Current Issues Series

Women Today

Co-President, JEN, NPO

Ms. Keiko KIYAMA

Requests to Japan from theCommittee on the Elimination ofDiscrimination against Women

President, Japanese Association ofInternational Women’s Rights

Ms. Yasuko YAMASHITA

1.	Deliberation on the Japan’s Report at the Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against WomenOn February 16, 2016, a deliberation was held regarding the
progress in Japan’s implementation of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women at theUnited Nations Office in Geneva, for a total of five hours in themorning and the afternoon. Inviting the Japanese government
delegation, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), which is the monitoring organization for
the Convention, conducted a “constructive dialogue” to examine
measures to ensure a full implementation of the Convention in Japan.
Japan ratified the Convention and it became effective in the
country on July 25, 1985. Since then, Japan has submitted theConvention implementation reports to the United Nations eight times,
and the deliberations were held four times in total (in 1988, 1994,
2003 and 2009). In February this year, the fifth deliberation was held
for “the Seventh and Eighth Periodic Reports on the Implementationof the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women” submitted by the Japanese government in September
2015.
CEDAW consists of 23 experts from around the world chaired by
the first Japanese, Ms. Yoko Hayashi, since February last year. In
Trusted deeply by all members, she is demonstrating excellent
leadership and I am truly proud of her.
2.	CEDAW Japan Report in 2016 and NGOs
You may feel that international human rights laws, such as theConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against
Women, are irrelevant to you and that they are issues to be handledsomewhere far away from you in international society. Nevertheless,each one of you is covered by the Convention, and the Japanese
government has an obligation to ensure that you are covered by theConvention. The Japanese government reports on the progress of
implementing the Convention, and has a constructive dialogue with
CEDAW. In 2010, however, CEDAW issued a statement regarding
relationships with NGOs and stressed NGOs’ roles in implementing
the Convention.
For the deliberation held in February, the Japan NGO Network
for CEDAW (JNNC), which consists of 45 NGOs, sent a NGO joint
report to CEDAW. In addition, 80 members from the JNNC went to
Geneva at their own expense to give their views as NGOs directly to
the Committee. They also observed the deliberation at CEDAW very
attentively.
3.	Requests from CEDAW
The deliberation was followed by the release of requests to Japan,
which were announced in the form of “Concluding Observations” onMarch 7. Serving as an evaluation of CEDAW’s monitoring results,
the Concluding Observations include “Principal areas of concern andrecommendations,” consisting of 51 articles giving details on what theJapanese government needs to do during the next four years.
In the document, the Japanese government has been requested to
conduct a follow-up on the following two articles, as well as to take

No.77 June 2016

necessary measures within two years to implement the Convention
and provide written information on the undertaken steps. The firstarticle is Paragraph 13 (a) “Amend the Civil Code in order to raise thelegal minimum age of marriage for women to 18 years to equal that ofmen; and revise legislation regarding the choice of surnames formarried couples in order to enable women to retain their maiden
surnames; and abolish any waiting period for women to remarry upondivorce.” This is the recommendation that CEDAW has constantly
made to Japan since the first deliberation, and was designated as afollow-up article in the previous deliberation as well. It seems that
CEDAW feels frustrated with the slow progress in Japan. The second
article is Paragraph 21 (d) “Adopt legislation to prohibit and sanction
sexist speech and propaganda advocating racial superiority or hatred,
including attacks on ethnic and other minority women such as Ainu,
Buraku and Zainichi Korean women as well as migrant women” and(e) “Regularly monitor and assess the impact, through an independent
expert body, of measures taken to eliminate discriminatory genderstereotypes and prejudices against Ainu, Buraku and Zainichi Korean
women and migrant women.” This request shows the basic approach of“Leave no one behind” in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, which the United Nations set in 2015.
4.	Optional Protocol — Absolutely Necessary
What I have paid the greatest attention to in the Concluding
Observations is the following: the CEDAW has requested the Japanese
government to be aware that the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women is the legal framework. In
Paragraph 7, the Committee stresses the crucial role of the legislative
power in ensuring the full implementation of the Convention. In
Paragraph 8, the Committee notes that under Article 98 (2) of theJapanese Constitution, treaties that are concluded and promulgatedhave legal effect as part of domestic laws. To ensure that such treaties
have legal effects, it is important to ensure that the treaties are used
at domestic courts. To realize this, it is most effective to ensure thatthe optional protocol, which establishes an individual complaints
mechanism, becomes effective in Japan. Actually, in Paragraph 9 (c),CEDAW requests that the Japanese government consider ratifying
this optional protocol.

Biography of Ms. Yasuko YAMASHITA
Born in Tokyo. Doctor of Law. Professor Emeritus of Bunkyo Gakuin
University. President of the Japanese Association of International Women’s
Rights. General Director of the Japan-Nepal Female Education Association.
Director and Commissioned Researcher of the Kyoto Human Rights
Research Institute. Former General Director of the Japan Association of
Gender and Law. Major publications: Research on the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Kougakusha,
1996); Development of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women (Keiso Shobo, 2006); and The Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and Japan(Kougakusha, 2010). Works co-written and co-edited: Gender Six Codes(second edition)(Shinzansha Publisher, 2015), etc.

1Participated in the establishment of JEN in 1994. As
the regional representative for the former Yugoslavia
during the conflict, provided humanitarian assistancefor refugees and IDPs. Keenly noted the fact thatemergency assistance sometimes lead refugees
dependent, emphasized self-reliance from theemergency phase. Served in 24 countries and regions.
Currently assisting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Sri
Lanka, Jordan and East Japan. JEN was awarded in2011 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in 2015 by
the Yomiuri Shimbun in recognition of its international
cooperation.

What Encourages You to Step
Forward in a Critical State

Meeting refugees in actual scenes of international
cooperation was shocking to me. In the first year after theestablishment of JEN, I met tens of thousands of refugees in
Nepal, the former Yugoslavia and Chechnya. One of themain findings from these meetings is that there is nodifference between such refugees and myself; they are
human beings just like me. Growing up in Japan, I felt that
I had acquired a basic sense of equality even before meeting
the refugees. Nevertheless, they made me realize to my corethat each individual — who was not different from me —was being deprived of his or her home and family, and justwished to live his or her own life. I had never felt this reality
so keenly before.
Honestly speaking, it was not until that time that I
clearly set a goal for my activities, which was to provide
support so that each individual, whose life was equally
precious, could return to his or her normal life. Although I
set my goal, I was not sure how to achieve it. While learningfrom refugees, I considered what I would wish or hate tohappen if I were in their shoes. For 22 years, I have been
repeating the cycle of taking actions, making mistakes, andcorrecting them. Different individuals have different beliefs
and values, and there is no right answer to the question.
Even now, I seldom feel confident in what I do.
Although there are a wide variety of what refugees wish,
I have also found a similarity among them — their desire to“help others.” Even if people have lost everything and are on
the verge of desperation in utter bewilderment, many ofthem feel encouraged to collect themselves and take steps
forward once again if they have the desire to help others.
Regardless of the differences in people’s characters, theclimates they live in and their cultures, I met many people
those who were in extreme difficulties, could not pushthemselves for their own sake, but for others. I have come tobelieve that the people’s pleasure deriving from helping
others is etched in human DNA.
This is directly related to another important lesson ofmine — “importance of self-reliance.” It is often said that
“Don’t give fish but fishing rods.” At JEN, however, we
support refugees to learn how to make fishing rods. Our
goal is to help them become able to acquire the tools withwhich they can catch as many fish as they wish wheneverthey need them, even if they are not given any fishing rods.
No matter how many times they lose fish and fishing rods,
they are free from fear or dependence on others as long as

they know that they can make the tools on their own. I am
convinced that this will enable refugees to feel proud ofthemselves and to live their own lives. Each individual’s life
is equally precious, and everybody just wishes to live with
dignity.
These lessons have even caused a change in myself.
Although I am not confident of myself yet, I have repeatedly
learned that even if I lack confidence, I should not denymyself. Now, I have been released from a sense of self-denial.
I feel short of self-confidence, but I have one strong belief:
people can create a world in which each individual on theearth feels happy. I believe that conflicts and terrorist
attacks can be stopped by people since they are caused bypeople.
It is said that humans are beings that wish to get alongwith others. Humans feel bad and unhappy in dispute.
Supposing some firmly believe in ideas totally opposed toyour own, the opposition between you and them will not end
if you continue to insist that they are wrong and assert yourown opinions. Furthermore, if you reject them and stoptalking to them, you will not be able to even find clues tosolve the confrontation. It takes courage to make a concession
when you are right, however, it will lead you to a solution. If
you continue to talk to them even when opposed to them, thetime may come one day when you can find a way of ensuringthat both you and they can contribute to each other.
Despite that, I feel that all this is easier said than done,
because I myself recently experienced that. It was tough tohave a confrontation with people whom I did not understand,but it was even tougher to make concessions to them.
Nevertheless, since I was determined to overcome theconfrontation and made sincere efforts to do so, progress tothe solution moved faster than I had expected.
War exists in the mind of each individual. I feel thatwhen each individual generates the wisdom to talk to people
they are opposed to, and when each individual has thecourage to build up tolerance to live together with them, theworld will be the one without refugees attribute to conflict. I
would like to continue to actively accept ideas that are
different from mine, and make efforts to ensure that a richdiversity of people can live together on the same globe. I
sincerely hope that many people will have the courage topush this dream forward. If you do so, you will feel peace ofmind, which is the very origin of world peace.

2

No.77 June 2016

Women around the World Today– Talking with Government Officers from around the World▪Date
Saturday, January 23, 2016, 13:00–16:00▪Venue:5th Floor Large Seminar Room, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender
Equality Center MOVE
▪Participants: 91▪Panelists:
Ms. Francisca ATULUK (Ghana: Assistant Director, Ministry of
Gender, Children and Social Protection)
Ms. Ana Cristina CASTANEDA NERIO (El Salvador: Salvadorian
Institute for Women’s Development, ISDEMU)
Mr. Chhun Hak THE (Cambodia: Deputy Director General, Gender Equality
and Economic Development, the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia)
Ms. Kanthi Hemamalee WIJETUNGE (Sri Lanka: the Public Service
Commission of Sri Lanka)▪Coordinator:
Ms. Reiko OGAWA (Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social
and Cultural Studies Research, Kyushu University)

Policies in 2015 in Kitakyushu City. The seminar made me
recognize once again that gender issues are international
challenges, and that a continuous interest in improving society anda strong determination to achieve that aim are the keys toovercoming the challenges.
I belong to the Salvadorian Institute for Women’s Development.
Established in 1996, the institute has four sections for gendermainstreaming. Introducing a national gender index system toeradicate discrimination against women, the Section for Equal
Opportunities monitors and assesses the progress of the system.
The Section of Citizens for Equality strives to generate opportunities
for women to demonstrate their capabilities in the political arena oflocal governments, and establishes an environment in which accessto information is ensured equally to both men and women. The
Educational Section proceeds with women’s rights education in
public sector agencies, and aims to incorporate gender perspectives
into the local governance. The Section for Women’s Right to a Life
without Violence provides legal support for female victims. In
addition, the section works together with the Ministry of Education
to prevent violence against women in schools.

Inviting the four government officers from the four countries(Ghana, El Salvador, Cambodia and Sri Lanka), we held a seminarin which they reported on gender mainstreaming policies conductedin their respective countries.

Situation of Gender Mainstreamingin Ghana, the Gateway to Africa

Gender Mainstreaming
Strategies in Sri Lanka

As a Gender Focal Point (i.e., a person in charge of gender policies),
I have so far striven to act as the driving force for gendermainstreaming, no matter which department I was working for. I
made suggestions in various organizations regarding analyses ofsituations revealed by collecting data according to gender, andencouraged the board of directors and other organizations to promote
many capable women to managerial positions.
In Sri Lanka, gender equality is ensured by the Constitution, but
in reality women face discrimination. The government has adopted
various measures to eradicate discrimination. In 1995, thegovernment ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Formsof Discrimination against Women, and established the Ministry of
Women’s Affairs as an independent ministry. In addition, thegovernment incorporated the Millennium Development Goals into thecountry’s agenda for national development. As a result, the percentage
of girls to boys in primary education has increased to 99%, with theliteracy rate reaching 95% among both men and women. The country’s
gender equality has thus been improved in some fields.

Report by Mr. Chhun Hak THE(Ghana)Situation of Gender
Mainstreaming in El Salvador
Report by
Ms. Ana Cristina CASTANEDA NERIO (El Salvador)
I participated in the Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming

No.77 June 20163▼

I attended the Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming Policies in2008 in Kitakyushu City. Afterwards, I prepared an action plan in
my home country to implement a project to encourage women’s
participation in the political decision-making process. This project
was eventually conducted in 25 provinces. Gaining considerable
attention throughout the country, the project was highly regarded
even by the Prime Minister.
In Cambodia, gender mainstreaming has achieved great
progress in some fields, but not in others. In the educational sector,
for example, gender equality has been realized to a reasonable
extent especially in primary education, but a gender gap still
remains in tertiary education. In the political sector, the number offemale members of the national assembly has more than trebled
over the past 20 years, with the percentage of women among all
staff members working at government agencies increasing as well.
Regarding violence against women, while there has been
improvement in the development of legal systems and support for
female victims, various problems, such as human trafficking, still
remain unsolved. Meanwhile, in the economic sector, although
there has been a growth in female employment, there are still
various problems, such as low wages and poor working conditions.
Moreover, there is great potential in terms of women’s
entrepreneurship, while fund-raising support and other assistanceare still insufficient.
The country’s future challenges include realizing cooperation
among related ministries, rather than having the Ministry of
Women’s Affairs take action alone, and reinforcing the country’s
capabilities to analyze gender issues.

Panel Discussion

Interaction Meeting

International Interaction Program between Government Officers and University Students
Castle in the afternoon. At each of these facilities, thestudents explained the meanings of unique Japanese
expressions in English, such as “a-un no kokyu” (anticipationof each other’s move) and “mottainai!” (what a waste!).
The students, who study international affairs, learned a
lot through the interaction with the government officers. In
addition, the government officers said that they were truly
impressedbytheculture and history of
Kitakyushu City.

As part of our efforts to develop next-generation humanresources who will contribute to international cooperationin the future, we held an international interaction program,inviting government officers from foreign countries. We
organized the program jointly with students of universities
located in Kitakyushu City. In the program, seven students
from universities in Kitakyushu (Seinan Jo Gakuin
University and Kyushu International University) interactedwith the government officers while guiding them aroundcultural facilities in the city. In the morning they visited the
Kitakyushu Museum of Natural History & Human History
and the Kitakyushu Environment Museum, and Kokura(Cambodia)

I joined the Seminar on Gender Mainstreaming Policies(commissioned by JICA to KFAW) in 2014 in Kitakyushu City.
After completing the seminar, I organized a seminar on gendermainstreaming policies for staff members of the Ghanaian Ministryof Women’s Affairs, as well as another seminar for government
officers working on gender issues in various ministries. To realize aharmonious society in which the survival and prosperity of men,
women and children, and the weak and the disabled are ensured, it
is essential to involve a wide variety of related ministries, rather
than just the Ministry of Women’s Affairs taking action alone.
In Ghana, the main gender issues include the widespread
perception that women should obey men, and the social custom thatwomen are not allowed to assert themselves. Also, support for girls’
education is insufficient.
To solve these problems, the government established a national
gender policy in August 2015, and is presently considering anaffirmative action bill and a women’s property rights bill. Alongwith this background, female “queen mothers” serving as leaders
have begun to participate in decision-making processes even insome traditional communities where male “chiefs” used to beprivileged to make decisions.

The seminar was followed by an interaction meeting between thefloor and the panelists in a friendly atmosphere.

▪Date: Friday, January 22, 2016, 9:00–14:00▪Venue: Cultural facilities in Kitakyushu (Kitakyushu Museum of Natural
History & Human History, Kitakyushu Environment Museum and Kokura Castle)

Cambodia’s Gender Mainstreaming
Situation and Key Strategies

Report by Ms. Francisca ATULUKOn the other hand, customs that are patriarchic anddiscriminatory against women are still found, hindering women’sdevelopment programs. Furthermore, in the eastern and the northernparts of Sri Lanka, the number of war widows who lack supports isincreasing. There are also many other problems, such as the protectionof women’s rights in rural villages, the implementation of welfare
services for migrant workers, and the development of measuresagainst DV and human trafficking. It is necessary to establish
appropriate legal systems in those fields as well as to addresseducation issue in the future.

Report by
Ms. Kanthi Hemamalee WIJETUNGE (Sri Lanka)▼

World Report:

Commemorative photograph at
the Kitakyushu Environment
MuseumSpecial Lecture Session by Government Officers at a University
government officers very attentively, sometimes letting out
gasps of astonishment. These discussions revealed that themain gender issues differed from country to country, andincluded forced marriage, abortion, the education level gap,
the increase in the number of single mothers due to civil wars,
and discrimination against married women when job hunting.
The interaction with the government officers fromdifferent countries served as a valuable experience for the
students to share theirawareness of international
gender issues.

▪Date: Friday, January 22, 2016, 14:40–16:10▪Venue: Seinan Jo Gakuin University

KFAW held a special lecture session as a joint programwith the Faculty of Humanities of Seinan Jo Gakuin
University. Designed for university students, the session
consisted of special lectures by the government officers fromthe four countries. In the session, the students were divided
into four groups, and exchanged opinions with the government
officers on a wide range of topics, such as their countries’
traditional dishes, marriage customs, and healthcare
systems.
Of particular note were the discussions on the genderissues in respective countries. The students listened to the

At a Special Lecture Session
Held at Seinan
Jo Gakuin University

4

No.77 June 2016

■ Foreign Correspondent’s Report
ProfileProfileAfter graduating from the Department of Mongolian Language andLiterature of the National University of Mongolia, I worked as a director in theJapanese Language Section of the International Broadcasting Department,
Mongolian National Public Radio and Television. After that, I came to Japan andfinished my master’s course at Graduate School of Social and Cultural Systems,
Yamanashi University, and doctoral course at Graduate School of Environmental
Studies, Tohoku University. Specialized in cultural anthropology, I haveconducted studies under the themes of gender role attitudes and their changes
in transforming social systems in Mongolia, as well as analysis of various
aspects of Mongolian women form a gender perspective. Then, I belonged to a
research specialist at Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Tohoku University. In
2014, my book titled Experience of socialist society: narratives of Mongolian
women was awarded a publication grant for young researchers and publishedby Tohoku University Press. Also, I contributed a chapter “On Encouraging
Mothers of Multiple Children through the Order of the Mother Glorious in
Mongolia” to the book titled “Rethinking Representations of Asian Women:
Changes, Continuity, and Everyday Life” edited by Atsufumi Kato, et al., whichis to be published by Palgrave Macmillan in November 2015. The major awards
I have won include a special award in the project section of Tohoku University
Gender Equality Promotion (“Sawayanagi”) Award in 2008.

I am from Balochistan, a deprived province in Pakistan. I got my
MSc degree in gender studies with particular subjects: feminism,status of woman in Pakistan, gender and law, and gender anddevelopment. I am an education activist at Alif Ailaan. I am also anational youth leader at the Pakistan Red Crescent Society, andreceived the Presidential Award last year from the President ofPakistan in the category of the best volunteer. I have conductednumerous activities to advocate the rights of women and raise local
people’s awareness of women’s rights. I am still struggling to protect
human rights and help women earn equal status as men in Pakistan.
I also put a lot of effort into delivering messages about theimportance of education to those areas where there are no
institutions for children, especially girls.

Growing Problem ofDomestic Violence

Ms. Turmunkh ODONTUYA (Mongolia)

In Mongolia, there has been a large increase in thenumber of domestic violence cases since the mid-1990s,
especially the ones where violence is directred toward women,
attracting broad media coverage. The Reproductive Health
Survey conducted in 2009 by National Statistical Office ofMongolia with a loan provided by United Nations Population
Fund (UNFPA) found that 19% of the 6,894 women surveyed
had been physically abused by their husbands or common-law
husbands. This means nearly one in five women in Mongolia
has been victimized by domestic violence. According to dataon the number of crimininal cases registered by the National
Police Agency, 80 people were killed and 1,180 people
sustained minor or serious injuries in domestic violence
incidences between 2010 and 2015. These statistics revealthat domestic violence has become a grave and significant
social phenomenon in recent years in this country.
To tackle this situation, a number of governmental and nongovernmental
institutions/organizations
have
been
implementing activities to prevent and eliminate domestic
violence. Along with government agencies such as Ministry ofSocial Welfare and Labour, Ministry of Justice and Internal
Affairs, and National Police Agency, non-governmentalorganizations and private entities including Center for Human
Rights and Development, and the Mongolian Gender Equality
Center are playing active roles and engaged in various
undertakings in cooperation with the United Nations,international aid agencies, and other international organizations.
The National Center Against Violence (NCAV) is the firstprivate-sector institution in Mogolia that fascilitates domestic
violence preventive efforts. Since its establishment in thecapital city of Ulan Bator in 1995, NCAV has been conducting
a multitude of projects such as the creation of a legal
environment to deal with domestic violence against womenand children as well as to forestall violence. Currently, NCAV

has its branch offices in 14 of Mongolia’s 21 provinces, with 24hour hotlines that offer victimized women and children mental
health counseling and legal advice by experts. It also operates
five shelters set up around the country to provide temporary
protection for abused or battered women and children who arein a critical condition both physically and mentally.
Behind the rise in the number of domestic violence casesin Mongolia, there are social problems, in particular the ones
with alcohol such as heavy drinking, that arose when the
country underwent transition from socialism to a market
economy. Amid the ongoing state of insecurity caused byunemployment, poverty and distress due to the change insocial systems, people tend to suffer from higher levels ofsocial stress, resulting in excessive alcohol consumption torelieve their stress. This leads to the most common cause ofdomestic violence in the this country. Besides the social
background described above, it is considered that the
insufficient development of the legal environment is partly toblame. In 1996, the government formulated the National
Program for the Advancement of Women, specifying the needfor special attention to the issues of violence against womenas well as of women's rights. Following that, the Law onFighting Against Domestic Violence was adopted in 2004, asa result of a nine-year campaign effort by a group of privateorganizations headed by NCAV. In this way, the legal
environment concerning domestic violence is gradually being
put in place. Nevertheless, there still remains the deep-rooted
notion that domestic violence is a private family issue,
creating an unfavorable situation for the proper functioningof the much-awaited domestic violence legislation. The good
news, though, is that a legal decision was made in December
2015 to treat domestic violence incidents as criminal cases.
The passage of the relevant law in the Diet is expected to put
the brakes on the prevalence of domestic violence in Mongolia.

Repor ts from the 25nd KFAW Foreign Correspondents
The profiles of the correspondents and other reports are available at the KFAW website (http://www.kfaw.
or.jp/correspondents/index.html.en).

India

Mongolia

Ms. Swapna MAJUMDAR

Ms. Turmunkh ODONTUYAIndependent Journalist

Independent Researcher

Yoga Trainer and Facilitator
ACE School

Pakistan

The Philippines

Sri Lanka

Education Activist (Alif Ailaan),National Youth Leader (Pakistan Red
Crescent Society)

Ms. Aiko SHIMIZU

Ms. Kanthi Hemamalee
WIJETUNGE

Mr. Saboor Ahmed KAKAR

No.77 June 2016

Nepal

Outreach and Innovations
Coordinator in Youth at Venture

5

Ms. Yojana POKHAREL

Women’s, the Leading Voicein Pakistan
Mr. Saboor Ahmed KAKAR (Pakistan)

Like other developing countries, women in Pakistan
make significant contributions in agriculture, household,sports, journalism, academia and other rural activities
directly or indirectly. Despite the recent increase in the
proportion of working women, the number is still quite
small. The main reason for the low involvement of women in
economic activities is various socioeconomic constraints,
which hinder women’s participation in the labour market.
Married women remain at home because of several
commitments. They have to look after their children andfamily, and perform numerous household chores. The social
commitment in their families bind them as housewives andthey accept this commitment without any hesitation.
The decision-making in Pakistan has been regarded as apredominant male prerogative. Women are largely neglectedin social, economic, political and legal spheres. Some
progress has been made in the enhancement of women in allareas of society, but it is not satisfactory. Women labour
force participation in Pakistan at 28% is ranked the lowest
in the South Asian region. The share of women’s earnings inearned income is 26% of men’s. Various studies have been
carried out to analyse the labour force participation of
women in Pakistan. One of the studies found that rural
women were extensively involved in many agricultural andlivestock rending operations, processing of dairy products,
poultry and handicrafts. They also perform householdchores besides these productive activities. The effect ofresidence on women labour force participation in urban
areas is negative in all provinces and in the overall analysesof Pakistan. The activity rates of rural women depend to alarge extent on the social status of the household concerned.
Landlessness or land ownership is generally indicative of
the poverty or richness respectively of a household.
Household incomes are inversely related to women activity
rates. Women participation rates fell as a result of increasein rural incomes. In recent years, the increased
mechanization of agriculture in Pakistan has also tended tocontribute to a decline in rural women’s participation rates.
In rural areas, women have remained involved in a variety
of agricultural activities for a long time, such as land
preparation, seed preparation, collecting farmyard manure,weeding and harvesting. Women also undertake theresponsibility of cleaning, drying and storage of grains.
This increases their workload after the harvesting
operations. Taking care of livestock is by and large theresponsibility of women. They collect fodder, clean sheds andprocess animal products.
In 2012 the government revived the National Commission
on Status of Women which had been established by General

Pervez Musharraf for three years in 2000, and had been
revived later for three years at a time. The bill moved by thegovernment established the commission as a permanent
body with the task to ensure the implementation of thelegislation to protect women and combat abuses against
women. In February 2012, the Mutehda Qoumi Movement
held the world’s largest women’s political rally in Karachi,with an estimated 100,000 women in attendance. Pakistan
Tehreek e Insaf PTI has the credit to bring women into themainstream politics of Pakistan and now the women in
Pakistan are contesting in local bodies election as well as ingeneral elections.
In Pakistan, women’s access to property, education,
employment etc. remains considerably lower compared tomen’s. The social and cultural context of Pakistani society is
predominantly patriarchal. Around 90% of the Pakistanihouseholds are headed by men and most female-headedhouseholds belong to the poor strata of the society.
Women lack ownership of productive resources. Despite
women’s legal rights to own and inherit property from theirfamilies, very few women have access to and control overthese resources. Women’s rights in Pakistan are consideredequal under Pakistan’s dual system of civil and Sharia law.
The rights are accorded to women by Pakistan’s Islamic
Republic Constitution of 1958 and consolidated in 1973,
which outlawed gender discrimination on all levels.
Nevertheless, women face significant challenges in society
and the economy and confront a slow lower courts judicial
system in order to get justice.
A census has not been carried out in Pakistan since1998, but the recent statistics from UNICEF show that thefemale literacy rate has risen significantly from a paltry
39.6 % to a much improved rate of 61.5% for 15- to 24-yearolds. This is a highly significant
factor given that 70% of Pakistan’s
population is under 30.
Pakistan has the Nobel Peace
Prize champion Malala Yousafzai,
the Oscar award winner Sharmen
Nobel Peace Prize winner Obaid Chinoi, and Samina Baig
Malalathe first Pakistani woman toclimb Mount Everest. Pakistan isrising towards development andpeace. We hope that soon womenin Pakistan will be equal to men
in every sphere of life as promisedby the Constitution of Pakistan,Samina bag First Pakistani
Women to climb Mount and will be the leading voice inPakistan.
EverestPublic Service Commission

6

No.77 June 2016

ISSN
ISSN
0918-82660918-8266

KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminar

27th Seminar on KFAW Research Activities

Your Reproductive Health/Rights.


Date

Date

ISSN 0918-8266
Sunday, February 14, 2016, 13:00–16:30

ISSN 0918-8266—Why Not Start Life with Cloth Sanitary Pads?
Themes and Reporters

Sunday, December 20, 2015, 10:30–12:30
Yumi SHIKATA (Professor of the Faculty

Lecturer“Women’s Organizations’ Activities in Communities—Examples in Indonesia and Japan”
Satoko KANZAKI (KFAW Chief Researcher)of Humanities, Miyazaki Municipal University)

Participants 15
If you try to figure out how to make good use of
a cloth sanitary pad (a sheet of square cloth) by demonstrating ingenuity infolding or piling such pads, and consider how to achieve comfort during yourperiods, you will realize that you do not have to endure your menstrual pain andthat you have the right to make decisions about yourself. These attitudes are
deeply related to your reproductive health/rights. At the seminar, the participants
were divided into groups to discuss sexual and reproductive health, such as the
positive effects of using cloth sanitary pads and troubles of menstruation.

“Can the potential of immigrants be maximized? The Characteristics
of Nepali Immigrants from a Gender Perspective”
Mayuko SANO (Associate Professor, Faculty of Integrated Human Studies
and Social Sciences, Fukuoka Prefectural University)

Masako TANAKA (Associate Professor, Faculty of Global Studies,
Sophia University)“Domestic Violence Victims Support in Taiwan, Province ofChina and Malaysia”
Chisato KITANAKA (Associate Professor, Harassment Consultation

Support for Accepting Indonesian Nurses
and the Lives of Indonesian Women
Date
Lecturer

Office, Hiroshima University)

Utako MATSUMURA (Lecturer, Faculty of Health and Science, Kansai
University of Welfare Sciences)

Sunday, February 28, 2016, 13:30–16:00
Yoshikazu HARADA (General Director, Foreign Nurse Support

Participants
Three teams of researchers gave presentations on the results of
their researches conducted from a gender perspective in Indonesia,
Nepal, Taiwan, Province of China Malaysia and Japan. The venue
was filled with researchers, students, members of women’sorganizations and others.
Listening to the presentations
attentively, they engaged inan active discussion.
For details of theresearch, please check
the KFAW website (onlyin Japanese).

Project, Kokura Medical Association)

Kanako ISHIDA (Instructor, Foreign Nurse Support
	

Project, Kokura Medical Association)

Satoko KANZAKI (KFAW Chief Researcher)
Participants 48
The Kokura Medical Association, Kitakyushu
City, provides support for Indonesian people who took
Japanese nurse examinations under the Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA), failed, and returned totheir home country, in order to take the examinations
again. At the seminar, members from the organization explained their support
activities. Afterwards, the KFAW researcher gave a presentation on the lives ofIndonesian women.

International Understanding Seminar“KFAW Consulate Series Part 7”

Learn More about Korea and Deepen the
Friendship between Japan and Korea
Date
Venue

countries could share common values, through literature and cultural interaction.
In addition, he referred to an episode involving one female student from Kyushu at
a Japan-Korea youth forum held a few years before. At the event, the female student
proposed that Korean and Japanese people should become “People of the Sea ofGenkai.” He said that her sense of community transcending national boundaries
had given him a great sense of hope.
He concluded the seminar by expressing hishope that the friendship between Japan and Korea
would be further deepened through Kyushu basedon the vision of neighbors that are close not only
geographically, but also emotionally.
At the seminar

Friday, March 4, 2016, 16:00–17:30
5th Floor Small Seminar Room,Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center MOVE
Park Ki-Jun Deputy Consul General of the Consulate

Lecturer	General of the Republic of Korea in Fukuoka

Participants 37
Deputy Consul General Park Ki-Jun spoke about a wide variety of topics,
including Japan and Korea’s respective women’s policies, histories, literature, andfood cultures. He also stated that Korea was a neighbor of Japan, and that the two

KFAW’s Visit to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia and Other Gender-Related Organizations
For six days from Sunday, November 29 to Friday, December 4, 2015,
we visited Phnom Penh City and Kampong Chhnang Province in Cambodia.
In the first half of the tour, we visited the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of
Cambodia, the JICA Cambodia Office and the Women Development Center(WDC), in order to exchange opinions regarding the program of the Seminaron Gender Mainstreaming Policies for Government Officers, which has
been commissioned by JICA to KFAW. In the second half, we visited twoNGOs, namely, the Cambodian Handicraft Association (CHA) and theCambodian Women’s Development Agency (CWDA), as well as a studiowhich has revitalized Kampong Chhnang Pottery, a type of ceramics

Location
Locationof of
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu

KITAKYUSHUKITAKYUSHUOTEMACHIOTEMACHIBUILDING
BUILDING
3F 3F In front of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Cambodia
OTEMACHIOTEMACHI
11-4,11-4,
KOKURAKITA,
KOKURAKITA,KITAKYUSHU,KITAKYUSHU,
803-0814
803-0814
JAPAN
JAPAN
FAX＋81-93-583-5195
FAX＋81-93-583-5195
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434
E-mail:E-mail:kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
URL:URL:
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

DalianDalianBeijing
Beijing
Locationof Seoul
Seoul
Tokyo
Tokyo
KITAKYUSHU OTEMACHI BUILDING 3F
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu

OTEMACHI 11-4, KOKURAKITA, KITAKYUSHU, 803-0814 JAPAN
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434
DalianFAX＋81-93-583-5195
E-mail: kfaw@kfaw.or.jp URL: http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en

KFAW

Beijing

produced during days of the Khmer Empire, inorder to learn about the activities of women in
the country.
This visit helped us learn not only about
the country’s gender issues, but also about
international society’s support for thedevelopment of the country, as well as about the
impact of the past severe Civil War on thepresent Cambodian society.

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