Women Today
The Beijing Declaration andPlatform for Action, 20 Years Later

United Nations Under-Secretary-Generaland Executive Director of UN Women

Ms. Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA
Twenty years ago, 189 governments came together tosign the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a
blueprint for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Generations have been inspired by this bold commitment
to change, and the past two decades have brought progresson many fronts – but we still have a long path ahead of us,which needs us to take transformative action.
We are seeing better laws to promote gender equality
and address violence against women and girls. Girls’
enrolment in primary and secondary education has
increased, more women are participating in the labour
force, especially in Latin America, and most regions havemade progress in increasing women’s access tocontraception, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and SouthAsia.
Yet many of the same barriers that were recognized by
the Beijing signatories are still in force globally and nocountry has achieved gender equality. At the current paceit will take us 81 years to achieve gender parity in economic
participation, and another 50 years before we see the equal
representation of women in politics.
The overall picture is of slow and uneven
implementation, with serious stagnation and evenregression in several areas. Around the world, womencurrently make up just 22 per cent of parliamentarians,
are consistently paid less than men, and shoulder adisproportionate burden of unpaid care work. Genderstereotypes continue to be deeply entrenched in the mindsof individuals, institutions and societies.
Persistent conflicts, the global financial and economic
crises, volatile food and energy prices, food insecurity andclimate change have also intensified inequalities, withspecific impacts on women and girls. Fragile gains towards
gender equality are threatened by rising extremism and its
backlash against women’s rights.
Progress has been particularly slow for the mostmarginalized women and girls who experience multiple
and intersecting forms of discrimination. Governments
and other stakeholders have in many cases taken strong
and positive action. But policy prioritization has not been
consistent across all critical areas of concern.
Urgent action is required in five priority areas:
1. Transforming discriminatory social norms and genderstereotypes.
2. Transforming the economy to achieve gender equality
and sustainable development.
3. Ensuring the full and equal participation of women indecision-making at all levels.
4. Significantly increasing investments in gender equality.
5. 
Strengthening accountability for gender equality andthe realization of the human rights of women and girls.

No.74 June 2015

Creating a world with greater equality for generations
to come is the defining challenge of this century. Genderequality and the realization of women’s human rights arefundamental for achieving human rights, peace andsecurity, and sustainable development and must be central
to the post-2015 development agenda.
We will know that we have succeeded in our efforts
when:• all women have equal rights, and equal access tojustice, power, resources and opportunities• all women and girls live their lives free from violenceand discrimination• women can make decisions about their bodies, healthand sexuality, free from discrimination, violence andcoercion• women enjoy equal pay for equal work, and equal accessto decent work
• unpaid care work is fairly shared between men andwomen and no longer presents a barrier for women’s
and girls’ participation in social, political and economiclife• women have an equal voice in decision-making at alllevels, including in peace and security discussions• persistent gender stereotypes and discriminatory
attitudes no longer limit opportunities and outcomes.
We have set 2030 as the expiry date for genderinequality. Achieving this will require unprecedented
political leadership, dedicated and vastly increased
resources, and new partnerships across the whole of society.
I urge all women, men, boys and girls to stand with us
as we develop and implement the new post-2015 development
agenda, at whose heart lies the renewed vision of a just,sustainable and prosperous world in balance – a 50:50
Planet.

Biography of Ms. Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA
Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is United Nations UnderSecretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women,sworn into office on 19 August 2013. She has worked ingovernment, private sector and civil society and was actively
involved in the struggle to end apartheid in her home countryof South Africa.
She was a member of South Africa’s first democratic
government and served as Deputy President from 2005 to
2008, overseeing programmes to combat poverty and bringthe advantages of a growing economy to the poor.
Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka began her career as a teacher andgained international experience as a coordinator at the WorldYWCA in Geneva, where she established a global programme
for young women. She is the founder of the Umlambo
Foundation, which supports leadership and education.

1

Current Issues Series
KFAW President

Mitsuko HORIUCHIThe United Nationsand Gender Equality:
Beyond Beijing + 20

Professor, Bunkyo Gakuin University Graduate Schoolof Foreign Studies (2006 to present). Currently holds theposts of the President of Kitakyushu Forum on Asian
Women, and Chairperson of Stop Child Labour Network.
Formerly, Director of the International Labour
Organization (ILO) Office in Japan as well as the ILO
Special Regional Advisor on Gender Issues (20012005), ILO Assistant Director-General for Asia and thePacific (1996-2000), Minister of the Permanent Missionof Japan to the United Nations (1993-1996) and Cabinet
Counselor and Director, Office for Women’s Affairs,
Prime Minister’s Office (1990-1993).

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of theWorld War II and the establishment of the United Nations.
Such milestone anniversaries offer an opportunity for the
UN to renew its commitment to world peace. The preambleof the UN Charter determines “to save succeeding
generations from the scourge of war and to reaffirm faith infundamental human rights and in the equal rights of men
and women.”
The UN has been making every effort to advance thestatus of women and gender equality since its inception. The
four world conferences on women which have been held since1975, International Women’s Year, have been tremendous
driving forces to promote gender equality at the national
level. At the Fourth World Conference on Women held in
Beijing in 1995, the Beijing Declaration and the Beijing
Platform for Action were adopted. Since that time these
instruments have afforded powerful policy /action guidelines
towards achieving gender equality worldwide. (The frontpage essay of this newsletter on Beijing + 20 by Dr. MlamboNgcuka, Executive Director, UN Women will give readers abetter understanding of the progress and challenges we have
faced and continue to face.)
For my part, I have been involved in two worldconferences, in Beijing and Nairobi, from inside or outside
the United Nations. In the Nairobi conference (Third World
Conference on Women) in 1985, I was staff of the UN; in the
Beijing I was a representative of the government delegation;
also involved in the conference preparation and follow-up.
With this experience, permit me to stress that national
policies and actions must be strengthened if future progress
is to be made.
Nor should we forget the great role that civil society or
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been playing
in the quest for gender equality. The UN recognizes NGOs’
important roles by granting consultative status in the
Economic and Social Council. There is no question thatNGOs have traditionally had great impact on the progress ofgender equality. They have been holding NGO world forums
parallel to the different governmental world conferences.
During the Beijing conference a parallel NGO Forum held in
Huairou drew more than 30,000 participants. At the 59th
session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW
59: Beijing + 20) as many as 400 parallel events wereorganized by NGOs. Furthermore it is noteworthy tomention that domestic NGOs became eligible for obtaining

consultative status in 1996; this makes many NGOs indeveloping countries even more active in the UN.
The Beijing Platform for Action identifies 12 criticalareas of concerns that are as relevant today as they were 20
years ago: poverty; education and training; health; violence;
armed conflict; the economy; power and decision-making;institutional mechanism; human rights; the media; theenvironment; and the girl-child. I should mention that six
issues/areas are noteworthy which have policy implications
as well. They include: empowerment; equal participation of
women and men in the decision making process; resurgenceof human rights; reproductive health; the girl child; andviolence against women including under armed conflict. At
the 23rd special session of the General Assembly in 2000
(Beijing +5) six other issues present challenges; trafficking
in persons; HIV/AIDS; indigenous women; ICT(Information
and Communication Technology); Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and the role of men and boys. The task of
CSW, an important UN organ of gender policy, is to follow up
on the said conference and session.
In conclusions, I will highlight just a few criticalchallenges. The Beijing conference transformed the policy
objective from the advancement of women’s status to abroader issue of gender equality which involves entire
society. Therefore, genser mainstreaming must be
strengthened in all spheres of society through assuring
gender-equal perspectives in every issue. One good practices
in the UN has been the adoption of Security Council
resolution 1325. We also must do our best this year tointegrate fully gender perspective into the Post-2015
Development Agenda. The second challenge is theempowerment of women. We must create an environment
conducive to the full exercise of women’s potential. The thirdchallenge is violence against women. In a time of terrorism
and extremist activities, in particular, we must take action
to prevent and protect women from gender-based violence.
The UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination against Women does not include violence
explicitly. Although there exist detailed CEDAW generalrecommendations on violence, I think it is imperative tocraft an optional protocol on violence against women. We
still have too many things to do if we are to attain genderequality. The Global Gender Gap Report 2014 suggests that
we will have to wait until 2095 for gender parity in theworkplace. I urge a new generation of advocates to join us
towards further progress.

2No.74 June 2015

Inviting KFAW Foreign Correspondents to Japan

World Report:

Asian Women Today– Learn More about the World from Foreign Correspondents!
The stereotype is still pervasive that women should stayhome, while men should work outside to earn money. Under
the matrimonial law of Indonesia, women are not regarded as
the head of a household. In addition, even if more appropriate
laws are established, there is a still long way to go in order torealize a gender equal society unless there is improvement in
the awareness of government officials, legal enforcement
organizations and the general public.

▪Date & Time:
Saturday, January 24, 2015, 10:00 – 12:00▪Venue:Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center, “MOVE,” 5th floor,
Main Seminar Room▪No. of Participants: 74▪Panelists:
Saboor AHMED (23rd KFAW foreign correspondent [Pakistan])
Marisna YULIANTI (24th KFAW foreign correspondent [Indonesia])
Swapna MAJUMDAR (22nd KFAW foreign correspondent [India])
Amelia LO (24th KFAW foreign correspondent [Hong Kong])

Lost Girls in India▪Coordinator:
Daisuke FUJII (Associate professor at the Faculty of International
Studies, Kyushu International University)

Report from Ms. Swapna MAJUMDAR(India)We held the seminar “World Report: Asian Women Today,”inviting four speakers from four Asian countries who
presently serve or used to serve as KFAW foreign
correspondents. At the event, they spoke about the situationof Asian women and children.

According to the FY 2011 national census of India, theratio of boys to girls aged between zero and six is 1,000 (boys)
to only 919 (girls). Behind this is the excessive preference forboys over girls in India. In particular, in poor areas of India,
brides need to pay a large dowry to bridegrooms, causing girls
to be regarded as an economic burden for their families.
Accordingly, on finding out that they will be having a girl,some pregnant women choose an abortion, leading to thedrastic decrease in the birth rate for girls over the past 30
years. Moreover, to control the population, the Indian
government had adopted a family planning policy, which
recommends that women undergo sterilization in exchange
for money and goods, and some women are forced by theirfamilies to have such an operation. To fight against thisviolation of women’s rights, many women are now standing
up one after another.

Current Situation of
Education in Pakistan
Report from Mr. Saboor AHMED(Pakistan)

In Pakistan, approximately 25 million children aged
between 5 and 16 do not go to school. The reasons include thefact that many parents in farming areas believe it unnecessary
for girls to receive an education, that schools are located too
far away, and that the quality of education is so low thatchildren cannot maintain their motivation to continue
studying. At the same time, thanks to awareness campaigns
promoted by Ms. Malala Yousafzai, who received the Nobel
Peace Prize, and NGOs, an increasing number of people are
beginning to notice the necessity of education. To improve thedomestic situation surrounding education, the government
has implemented various measures, such as providing freecompulsory education for children aged between 5 and 16,
and increasing the educational budget from the current 2% of
GDP to 4%.

Sadness of Female University
Graduates in Hong Kong
Report from Ms. Amelia LO(Hong Kong)

In Hong Kong, even excellent female university graduates
are expected by the people around them to get married once
they begin to work as a full-fledged member of society. This
forces them to face various forms of pressure. Also, thecultural values of the past demand that they should quit theirjobs after having a baby, and devote themselves to householdchores. Amidst this situation, there are signs of a change inthe legal system of Hong Kong. In the past, when getting
divorced and living separately, there were few cases where
women were recognized for their contribution in the form ofhousehold chores that they had continued making sincequitting their jobs on the request of their husbands. Presently,
however, in case of a long-term marriage, the principle is theequal distribution of the couple’s assets between the husband
and wife. It is necessary to change people’s stereotypicalperception of gender roles, not only through the establishmentof appropriate laws and systems, but also through education

Women in Indonesia:
Hope and Trial
Report from Ms. Marisna YULIANTI(Indonesia)

In Indonesia, a wide variety of laws and treaties havebeen adopted to date, in order to achieve a gender equal
society. However, the operation of these laws and treaties isinfluenced by biased cultural values and sexual
discrimination, biased interpretations of religious doctrines,
and the lack of appropriate awareness by government officials.

No.74 June 20153and awareness programs.

▼

The reports from these foreign correspondents were
followed by a Q&A session in English between the foreign
correspondents and eight university students in
Kitakyushu City who participated in the event as
supporters. The students asked questions such as what
action local people were taking in order to achieve agender-equal society, and why the status of women was
low in each country.
After the seminar, we held an interaction event,where participants actively exchanged opinions with theforeign correspondents in a fun atmosphere.

Q&A session at World Report

KFAW Foreign Correspondents Visit an Elementary School in Kitakyushu City
Afterwards, as a token of their appreciation, thestudents sang two songs for the foreign correspondents. At
the end of the class, they ate school lunch together andenjoyed chatting. We feelthat this program served as
an invaluable opportunity
for both students andforeign correspondents todeepen their interest in,andunderstandingofdifferent
culturesandoverseas customs.

▪Date & Time: Friday, January 23, 2015, 10:00 - 12:30▪Venue: Kokura-Chuo Elementary School

KFAW foreign correspondents visited an elementary
school in Kitakyushu City (Kokura-Chuo Elementary
School) and interacted with the school’s fourth-gradestudents as part of the school’s international understanding
program.

▼

The students asked the foreign correspondents
questions on the lifestyles and school life in their respective
countries. The questions ranged from how students
studied and played at school, to what types of sports were
popular. They enjoyed exchanging opinions on various
topics in a fun atmosphere.
After this session, the students introduced Japaneseculture to the visitors. They demonstrated Japanesecalligraphy, origami (paper-folding), kendama and someother traditional Japanese play activities, as well as
Kitakyushu-gion-daiko
drumming.
The
foreigncorrespondents tried some of them.

Exchange Programa t Ko k u ra - C h u oElementary School

International Interaction Program for KFAW Foreign Correspondents and University Students in Kitakyushu City
Area and Kokura Castle.
It seems that introducing Kitakyushu in English toforeigncorrespondents
from four countries was aninvaluable experience forthe university students.
Meanwhile, the foreign
correspondents said thatthey were impressed withthe history of Kitakyushu
and the beautiful sceneryof the Kanmon Strait.

▪Date & Time: Friday, January 23, 2015, 14:00 – 17:30▪Venue: Cultural facilities and other spots in Kitakyushu(Yahata, Moji, and Kokura)

The other day, we held an international interaction
program for KFAW foreign correspondents anduniversity students in Kitakyushu City. As part of ourefforts to develop next generation human resources topromote international cooperation, this program was
jointly organized with university students in the city. As
part of the program, eight university students in
Kitakyushu City (from Seinan Jo Gakuin University
and Kyushu International University) guided foreign
correspondents in English around cultural facilities andother spots in the city.
The university students first took the foreign
correspondents to the Kitakyushu Museum of Natural
History & Human History, and explained the history of
Kitakyushu. Afterwards, they visited the Mojiko RetroI n f r o n t o f Ko k u r aCastle (KFAW Foreign
Correspondents anduniversity students)

4No.74 June 2015

Foreign Correspondents’ Report
ProfileGender Equality in the Philippines:
The LGBTQ Community and TheirFight for Freedom

I am a graduate of International Studies, major indevelopment studies minor in gender studies of Miriam College,
Philippines. I am a co-author of a published research paper in
KANITA Inaugural Postgraduate Conference on GenderStudies at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang, Malaysia. I am
also affiliated with the Development Action for Women Network(DAWN), a non-government organization that caters to theneeds of Japanese-Filipino children (JFC) in the Philippines. As
a JFC member of DAWN, I was able to contribute in voicing out
our sentiments through our annual “Teatro Akebono” by sharing
our life stories with Filipino and Japanese audiences.

Ms. Arisa JUNIO (Philippines)
On October 11, 2014, a transgender woman was foundlifeless while her body was slumped on the floor, her neckcovered with injuries, and her head leaning against a toilet
bowl in the bathroom of a hotel in Olongapo City, thePhilippines. The prime suspect of her murder was a 19-yearold US Marine Pfc. who was in the Philippines for a joint
military exercise under the Visiting Forces Agreement(VFA) between the United States of America (USA) and thePhilippines. According to the investigations, the suspect
checked in with her for sexual services. Then he found outthat his sex partner was a trans woman, which triggered
the murder. This is a hate crime against the transgenderwoman.
This horrendous case was a wake-up call sent not only to
the Philippines, but also to the whole world about the threats
and dangers the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender andqueer (LGBTQ) communities are facing.

Gender Fair Policies towards the LGBTQ Community in
the Philippines
The Anti-Discrimination Act was filed in the House ofRepresentatives of the Philippines in 2013. This bill aims toeliminate all forms of discrimination which offends theequal protection clause in the Bill of Rights. According to
the proposed bill, discrimination “shall be understood toimply any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference,
which is based on any ground such as sex, sexual orientation,
gender identity..., and which has the purpose or effect of...
impairing the recognition...by all persons of an equal footingof all rights and freedoms.” Unfortunately, the bill remains
in a pending stage due to countering efforts by the Catholic
Church.
Quezon City, the largest city by area in the Philippines,
made a historic move for the LGBTQ community throughthe passage of a pro-LGBT ordinance of the city in 2014. The“Gender-Fair City” ordinance aims to protect LGBTQ rights
in the workplace, schools and accommodations, as well as
their rights to access basic services. Moreover, this ordinanceprohibits discrimination against homosexuals.

Fight for LGBTQ Rights in the Philippines
Through the Global Gender Gap Report 2014, the World
Economic Forum assesses and evaluates the genderdisparities and tracks the gender progress of 142 countries
over time. As a means of achieving this, “The Global Gender
Gap Index seeks to measure one important aspect of genderequality through relative gaps between women and men
across four key areas: health, education, economy, andpolitics.” Among the top 10 countries with high genderequality, the Philippines is ranked 9th, followed by Belgium
in 10th place. This was a great achievement made by thecountry towards gender equality. But the question is: what
does this case imply and what is happening to the people of
LGBTQ community?
In 1994, the first organized gay pride parade in thePhilippines was held. The Metro Manila Pride Marchgathered LGBTQ rights advocates and supporters in Manila
to express solidarity with one another, despite a lot ofpressure from the Roman Catholic Church. It must be taken
into consideration that the Philippines is predominantly a
Catholic nation and it prohibits same-sex relationships andsexual activities. In 2013, another pride march wasorganized wherein “the parade emphasizes the ability of the
LGBTQ community to rise up from oppression” (Tamboon,
cited in Rappler 2014). Despite their fight for acceptance, theLGBTQ community believes that a lot of work should bedone to fight discrimination. One avenue to be considered isthe legal system and its gender fairness not only for womenand men, but also for the LGBTQ community.

No.74 June 20152013 Pride March held at the University of the Philippines. Photofrom Buena Bernal/Rappler.com

LGBTQ rights as gender rights
Let us all remember that it is not only women and men
who should be considered when gender equality is discussed.
True gender equality deals with the empowerment of themarginalized sectors of society; women who are deprived of
their basic rights, men who are abused and laughed at due
to social anomalies, and the LGBTQ community that
continues to face discrimination and hatred, which hinder
their full potential as persons and human beings.

5

KFAW Study Tour2014 Learn International Cooperation in the Philippines

Schedule

From Monday, February 23, 2015 to Wednesday, March 4 we held the Study Tour “2014 Learn International Cooperation in thePhilippines.” On this tour, participants visited support facilities for women and children, experienced home-stay in a village of indigenous
people, and visited a fair-trade organization and a slum area, in order to learn about of poverty issues in the Philippines and international
cooperation. Extending invitations to the general public, the 2014 tour attracted a total of seven participants.
the instructor attentively on a street corner. It was impressivethat when children talking about their past began to cry
during the class, other children gave a hug of comfort. Being
supported by the organization, some were able to enroll in auniversity.

February 23 (Mon.): Departure from Fukuoka to Manila
February 24 (Tue.): Visit to the PREDA Foundation
February 25 (Wed.): V isit to the Home for Boys and the indigenous Aeta

MAO Community
February 26 (Thu.): Eco tourism in the MAO Community
February 27 (Fri.): Visit to the Home for Girls
February 28 (Sat.): Visit to DAWN and ChildHope
March 1 (Sun.): Visit to a slum area

Visit to the Slum Area of Navotas

March 2 (Mon.): Visit to a fair trade organization and an elementary school

The tour participants then visited the slum area of
Navotas in the Metropolitan Manila and joined a volunteer
clean-up activity. They had imagined that the slum area
would be more deserted, but children were playing vigorously
on a basketball court in an open space, and there were foodstores and grocers in thestreet. Although the conditions
were not so hygienic, forexample, in terms of sewage
treatment, the area was much
more vibrant than expected totheir surprise.
Street Education

March 3 (Tue.): Visit to Miriam College
March 4 (Wed.): Departure from Manila to Fukuoka

The following are the activities during the Study Tour.

Visit to the Indigenous Aeta MAO Community
Currently, there are 305 households in the Philippine
indigenous Aeta MAO Community. After arriving at thecommunity in about a two-hour drive, the tour participants
visited Mayor Salvador Dimain’s house and listened to histalk about the MAO’s history and current situation.
Afterwards, divided into five groups, the tour participants
experienced home-stay in the community. On the following
day, guided by the mayor and other members of the community,
the tour participants went on an eco tour, about a five-hourround trip. Starting from the mayor’s house, they walked
through the forest to and from the pond located in the
upstream area of the river. The mayor gave a full explanationof each of the herbs good for burns and cuts, as well as theedible fruits. This enabled the tour participants to feel therespect that people in the MAO had toward nature, as well as
their expertise in herbs and edible plants and theirenvironment preservation activities.
Returning to the community, the tour participants joined
a volunteer activity: While the mothers in the community
cooked rice porridge using a large amount of chicken, rice andvegetables that had been bought at a market for about 200
children on the kitchen stove at the mayor’s house, theJapanese tour participants served it into bowls and distributed
it to the children. At a night-time interaction event, the tour
participants
expressed
their appreciation to thecommunity members, andthey sang songs together.
It seemed that under the
wonderful starry sky, thetour participants enjoyeda marvelous interaction
Meal service volunteer activity at
MAO Community
with people in the MAO.

Visit to the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI)of Miriam College
On the final day, they visited the Women and Gender
Institute (WAGI) of Miriam College, which is designated as agender activity base for UNESCO. They listened to a lecture
by WAGI Executive Director Professor Aurora Javate De Dios
regarding the current gender situation in the Philippines.
In a Q&A session, asked what she thought of thePhilippines’ ranking of No.1 in Asia in the Gender Gap Index,
Professor Aurora Javate De Dios commented along the lines ofthe following: “Personally speaking, I don’t feel that the index
is very accurate; it examines only four areas of inequality.
Currently, the Philippines is placed 10th in the world, but I
feel that it would be appropriate for the country to be placed
anywhere between 40th and 50th in a practical sense.”
Impressively, the professor also said: “In terms of education,
the Philippines is an advanced country. In the Philippines,
there are still many poor families and many people cannot
leave land or money to their children. Nevertheless, they wantto ensure that their children at least receive an education.
This is largely due to our culture rather than the country’s
institutional security.”

Opinions and Comments from Participants◦I was able to have some invaluable experiences, such as home-stayin the MAO, which no ordinary tour can offer.
◦I had many opportunities to communicate with local people, which
will become a lifetime asset for me.
◦I felt that the effect of poverty on children is serious.
◦The interactions with the indigenous people and children in theslum area was very significant.
◦This tour has made me keenly aware of how blessed I am to havea house, food, and clothing, as well as to go to school.

Visit to ChildHope
The tour participants visited ChildHope, a support
Organization for street children, in order to learn about socalled “street education,” which is offered to homeless children.
When they visited, about a dozen children were listening to

6No.74 June 2015

Information

ISSN
ISSN
0918-82660918-8266

25th Seminar on KFAW Research Activities

ISSN 0918-8266
ISSN 0918-8266▪Date & Time: Saturday, February 7, 2015, 13:30 – 15:30
2013/14 visiting researchers▪Themes & Reporters:presented the results of their“Unchanged View of the Division of Gender Roles in Marriage:
research which was carried out respectively for two years.
Interviews with Married Women in Japan”
SASAGAWA and QUITAHALA emphasized that in order to
2013/14 KFAW Visiting Researcher and Co-Researcherchange the gender role division of married couples in Japan,
Ayumi SASAGAWA
husbands need to realize their responsibility toward their family(Part-time Lecturer, Musashino University)
life as well as more actively participate in housework andLemmin QUITAHALA
childrearing. Moreover, it is important that
(Part-time Lecturer, Otsuma Women’s University)
society accepts men’s greater involvement infamily life.
“Globalization among Women in Japan and Korea: The
Perspectives of Identity, English Ability, and Social Networks”
2013/14 KFAW Visiting Researcher
Junko Matsuzaki CARREIRA*Research details are available at the KFAW wab site―“Journal of Asian Women’s Studies Vol. 22” and the
KFAW’s publication Asia Josei Kenkyu Vol. 24 (inJapanese), issued in March 2015.

(Associate Professor, Tokyo Keizai University)

International Understanding Seminar,

KFAW Consulate Series 5: U.S. Global Efforts against DV and Human Trafficking▪Date & Time: Wednesday, March 11, 2015, 15:00 – 16:30▪Venue: Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center,“MOVE,” 5th floor, Small Seminar Room
▪Lecturer: Daniel Callahan (Consul for Political andEconomic Affairs, U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka)▪No. of participants: 4 5

would become more important in this field as well.
He also described the elimination of human trafficking asa critical problem on a global scale. He stated that although
there were more than 20 million victims of human trafficking
throughout the world, what mattered was not just the number
but also the fact that there were more than 20 million storiesof those victims around the world. He said that we needed tolisten to these stories.
The U.S. government recognizes human trafficking as apriority issue both at home and abroad. To eradicate humantrafficking, the government provides subsidies as a backup
for organizations for supporting victims of human trafficking.
(In FY 2014, the government provided 41 projects withfinancial support, equivalent to approximately 2.1 billion yen.)
To eliminate human trafficking, the government cooperates
with civil society and private organizations, and also uses
diplomatic channels to work together with countries that havedeclared support for the elimination of human trafficking.
In addition, the U.S. government annually prepares the
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, announcing efforts madeby the U.S. and other countries. In this report, the government
selects individuals working to eliminate human trafficking as
heroes, and spreads their activities to the world.
Consul Callahan concluded the lecture by commenting
along the following lines: “There are many things that each of
you can do in order toeliminateawidevariety of forms ofviolence and humantrafficking. Everybody
can a hero.”In the fifth round of the KFAW Consulate Series, lectures
given by consuls in Fukuoka, Consul Daniel Callahan at the
U.S. Consulate in Fukuoka spoke about the latest situation in
the U.S. regarding a wide range of human rights issues.
Regarding the elimination of all forms of violence against
women and human trafficking as part of its priority issues, theU.S. government is implementing a wide variety of measuresboth domestically and internationally. In 2012, President
Obama issued an Executive Order on Preventing andResponding to Violence Against Women and Girls Globally.
This national strategy aims to promote further efforts toenhance the status of women around the world and genderequality, which the U.S. has been working on as part of its
diplomatic policies, and to establish a society in whichpeople can pursue their dreams free from fear of violence.
In the seminar, Consul Callahan introduced the U.S.
government’s efforts to prevent gender discrimination incooperation with NGOs, citizens’ organizations and foreigncountries. He explained that the U.S. government’s foreign
aid programs and international support programs ensured
incorporation of measures against gender violence.
He also indicated that within the Japanese government,
the elimination of violence was recently positioned as more
important than it used to be, and that Japan-U.S. cooperation

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E-mail:E-mail:kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
kfaw@kfaw.or.jp
URL:URL:
http://www.kfaw.or.jp/index.html.en
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