rights values showed in
the history of the city. The 228
Incident remains in thecollec tive m e m o r y o f t h e
Taiwanese people to this day andthe wounds have still not fully
healed. Starting from a local
perspective, a tour of humanrights sites in Kaohsiung City
reveals the spirit of ethnic
harmony in the Kaohsiung
Senior High School’s SelfDefense Corps formed during the228 Incident often ignored incontemporary historicalaccounts2, and encourages us toreflect on how to improve theprotection of human rights forordinary laborers as well as
migrant workers by remembering
the twenty-five female victims
buried at the Cijin Female
Laborers Memorial Park. And
when we witness the memorial

5

to those who lost their lives tonatural calamity in Siaolin
Village, we are reminded of theimportance of pursuingsustainable development.
Some Reflections“Deepening Democracy” is not
only reflected in openness todifferent ideas, but also awillingness to resolve conflictthrough rational public
discourse and an openness todifferent individual experiences.
The phenomenon of perforated
sovereignties reminds us thateven under the existing politicaland economic framework,
society retains the capacity to
produce a new generation ofhuman rights innovation. The
concept of “dark tourism” is not
only about recognizing thatunique historical experiencesthat contributed to the growth ofhuman rights around the world
are a marketable resource, italso aspires to use international
travel to develop a common
language of human rights thatspans national boundaries.
In the complex relationshipbetween human rights andglobalization, we recognize that“globalization” does notpreclude “choice.” To thecontrary, globalization provides
many new opportunities. Both“standardized human rights
culture” and a “blind rejectionof foreign human rights culture”
act as obstacles to the naturaldevelopment of an innovativeand diverse human rights
culture necessary for thedevelopment of a harmonious
international culture of humanrights. A “voluntary humanrights consensus” can help
(Continued on page 14)

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

Liberation War Museum
Mofidul HoqueT

he Liberation War Museumin Dhaka, Bangladesh wasestablished in 1996. It
commemorates the heroic
struggle of the Bengali people
f o r t h e i r d e m o c ra t i c a n dnational rights. The struggle
turned into an armed conflict
following the genocide
unleashed by the military rulersof Islamic Republic of Pakistan,
wh i ch c u l m i n a t e d i n t h eemergence of Bangladesh as asecular, democratic state in
December 1971.
The prime objective of theMuseum is to make the newgeneration
aware about thespirit and aspirations for which
their forefathers had fought. It
also encourages them to take astand against violations ofhuman rights and the acts of
genocide carried out in
Bangladesh and its prevention
in any part of the world.
The Museum is the outcome ofa citizens’ effort and is run by a
Board of Trustees. It is now
recognized, nationally andinternationally, as a credible
institution on the history of
Bangladesh's independence.
The Museum, through its
various programs endeavors tolink the history of the Liberation
Wa r w i t h c o n t e m p o ra r ypressing social and humanrights issues. It is a founding
member of International
Coalition of Sites of Conscienceand is an institutional member

Liberation War Museum in Dhaka

of the International Associationof Genocide Scholars.
The Museum was initiallyhoused in a rented two-storiedcolonial building with displays
in six galleries. Over the years
the Museum had enriched its
collection, which includes rare
photographs, documents, media
coverage and materials used by
freedom fighters and martyrs of
the Liberation War. However
the Museum could
display
only a small portion of thecollection due to paucity ofspace. Right from the beginningthe dream was to build a properand permanent museum as astorehouse of historical facts
and knowledge.
In April 2017, a permanentMuseumcomplexwasinaugurated in the Civic
Centre, Agargaon in Dhaka city,

6

with
large
floor-space,endowed with modern facilities
for display and archiving,auditorium, seminar hall, openair theater, library, film center,etc. The permanent museum
space and facilities
strengthened the efforts of theMuseum to expand its reachand activities.
School Programs
Attempt is made for visitors to
the Museum to realize how thefundamental principles of
democracy, secularism andnationalism of the Bangladesh
Constitution (1972) evolved
through popular struggle andsacrifices. Through displays in
the gallery as well as regularprograms, the most importantof which are two educational
programs, one for Dhaka city
and a travelling museum forFOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
schools in the remote villages,
theMuseum highlights thecore values of the Liberation
War.

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

Students
fromvariouseducational
institutionsofDhaka city are brought to theMuseum to introduce them tothe history of the nation.

60,000 historical narratives
provided by the students. The
teachers from the educational
institutions extend theircooperation to collect the eyewitness accounts and send themto the Museum. They haveformed a Teacher's Network topromote the cause ofmemorialization.

“Oral History” Collection

Killing Field Memorial Site

The school program was
expanded in 2007 when theMuseum was able to mountdisplay inside a long-haul bus
which started to reach-out tothe school children in the
remote parts of the country.
The students viewed thedisplay inside the bus andwere encouraged to interview
elderly people of their familyorcommunity
who
had
witnessed or taken part in the
war and write down the eyewitness accounts to be sent to
the Museum.

In 2001 the Museum excavateda killing field in the Dhaka
suburb and built a memorialsite which became a hub ofvictim-centriccommunity
engagement.

The “Oral History” collection
now consists of more than

Liberation Docfest Bangladesh
The Museum holds an annual
festival of documentary films tohighlig h t t h e s t r u g g l e f o rliberation and human rights ofpeople around the world. The
festival seeks to view the humanstruggle and suffering for justicefrom a global perspective. With
the break-out of COVID-19
crisis the festival in 2020 was

held online which greatly
expanded its reach. In 2021, a
total of one hundred nineteen
documentary films from fifty-six
countries were shown to aregistered 11,000 viewers. The
award-winning film “Why Not”,
a B a n g l a d e s h - Ko r e a j o i n t
production focusing on comfort
women of Korea and rape
victims of 1971 liberation war,
was shown in the 2021 festival.
Center for the Study of
Genocide and Justice
The Center for the Study of
Genocide and Justice (CSGJ),
established by the Liberation
War Museum in 2014, aims
to organize and promoteresearch, documentation, study,
education and networking on
genocide, crimes against
humanity and war crimes
committed in Bangladesh andother parts of the world. CSGJ
works to strengthen
thenational and global efforts for
Genocide Prevention (GP) andthe non- violent method of
Responsibility
toProtect(R2P).
Each year CSGJ organizes
month-long certificate course,
residential
winter school,seminars and public lectures on
various issues relating to
genocide and mass atrocity
crimes. CSGJ conducts researchon Bangladesh genocide, as
well as other genocides
committed in various parts of
the world inorder to educate theyouth. Since the eruption of
Rohingya crisis the researchteam from CSGJ made various
visits to the makeshift camps in
Cox's Bazar to collecttestimonies from the survivors(Continued on page 15)

Jalladkhana Killing Field Memorial Site

7

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

Stateless Second Generation Nikkeijins in the Philippines
Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal Support CenterB

efore the Second World War,many Japanese men migrated
to the Philippines for work or
business. A significant numberof them married Filipino womenand had children. But many
died during the war without
having their children properly
registered in the family registry(Koseki) in Japan, or their family
documents were lost during or
after the war.

Table 1. Summary of Status of War-Displaced Japanese descendants(second generation Nikkeijins) as of March 2021

The children of Japanese fathers(called second generation
Nikkeijins) born before andduring the war are legally
Japanese citizens underJapanese laws. They want to berecognized as Japanese citizens,but documentation issues makethem de facto stateless persons.

in their 80s and still desire togain Japanese citizenship.

Current Situation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
J a p a n ( M O FA ) h a s b e e nsurveying since 1995 the wardisplaced Japanese descendants
left behind in the Philippines
through the Philippine Nikkeijin Legal Support Center(PNLSC).
The 14th MOFA survey (2021)
reveals almost four thousand
second generation Nikkeijins
recorded in different provincesin the Philippines including
Davao and Palawan as shown in
Table 1.
The seven hundred twenty-four
surviving second generation
Nikkeijins can be consideredstateless. Many of them are now

Acquired Japanese nationality (Category A)

1,459

No Japanese nationality, Koseki of Japanesefather located (Category B)

1,492

229 - alive

No Japanese nationality, Koseki of Japanesefather not located (Category C)

863

495 - alive

TOTAL

3,814

724

Route to CitizenshipApplication
In order to prepare for theirpetition for Japanese citizenship,
the second generation Nikkeijins
apply for stateless recognition in
the Philippines.
The application for statelessrecognition is filed with the
Refugees and Stateless Persons
Protection Unit (RSPPU) of the
Department of Justice (DOJ) in
the Philippines. The main
purpose of stateless recognition
is to ensure that they continue
to enjoy their right to live safely
in the Philippines. The state
counsel of DOJ-RSPPU makes
the evaluation and assessment,
including interview of theapplicants, before issuing the
Notice of Recognition ofStatelessness.
With the stateless recognition,
they can apply for travel
documents with the Department

8of Foreign Affairs (DFA) of thePhilippines.
Since 2017, a total of six second
generation Nikkeijins werealready recognized as statelesspersons by DOJ-RSPPU andsome of them were able toobtain travel documents issued
by the DFA to visit Japan; andamong them five obtained
Japanese citizenship through the
Shuseki petition in Japan. In
August 2019, Ms Ines Mallari,
President of Philippine Nikkei
Jin Kai Rengokai, and Atty.
Hiroyuki Kawai of PNLSC
submitted one hundred three
applications for statelessrecognition with the DOJRSPPU though they still needed
to submit additional necessary
documents.
Surviving second generation
Nikkeijins can file a Shuseki
petition to obtain recognition as
Japanese citizen. This petition is
filed with the family court in
Ja p a n w i t h Ko s e k i o f t h e
J a p a n e s e f a t h e r, b i r t hcertificates, marriage contracts,

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
the Notice of Recognition ofStatelessness and other records
as essential supporting
documents.
With the Notice of Recognitionof Statelessness issued by the
DOJ-RSPPU, a petitioner can begiven temporary recognition as
stateless person by the family
court. This is a step towards
acquiring Japanese citizenship,
and also a pressure to theJapanese government to do
more in line with its
subscription to the international
initiative of ending statelessness.
PNLSC, in partnership with thePhilippine Nikkei Jin Kai
Rengokai, assists in the filing
Shuseki petitions in Japan. Since
2004, three hundred eighteen
petitions had been filed inJapan, and two hundred
seventy-three of them had been
approved (as of September2021). Some petitions
encountered difficulties due tolack of documents orinconsistency of claim caused
by destruction of vital
documents.
Another way of obtaining
Japanese citizenship is throughthe Civil Registrar’s Office in thecity where the deceased father
has his domicile. But thisprocess requires the existence of
Koseki, and takes more time.
Fo r t h e d e c e a s e d s e c o n dgeneration Nikkeijins, PNSLC
submitted in 2020 ten
applications to register them inthe civil registrar’s office of thecity of their father (based on his
address in Japan). Fiveapplications were approved,
three were denied and two are
pending. Officials of the Legal
Af f ai rs O f fice, t he hi ghe r

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
authority of city civil registrar’s
office, are very strict with
documents from the Philippinesthat were registered late.
Appeals for reconsideration ofregistration denial are being
made.
Role of UNHCR
The United Nations HighCommissioner for Refugees(UNHCR) launched in 2014 the“I Belong Campaign” that aimed
to end statelessness by the year
2024. UNHCR is now paying
much more attention on thestateless second generation
Nikkeijins in the Philippines andstarted a new project for them.
The Philippines was the first
Asian country to become asignatory to the 1954
Convention related to the Statusof Stateless Persons and took alead role in ending statelessness
in Asia.
The Philippine government
launched the National Action
Plan (NAP) to end statelessness
on 24 November 2017.
Subsequently, the UNHCR
launched the SURGE Capacity
Project, which “aims to support
the Philippine Government in
improving its quantitative andqualitativedata
andenhancing its policy andlegislative
framework.” Theproject released in April 2021 areport entitled Desk Review on
Po p u l a t i o n s A t R i s k o fStatelessness - Children ofPhilippine Descent in a
M i g ra t o r y S e t t i n g i n G u l f
Cooperation Council (GCC)
C o u n t r i e s a n d Pe r s o n s o f
Japanese Descent.1 The report
recommends to

9• “Add Persons of JapaneseDescent (“PJD”) to the list ofidentified populations at-riskof statelessness;”• “Consider pursuing a jointcommittee on bilateral
cooperation between thePhilippines and Japan similar
to what was utilized toresolve cases of Persons ofIndonesian Descent (PID) asa matter of urgency.”2
The UNHCR also envisioned
the creation of the Civil Society
Network (CSN) on statelessness
in the Philippines, and PNLSC
was invited as one of its
members. In the online
exploratory meeting held on 25
June 2020, thirty-six participantsfrom sixteen civil organizations
all agreed to the creation of
CSN.
Advocacy in JapanPNLSC has continuing
communication with them e m b e r s o f t h e Ja p a n e s eparliament (Diet), especially themembers of the ParliamentaryGroup on Japan-Philippine
Friendship. Some Diet Members
have expressed strong sympathyon this matter ever since PNLSC
started. Considering the age ofthe second generation
Nikkeijins, PNLSC has been
accelerating its lobbying effort
through meetings with membersof the parliamentary group. In
2020, Atty. Kawai presented to
the Diet members the bookentitled Restoration—War andNationality Recovery Movement
for War-displaced JapaneseDescendants Left Behind in thePhilippines. The book, written
jointly by Atty. Kawai and Mr.
Norihiro Inomata, documents
the plight of the ageing second
generation Nikkeijins and argues

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

2020 was an epochmaking year in the
advocacy for recognitionof second generation
Nikkeijins as Japanesecitizens. The first movie
about second generation
Nikkeijins entitled“A BA N D O N E D ” wa s
produced by Atty. Kawai
a n d d i r e c t e d by M r
Hiroyasu Obara. It was
screened in theaters inJapan in July-September
2020. It was again
screened in Nagano
prefecture in May 2021,
Kagoshima prefecture inAugust 2021, and Kyoto
prefecture (Toy Film
Museum) from 4 August
Restoration – War and Nationality
to 26 September 2021.
A large number offor the recognition of their
Japanese learned the history ofJapanese citizenship. Somethe second generation Nikkeijins
members of the Diet reacted
that they had never known
favorably to the book andbefore. The movie was also used
expressed commitment to help
as teaching material at various
find a way to resolve the issue.
u n ive r s i t i e s i n Ja p a n a n dshowed during classes orseminars. Many young
Japanese sent to PNSLC
their messages and pointsof view on the movie.
The cases of Nikkeijins
are results of war, andremained unresolved fora long time since the war
ended. PNLSC tries togain the understanding of
this situation by the
courts and also by theJapanese government.
PNLSC hopes that theJapanese and Philippine
governments would
jointly recognize thestateless second
generation Nikkeijins aschildren of the Japanese.
“ABANDONED”

10

The Philippine Nikkei-jin Legal
Support Center (PNLSC) is aJapanese non-profit organization
established in 2003 as a direct
outcome of the centennial
anniversary of Japanesemigration to the Philippines. It
strongly advocates support both
legally and socially to Philippine
Nikkei-jins who were strickenwith hardships during Second
World War and the subsequent
turmoil. It adheres to the belief
that “Every person has a right toknow her/his place of origin,which is one of the fundamental
human rights.”
For further information, pleasecontact: PNLSC, Arai Bldg.3F,
4-15 Yotsuya Honshio-cho,Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0003
Japan, ph 813-3355-8861; fax
813-3355-8862; e-mail:i n f o @ p n l s c . c o m ;www.pnlsc.com.

Endnote1 See report at www.unhcr.org/ph/
wp-content/uploads/sites/
28/2021/05/Surge-CapacityProject-Desk-Review.pdf.
2 Desk Review on Populations At
Risk of Statelessness - Children ofPhilippine Descent in a
M i g ra t o r y S e t t i n g i n G u l f
Cooperation Council (GCC)
C o u n t r i e s a n d Pe r s o n s o f
Japanese Descent, ibid., pages
10-11.

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFICSEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105

Zindagii Shoista (Living with Dignity): An Experiment
on Community-based Initiative on Violence Against
Women and Girls
Subhiya Mastonshoeva, Shahribonu Shonasimova, Parvina Gulyamova,
Rachel Jewkes, Nwabisa Shai, Esnat Chirwa, Henri MyrttinenA

ccording
tothe
Demographic and Health
Survey of 2017 in Tajikistan,almost three quarters of womenage 15 to 49 are married, with
about half married by age 20.
About a third of ever-married
women age 15 to 49 have everexperienced physical, sexual, or
emotional violence from theirhusband (IPV). Young andrecently married women tend tobe the most vulnerable; andthey also may face violencefrom other members of theirhusband’s family whose homethey usually move to, such as
their parents- and siblings-inlaw.
Most cases of violence occur
within the walls of the family
home and never come to lightbecause the social environment
is highly patriarchal, with strong
norms of respect for elders. The
behavior of those who use
violence is often condoned andto be a survivor is seen as
shameful, as is reporting
experiences to others. In
essence,violence against
women and girls (VAWG) is
considered to be a private
matter. This prevents survivors
from seeking legal recourse,
despite the legal protections thatare in place, and the services
that do exist. Although there are

no reliablenational figuresavailable fors u i c i d a l i t y,
research points toyoung women
also being themost vulnerable
group in thisrespect.
Zindagii Shoista
Zindagii Shoista(Living with
Dignity), 1 an intervention
developed to prevent VAWG,
wa s i m p l e m e n t e d i n f o u rvillages in Jomi and Penjikent
districts of Tajikistan during the2015-2018 period.
The intervention was developedt o e f f e c t ch a n g e t h r o u g hextended families, as units, andcombined gender norm-changea p p r o a ch e s w i t h i n c o m e generating activities (IGAs).
These drew in part on the
Stepping Stones2 and Creating
Futures interventions3 that weredeveloped initially for use in
A f r i c a , w i t h s i g n i fi c a n t
modifications to address theneeds particular to Tajikistan,especially for the IGA
component.
The project was in many ways
novel for both Tajikistan and the11

greater Central Asian subregion
because of its family-centeredapproach, its combination of
economic empowerment andsocial norm–behavior changeelements, and its focus not only
on IPV but also violence driven
by in-law dynamics, including
various forms of physical,
emotional and economic
violence by in-laws. In
Tajikistan, as in many countries
in Asia, the family unit is not
only a husband–wife dyad; it
includes a more complex
grouping of in-laws who may
exploit and be violent towards
younger daughters-in-law.
SurveyThe intervention was evaluatedin a study that was designed toassess the medium-term impactof Zindagii Shoista. Evaluation

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
was done through a research
conducted over a period ofalmost three years. The datafrom the final assessment wascompared to findings from threeearlier data points: at the
beginning of the intervention (0months), mid-way through theintervention (8 months after its
commencement) and at the end
point of the intervention (15months). The study population
included younger and older
women and younger and older
men from project families in thefour villages participating in theintervention. Two of the villages
were in Penjikent district in thenorth of the country and two in
Jomi district in the south. A
standardized questionnaire wasused for all interviews.
Some the results of the survey
are discussed below.
The experience of emotional
IPV in the past twelve months
was reported by 28.1% of
women at 30 months, and32.3% at 15 months, comparedto 64.5% at baseline.
Experience of physical IPV wasreported by 15.7% of women at
30 months, compared to 16.5%
at 15 months and 44.9% atbaseline. Indicators for men
showed similarly low levels of
perpetration of emotional

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105(6.4%) and physical (2.6%) IPV
at 30 months, and 4.5% and 0%
at 15 months, compared to44.8% and 28.7% at baseline.
Women’s reported sexual IPV
dropped from 21.8% to 15.3%
at 8 months and a low of 3.8%
at 15 months, at 30 months
there was somewhat of an
uptick 14.9% reported
experiencing this, which is stillless than half of the baseline
rate. There was no quantitative
indicator for economic IPV, butt h i s wa s t ra ck e d t h r o u g hqualitative interviews andmonitoring visits and was
widely reported as having
reduced. The intervention
increased both women’s own
economic standing as well asthat of their families, eventhough the family enterprises
varied in their success anddegree to which they weretransformative of gender
relations.
Men's reports of perpetration at
15 months were much lowert h a n w o m e n ’s r e p o r t s
experiencing violence, withmen reporting no perpetration(0%) of physical and sexual IPV.
This might not have been thecase, but it certainly reflected a
new awareness that IPV is not
acceptable. Nonetheless, there
was a significant reduction inv i o l e n c ereported by
women at theend of theintervention,
supported byqualitativefi n d i n g s ,pointing to an
o v e r a l l
reduction of
IPV perpetrated
by men andexperienced by

12

women, even if men may haveexaggerated the degree to which
this reduction occurred.
One of the interview
participants among the younger
women group explained: “Myhusband does not hit me
anymore, he consults with me
when making decisions. Before[the intervention] my husband
would not allow me to leave thehouse, now I can do manythings outside the house
independently. My neighbors in
the village invite me to attend
marakas4 and weddings.” An
older woman participant
remarked: “We gathered somemoney from our small familybusiness, and we sent myhusband to Hajj.5 My husband
has completely changed now. I
do not know if this is because of
the intervention or because hewent to Mecca. He does not
insult me at all now. He used toinsult me due to my physicaldisability, calling me names. He
is very kind to me now, we eat
and drink tea together, it was
not this way before.”
The findings of the 30-monthpost-baseline assessments h o w e d t h a t t h e p o s i t iv e
impacts at the 15-monthassessment were broadly
sustained over the subsequent
15 months, even thoughintervention activities hadceased and the impact extended
much beyond reductions in IPV.
There were further decreases insevere food insecurity among
women and men and inborrowing money for food, anda decrease in depression among
wo m e n , a s w e l l a s m o r eequitable gender relations andattitudes, across the four
timepoints: baseline, 8 months,
15 months, 30 months. ThereFOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
was a little backsliding in
women’s earnings and savings at
30 months, that is, in the 15
months after the end of the
project, as only 55.2% of
women had earned in the prior
3 months, compared to 79.5%
at 15 months (although thep r o p o r t i o n wa s 2 3 . 9 % a tbaseline), but women still
perceived themselves to be far
better across the board thanthey had been at baseline,
before the intervention. The
post-endline findings were also
particularly significant giventhat data were collected at atime of the year whensocioeconomic and other stressfactors would have been high.
Lessons for Programming6
Zindagii Shoista shows thatsocial norms and behavior
change interventions combinedwith economic empowerment
can have a significant impact on
reducing VAWG. In addition toits impact on IPV, the program
also contributed to the scarceevidence base around whatworks to prevent VAWG not
only in couples but also by inl aw s . Th i s i s e s p e c i a l l yimportant in Central and South
Asian subregions, where family
dynamics beyond the wifehusband dyad play a key role in
VAWG and its prevention.
Adapting VAWG interventions to
new contexts: Zindagii Shoista
was carefully designed to the
Tajik context, adapting thea p p r o a ch o f a s u c c e s s f u lintervention previously used inSouth Africa and elsewhere. Inturn, the Zindagii Shoista
approach has been adapted foruse elsewhere, including in
Myanmar and Nepal. Thisshows that it is possible to adapt

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
VAWG prevention interventions
that worked in one part of theworld to another geographicaland cultural context, but it
requires extensive formative
research,
in-depth
understanding of the local
context, and collaborating withlocal partners.
Working with women, men andextended family: The formative
research identified that acouples-approach would not bes u f fi c i e n t i n Ta j i k i s t a n a sviolence, especially against
young women, is also
perpetrated by in-laws. Hence,the program employed abroader family-centeredapproach that addressed VAWG
in a holistic way, which wasrecognized as a key factor
behind the significant reduction
in VAWG.
Addressing multiple root causesof VAWG: The program wasbased on the premise that forchanges to be sustained, VAWG
interventions need to address
multiple drivers of violence,
which in this context meanteconomic stress factors,
patriarchal norms andbehaviors, and mental health.
The combined economic andsocial empowerment approacheffectively addressed theseoverlapping root causes of
VAWG.
Ensure sufficient time for socialand gender transformation totake place: The 15-month
implementation period allowedfamily members to engage
deeply with the social andeconomic empowerment
sessions; learning, reflecting,and practicing new behaviors,
knowledge and skills.

13This appeared to be sufficientt i m e f o r y o u n g w o m e n ’s
engagement in IGAs to translate
into higher status in the families,
and for changes in relationships
and power dynamics to unfold.
Women reported that improved
self-esteem and economic skills
gave them more bargaining
power in the family, and in-laws
showed more respect and care
towards younger women.
Training of facilitators: The
careful selection and training ofstaff from local implementing
organizations as facilitators,
followed up by ongoing backstopping support fromdedicated, trained staff who
could assist in dealing with
unexpected challenges, werecrucial to the success of the
program.

Subhiya Mastonshoeva is anindependent consultant who
was working for International
Alert in Tajikistan and led theresearch; Shahribonu
Shonasimova is the country
representative of International
Alert in Tajikistan and overallp r o j e c t m a n a g e r ; Pa r v i n a
Gulyamova was the project
manager with CESVI in Tajikistan
and led the income generating
activities; Rachel Jewkes is the
Executive Scientist of the SouthA f r i c a n M e d i c a l R e s e a rch
Council and was theConsortium Director of What
Works to Prevent Violence
Against Women and Girls?;
Nwabisa Shai is a Specialist
Scientist at the South African
Medical Research Council;
Esnat Chirwa is a Specialist
Statistician at the South African
Medical Research Council andwas the lead statistician forFOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
What Works to Prevent Violence
Against Women and Girls?;
Henri Myrttinen is anindependent consultant with
Gender Associations
International Consulting andwas the head of Gender &Peacebuilding for International
Alert.
For further information, pleasecontact: Shahribonu
Shonasimova, International
Alert, Rudaki Avenue, 70/48,
Dushanbe 734025, Tajikistan;ph +992 37 2273139; email:sshonasimova@internationalalert.org.

Human Rights Museums:
Kaohsiung City of Taiwan(Continued from page 5)

promote understanding of
human rights, enabling ordinary
people (rather than elites) to
become true partners in thehuman rights dialogue,
producing human rights
innovation and the emergenceof a truly harmonious humanrights culture.
E l s a We n - Yi n g H s u i s a n
Associate Professor at the Open
University of Kaohsiung, in
Kaohsiung city, Taiwan.
For further information, pleasecontact: Elsa Wen-Ying Hsu,
Open University of Kaohsiung,e - m a i l : w y h s u @ o u k . e d u . t w,
website: http://ilms.ouk.edu.tw/wyhsu.

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
Endnotes
1 Zindagii Shoista was
implemented by International
Alert and Cesvi, with local
partners ATO, Farodis and
Zanoni Sharq (Women of the
Orient) as part of the global
What Works to Prevent Violence
Against Women and Girlsprogramme funded by DFID
and headed by the South
African Medical ResearchCouncil (SAMRC).
2 See www.whatworks.co.za/
resources/item/467-zindagiishoista-living-with-dignityworkshopmanual.
3 For more information, see
w w w. w h a t w o r k s . c o . z a /resources/item/540-zindagiishoista-living-with-dignityworkshopmanual-part-2 andReferences
H s u , We n - Yi n g ( 2 0 1 2 ) .
Kaohsiung Human Rights Travel
Guide. Kaohsiung, Taiwan:
Kaohsiung City Government.
Houjing Cultural Hall. https://
heritage.khcc.gov.tw/.
Kaohsiung Museum of History.
http://khm.org.tw/.
Kaohsiung Museum of Labor.
https://kml.kcg.gov.tw/.
War and Peace Memorial Parka n d Th e m e H a l l . h t t p : / /warpeace.khm.org.tw/.

Endnotes
1 On 27 February 1947, a disputearose following the confiscationof contraband cigarettes from aseller in Taipei. The next day, thepublic organized large-scale

14

What Works to Prevent
Violence, Creating Futures –Facilitator
Manual,w w w. w h a t w o r k s . c o . z a /resources/item/487-creatingfutures-facilitatormanual. The
manuals were translated into
both Tajik and Uzbek.
4 Maraka – traditional ceremonies
such as weddings and funerals.
5 Pilgrimage to Mecca
6 This section is taken from
Programme Summary - Zindagii
Shoista, Tajikistan, UN Women,www.unwomen.org/-/media/
h e a d q u a r t e r s / a t t a ch m e n t s /sections/library/publications/
2020/respect-implementationguide-programme-summaryzindagii-shoista-en.pdf?
la=en&vs=3634.

petitions, demonstrations, andstrikes. Some protestors were
fired on by government forces.
At the same time, a new wave ofviolence broke out between
n a t i v e Ta i w a n e s e a n dmainlander immigrants.
Following the outbreak of thisviolence, the Taiwan Garrison
Command quickly declared
martial law and dispatched
forces to patrol the streets andarrest or shoot anyone theyfound breaking the curfew. At
the same time, the authorities on
Taiwan requested assistancefrom the mainland to launch alarge-scale repression.
2 During the 228 Incident,
government forces attacked theKaohsiung City Hall, the main
train station, and Kaohsiung
Senior High School. Manygroups used Kaohsiung SeniorHigh School as a stronghold
against the army crackdown.
Students at the school formed aself-defense corps despite theurgings of headmaster and otherteachers not to do so. Students

FOCUS ASIA-PACIFIC
from the Kaohsiung Industrial
High School and Kaohsiung
Commercial High School alsojoined the corps, which
defended the school campus andprotected innocent mainlanders.
Since the student self-defense

Liberation War Museum(Continued from page 7)

and came up with several
publications.
Th e C S G J o r g a n i z e s t h e
International Conference on
Genocide and Justice, the lastone being held in 2019.
Digital Thread Exhibit
Created in association with agroup of Harvard
University
Asia
Center students, anddesigners, the Thread Exhibit isan online exhibition dedicatedto sharing the story of the
R o h i n g ya c o m m u n i t y a n dlifting their voices to a global
audience. The exhibit combines
the power of arts andtechnology to raise awareness ofthe persecuted Rohingya
community.
Regular Programs of theMuseumThe Museum holds yearlong
a c t iv i t i e s c o m m e m o ra t i n ghistorical events in Bangladesh
and other countries including
Mass Upsurge Day in January
1969, Shaheed Sergeant
Zahurul Hoque Remembrance
Day (15 February), International
Mother Language Day (21February), Muktir Utsab (any

SEPTEMBER 2021 VOLUME 105
corps had insufficient weapons
and ammunition, it sufferedheavy casualties in the fighting.
Government forces launchedmortar attacks on the campus,
which damaged schoolbuildings. Today, a number ofshell holes can still be found in
the red-bricked walls of theschool.

day between January-March),Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman's Birth Anniversary (17March), LWM Foundation Day(22 March), Independence Day
program (22-27 March),
Anniversary of Jalladkhana
Killing Field Site, Mirpur (21June), Birth Anniversary of
Tajuddin Ahmed (23 July),
Hiroshima Day (6 August),
Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman's Death Anniversary(10-31 August), World NonViolence Day (2 October),International Genocide
RemembranceDay(9
December) and Human Rights
Day (10 December).

with limited resource at a rented
place and now with theconstruction of the permanenthouse, a dream has been
fulfilled. It is imperative to giveit a solid foundation. The
Museum has established links
with similar institutions andefforts in the region and beyond.
It is ready to offer its services towilling partners and make it
another hub of memorializationand peace activity in the region.

Impact, Challenges andReflections on the Future
Th i s ye a r t h e M u s e u m i sobserving the 25th anniversaryof its establishment. This private
museum has over the years
become a people’s institution
and this strong bondage withthe community is the source of
its strength. With theconstruction of a new building,the Museum has offered tomany more people its services.
The Museum can undertake
different programs because of
the voluntary involvement ofpeople from various sectors
i n c l u d i n g t h e yo u t h . Th e
Trustees have initiated a journey

15

The challenge lies in creating
this strong bond and in handing
over the Museum to the youthof today, so that the memory
becomes inter-generational andthe journey towards building abetter future for all continues.
Mofidul Hoque is the Founder
Trustee of the Liberation War
Museum and the Director of its
Center for the Study of
Genocide and Justice.
For further information, pleasecontact: Liberation War Museum,F11/A & F11/B, Sher-e Bangla
Nagar, Civic Centre, Agargaon,
Dhaka, Bangladesh, ph
8 8 2 - 9 1 4 2 7 8 1 - 3 ( PA B X ) ;88-09611677223, 882-9142780;
e-mail:mukti.jadughar@gmail.com;
www.liberationwarmuseumbd.org.

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