Women Today
In Search of Gender Equality: Lessons
from a Lifelong Activist Engagement

Ms. Aurora Javate de DIOS

indispensable tool in advancing women’s rights globally. The work of
CEDAW is essentially setting norms and standards in the treatmentof women and girls in a manner consistent with human rights
principles. While the work in CEDAW is significant, I realize in thecourse of my work, that it can only do so much by encouraging
countries to make improvements in the situation of women based onreports submitted to the Committee. The active participation of NGOs
through the submission of shadow reports has definitely made thereporting process more dynamic and engaging. It must be noted,
however, that the enforcement of CEDAW recommendations at the
ground level still remains in the hands of national governments
working with civil society and the private sector.
Working with the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion andProtection of Women and Children’s Rights had a totally different setof procedures compared to UNCEDAW. Although our mandate
requires the Commission to promote and protect women and children’s
rights, our ability to monitor the performance of the ten ASEAN
countries in this regard is severely limited. The members areappointed and as such have no independent standing. The members
are very careful in offending the sensitivities of ASEAN member
countries and are constrained to criticize human rights abuses ofwomen and children. Nevertheless, the ACWC has been quite
productive in coming up with norms and standards in addressing
violence against women and children, in producing research andreviewing the progress made by countries in promoting human rights
and gender equality in the ASEAN. Although regular dialogue,
cooperation and collaboration with NGOs in the region still needs tobe strengthened and there are serious questions regarding theeffectiveness of ASEAN human rights mechanisms in addressing
critical human rights issues, the fact is that human rights is now partof the agenda in ASEAN.
Women’s human rights and gender equality remain seriously
contested terrains in many societies. To be sure, the record in the lastten years have been quite uneven and in some areas have shown
evidence of regression. Since promoting women’s rights and genderequality is part of social change processes in general, there are anumber of challenges that need to be noted. One is the political will
and commitment of governments to implement programs andadvocacies on women at the national and local levels. Second, theemergence of fundamentalist/regressive forces that seriously threaten
to reverse the gains that have already made by women. The issue ofcontinuing relevance is the third issue that I am concerned about.
New generations of young women and men who are used to the fast
pace of the ICT age, may not be as enthusiastic and committed to

Women’s rights and gender equality are the terms that havealready become acceptable to many governments all over the world.
Translating these important concepts into reality, however, requires
more than just documents, laws and policies. It takes active andconstant engagement by women activists on the ground working withgovernments, institutions such as in education, media, religion andculture and even the family to achieve these twin goals. Twenty years
after the landmark of World Conference on Women in Beijing, women’ssituation across the different regions has improved in many areas.
There is undoubtedly a greater awareness of economic, political andsocial-cultural issues affecting women and many viable initiatives
and innovative programs have emerged in response to these issues. In
the area of women’s human rights, the recognition and acknowledgment
by governments and the international community of the concept of“women’s rights are human rights” stands out as the most importantone. Previous to human rights, the concepts did not specifically focus
on distinctive forms of violence against women that women experiencein the public and private spheres. Domestic violence, trafficking andprostitution as well as persistent inequalities in the valuing women’s
work and in women’s political participation in parliaments andgovernance; legal and cultural restrictions to women’s rights onproperty and asset ownership as well as in their claims to citizenshipare now acknowledged as hindrances and constraints to the fulldevelopment of women as human beings equal to men.
I was quite privileged to be involved in our country’s efforts topromote women’s rights and gender equality as a young activist of thewomen’s movement and as a government representative at thenational, UN and ASEAN levels. I got involved with the group
Kalayaan (Freedom), one of many groups that was formed after theoverthrow of the Marcos dictatorship. This organization pioneered inraising awareness on the issue of violence against women in the late80s. Its leaders including myself later led in the formation of various
pioneering networks in the Philippines such as the Coalition Against
Trafficking in Women Asia Pacific, Woman Health, the Women’s
Crisis Center and the Women’s Studies Association of the Philippines.
I was invited to work with the government as Commissioner and later
as Chair of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino where I
worked on three strategic thematic areas of women’s human rights,
gender responsive governance and women’s economic empowerment.
During my term as Chairperson, NCRFW was able to push for thepassage of two landmark laws - the Anti-Trafficking in Persons
Especially Women and Children, and the Act addressing Violence
Against Women. As research and monitoring later showed, laws
protecting women, no matter how progressive, are as only as good astheir implementation.
At the United Nations CEDAW Committee where I sat for four
years as a member examining the reports of over 66 countries, I
learned that the situation and challenges faced by women in different
countries living in diverse political, economic and cultural settings
vary a great deal. As an independent expert, I had the chance toexpress my opinions and recommendations to the representatives of
the countries that were reporting in a frank and substantive way. In
my reviews of different countries I realize that the existence of
democratic spaces and the activism of civil society particularly of thewomen’s movement are critically important in fighting for women’s
rights. As a monitoring mechanism supported by stakeholders, suchas governments and civil society, UN CEDAW has become an

No.78 November 2016

Executive Director, Women and
Gender Institute, Miriam College

Biography of Ms. Aurora Javate de DIOS
Professor Aurora Javate de Dios is currently the Executive
Director of the Women and Gender Institute at Miriam College,
the Philippines. She is also currently the Philippine Representative
to the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of
Women and Children’s Rights, one of the human rights bodies of
ASEAN. She heads the Coalition Against Trafficking in WomenInternational and she is Co-Convener of the Women’s Peace
Collective. She was also Commissioner and Chair of the National
Commission on Role of Filipino Women and served as a memberof the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women .

1

continuing the work of the women’s movement as they do not see thisas relevant to their lives. More engagement and education is needed
to establish the transition from old generation of the women’s
movement to the new, modern and young generation to continue thestruggle for gender equality.
My lifelong engagement in fighting for women’s human rights
and gender equality in formal policy spaces at the national andregional levels has taught me that social change which includes theachievement for gender equality and women’s human rights does not

happen overnight. These goals are contested terrains that are
constantly challenged by regressive/fundamentalist forces and factorsthat continue to hinder the advancement of women. Women must,through their individual and organized efforts, continue to interrogate
and challenge ideas, institutions and leaders that deny and deprive
them of their rights and in the process build alternative narratives
and institutions of empowerment for women and girls in the present
and future generations. It is a lifelong journey that women need totake.

Current Issues Series
Globalization of Gender
Inequalities:
Discussions from the
Perspectives of Foreign
Domestic Workers(Part 1)

Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social and Cultural
Studies, Kyushu University

Ms. Reiko OGAWA
Prof. Reiko OGAWA assumed her current position afterworking in the field of international development in Southeast
Asia. She served as a co-researcher at the National Museumof Ethnology and as a visiting researcher at the Kitakyushu
Forum on Asian Women. Her publications include: Social
Issues and Policies in Asia: Family, Ageing and Work (Coauthored, Cambridge Scholars Publishing)Child care and elderly care are an integral part of our lives. The
children who are loved and nurtured by their family and community
can grow up without anxiety. Also, senior citizens would like to live indignity and maintain their own lifestyles until the last moment intheir lives. Many women, however, are concerned about striking thebest balance between their career and private life. Some women
cannot have children even if they wish to do so. Other women hesitate
to take parental leave worrying about pressure from the workplace.
And some others have no choice but to stop working because they
have to care for their elderly parents. Many of the young generationwish to get married and have children but the social environment is
not conducive to do so. The issue of care has now become a part of thepolitical agenda that needs to be addressed.
Almost everyday the media covers stories related to child careand elderly care; children on the waiting list for admission to childcare
centers; issues of child poverty and abuse of senior citizens. The
studies reveal that one in every six children suffers from poverty, andhigh rate of poverty has also been experienced among single mothers.
These facts makes one wonder whether Japan is truly a developed
country. Although some developed countries have improved their total
fertility rate, the fact that few women in Japan can achieve asatisfactory work-life balance has contributed to a declining birthrate. Since Japan’s social reproduction is declining, it is expected thatJapan’s total population will fall below 100 million in about 30 years.
Interestingly, if we look back, exactly 30 years ago, Japan had an
opportunity to shift towards a more equal, diverse and inclusive
society. The Equal Employment Opportunity Law was establishedafter the Japanese government ratified the UN Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
Before the establishment of this law, there had been no laws
prohibiting gender discrimination at workplace. In this regard, thislaw represented great progress because it called for gender equality inthe labour market. However, to ensure that women can endure long
working hours and accept transfer offers as men do, there is a need todevelop a social structure to support the care burden. Although 30
years have passed since the enactment of the law, no fundamental
measures have been taken since then to decrease the care burden
placed on women. Furthermore, the gender gap has also not been
reduced. In the Global Gender Gap Index of World Economic Forum,
Japan ranks 111th out of 144 countries, even further down from 80th in2006. In addition, Japan ranks the third lowest of all OECD countries

in terms of gender and wage disparity. Sixty percent of working
women quit their job when they have their first child and 53.8% ofthem are not regular workers. This data indicates that only a little
has been achieved over the past 3 decades in terms of gender equality.
These trends show that Japan is a country where women still face
many difficulty in their lives. If they are required to bear the fullburden of household chores and care work while working as men do,
how can a women ‘shine’ or ‘demonstrate their capabilities to thefullest possible extend’?
Meanwhile, the Japanese government is trying to introduce longterm care workers from abroad as “Technical Intern Trainees’ toprepare for the aging of baby boomers rather than seriously reviewing
its previous policy failures. Furthermore, in the designated National
Strategic Special Zones, the government is also attempting to
introduce foreign domestic workers in order to encourage Japanesewomen to enter the labour market. What will happen if elderly care,childcare and household chores are outsourced to migrant womenfrom other Asian countries while gender “inequality” and the worklife “imbalance” continue? Such migrant workers are, of course,
foreigners, and many of them are women leaving their country andfamilies because of an economic gap. After entering Japan as care/domestic workers, this places them in an even more disadvantaged
position than that of Japanese women. In some Asian countries andthe Middle East, the violation of human rights of live-in migrant
domestic workers is becoming a serious problem. Although theInternational Labor Organization (ILO) adopted the Domestic
Workers Convention (No. 189), Japan has not yet ratified it.
Feminism has not only problematized gender inequality but also
revealed the differences among women according to class, ethnicity,religion and sexuality. Today, without drastic improvement to address
the gender inequality in the Japanese society, the government istrying to outsource care work to migrant women, whose position ismore vulnerable than that of Japanese women. This means thatJapanese women and migrant women from other Asian countries willmeet as employers and employees, respectively. When Japanesewomen marginalized from society meet migrant women placed on amore disadvantaged position than themselves, the lingering questionis, will this lead to a new solidarity and advocacy or will they simply
transfer discrimination and exploitation to more disadvantaged
women?

2

No.78 November 2016

The 26th KFAW Foreign Correspondents Kick-off Activities!

In 1991, the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) established a foreign correspondents system to broadly
network with people overseas, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Past and present foreign correspondents are
292 people in 41 countries in total. This year, 7 persons from 6 countries are selected and work as KFAW foreign
correspondents. Through this network, KFAW will keep providing up-to-date information from various parts of theworld. The profiles of the correspondents and other reports are available at the KFAW website (http://www.kfaw.
or.jp/correspondents/index.html.en).
Bangladesh

Hong Kong

India

Indonesia

Mr. Bablu RAHMAN

Ms. Yin Wah Amelia LO

Ms. Swapna MAJUMDAR

Ms. Sholihatun KIPTIYAH

Nepal

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Ms. Bharati POKHAREL

Ms. Mallikarachchige Thilini
Nayanarasi WIJETUNGE

Ms. Vindyha WEERATUNGA

Journalist and Peace
ProviderFreelance Journalist andConsultant

Trainee (HK) andAttorney (NY)Freelance Journalist

Social Researcher

PhD candidate, Universityof New South Wales

Lecturer in English, General Sir John
Kotelawala Defence University, Sri Lanka■ Foreign Correspondents’ Reports
ProfileAfter obtaining my BA (Hons) from the University of Kelaniya in
2008, I joined the Department of Modern Languages in the same
university as an Assistant Lecturer in French. In the meantime, I
followed my Master’s in Linguistics at University of Kelaniya andalso obtained a Master’s in International Relations from Universityof Colombo. After completing two years of service at University of
Kelaniya, I joined Kotelawala Defence University as a lecturer inEnglish in 2011 and have been here to date. Currently, I am
pursuing my M.Phil degree at University of Colombo.

Community Aspirations for Children’s Education in Sri Lanka
Ms. Mallikarachchige Thilini Nayanarasi WIJETUNGE (Sri Lanka)
Sri Lanka has been maintaining a very high record inliteracy which is more than 90 percent, for years because of
the long standing free education and positive social policies
prevalent in the country. There is no gender discrimination in
the education system either. Consequently, majority of theparents at present know the importance of education and are
keen to provide a good education for their children disregarding
the gender. Because of that, parents prefer to send theirchildren to good schools. Although the school network isavailable throughout the country, there are regional disparities
in the school system. National schools located in cities are
considered as good schools, because they are provided withfacilities and good teachers. Compared to facilities available
in urban schools, however, those in remote schools located ineconomically poor regions are very limited.
In Sri Lanka there is a huge competition among parents
who belong to upper, upper middle and middle level of social
classes to get their children admitted to good schools locatedin major cities of the country. Affluent parents often prefer toadmit their children to reputed schools situated in Colombo
which is the capital of the country since they are aware of thefact that these schools have a lot of facilities and good teaching
staff. Also they know that most of the educated people in the
country happen to be the products of these schools and theywould like to take pridein sending their children
to the same reputed
schools. While providing
quality education, theparents ensure that
their children will growup with students in the
The rural school children of Sri Lanka
same background.

No.78 November 2016

Nevertheless,schools available inmajor cities are notadequate to meet thisdemand. In response tothis demand a number
The urban/ international schoolof private schools havechildren in Sri Lanka
emerged in the country
in the recent past.
When parents fail to admit their children to well-known
reputed schools, they send their children to private schools
which are known as international schools, because childrenof expatriates also attend these schools. Since the medium of
instruction is English in these schools, some parents are
happy to see their children studying in English medium.
Having known that knowledge of English is essential tosecure a job in the present job market, many parents preferto send their children to such international schools.
Situation is much different when it comes to economicallydisadvantaged rural areas. Despite the substantial
expenditure incurred by the government on education, manyrural schools do not have necessary facilities and teachers toprovide quality education to the children. Some schools have
only one dilapidated building with only one or two teachers.
Many schools have the difficulty in retaining teachers as
they lack accommodation and other facilities in those areas.
In some schools, children are compelled to sit on the floor as
they do not have even desks and chairs. Many schools alsolack water and sanitation facilities. Only parents belonging
to lower social strata send their children to these schools as
they cannot afford to send them to better schools situated in
nearby cities.
Girls are most vulnerable to this situation due to the3combination of a couple of common factors. Poverty is amajor reason. Many girls are forced to leave schools whileothers never have the opportunity to go in the first place.
Many parents do not wish to send their daughters to far
away schools due to security concerns. Everyday newspapers
carry stories about rape and sexual abuses. Girls are more
prone to sexual violence in rural areas. Although there was a
big protest against the perpetrators, this kind of incidents
occur very frequently.
There are also other reasons associated with poverty
which have negative impact on girls’ education. In poor ruralcommunities, many mothers tend to go abroad as domestic
servants because of their poverty. In the absence of mothers’,

older girl children have to sacrifice their education as they
are supposed to assume household responsibilities.
Despite the above drawbacks, girls excel in education
once they are given the opportunity. It has been revealed
that the number of girls who succeed in higher education ismuch higher than that of boys. Women’s population in the
country is more than 50% and girls in urban areas haveequal access to education with more facilities than what is
enjoyed by their rural counterparts. These reasons affect theachievements of girls in higher education. In view of thissituation the State has to take more positive measures topromote education in Sri Lanka.

ProfileI graduated from Nagoya University with a degree inInternational Development. I consider myself a social wandererwith a passion for seeing what is going on in the world. My
wandering activities sometimes lead me to places where I cansee how people live their lives. I often hang out in vegetable
shops, which is really useful for me since I can get businessinsights there. I got to know there are some business
opportunities in those places such as papaya supplying
business. Discussing empowerment is one of my hobbies.

Imas : Girl’s PowerMs. Sholihatun KIPTIYAH (Indonesia)
Her name is Siti Masruroh, or is simply called Imas or
Uroh. I would rather call her Imas. Imas is a 19-year-old
girl coming from a Ketanggungan, a small village in Brebes,
a county located in Central Java. She has been in Jakarta,
the capital city of Indonesia for about 5 years, since her
graduation from a junior high school.
When she first came to Jakarta, she worked as ahousekeeper of wealthy family in North Jakarta. She wasthere for about a year, then she moved to Warung Kifana, asmall food stall nearby my place. I made friends with herwhen I started eating at her work place. I got to know about
her life and her family. She is the oldest of the four children,of whom all are girls. Her mother sells snacks by bike. Her
father works as a kind of junk collector. When she was on
the second grade of a junior high school, her father got abank loan, but was unable to pay the loan easily. As a result,
Imas started working while schooling to pay for school’s
supplies and stuffs. Imas worked in the field as a labourer,
or sold snacks at school during the break time. Imas also
could not go to high school.
When Imas started working at Warung Kifana, she got
more time to relax between serving customers. She also
enjoyed chatting with many customers, listening to theirconversations, which is enriching her knowledge. One day,a customer told her to go for high school diploma through avocational program. Imas arranged her work schedule inorder to attend the school. She now holds the certificatethat is equivalent to high school graduate.
Imas said that her dream was to be better than her
parents. She wanted to pursue her dream and enjoy her
youth. In her village, many girls get married so young, at 17
or 18 years old. Imas prefers to delay getting married alittle. Besides enjoying her youth, she is determined to send
her younger sister to high school. Her younger sister is now
at junior high school and same as Imas, also earns money
by selling snacks at school. Every month, Imas sends somemoney from her salary, to help her mother pay some bills.
Besides working at the restaurant, Imas, on her day off,
also works as a cleaner in an apartment complex near therestaurant. She has about 3 clients there.
The village where Imas came from is quite traditional
although it is not located in a remote area. The people there
still consider women as “second class” human being. Many
girls only graduate from elementary school, and go to big
cities to work as maids or baby sitters. Some of them went
abroad to become migrant workers, especially maids. The
mindset exists in her village that girls should not get higher
education, because eventually they will only become
housewives. In fact, few girls get higher education.
Imas tries to visit her hometown every four months.
Whenever she comes home, her parents ask about her planto get married, her neighbors also irritate her about her
single status despite her age before twenty years old. When
Imas was seventeen years old, her family arranged amarriage for her, but she refused. She is determined toenjoy her journey and her youth before getting married. It
is obvious that Imas is not an extraordinary woman. But
her determination is already influencing her younger sister
who is currently at junior high school. Her sister will go tohigh school and also make a journey of life before settlingdown.
I might say that Imas story is not a common story. But
it is happening. Many underage children, work to earnmoney and are unable to pursue higher education. In thecase of Imas, she is lucky that she is in the environment, inJakarta, where people support her determination. Living in
Jakarta with minimum wage, Imas manages to make herlife enjoyable. She has the girl’s power, the power to bebetter.
Although Imas is
not a community
leader, she alreadyshows an example tobe followed by her
sister. I say, therefore,that Imas is a leader,on her own world.
Imas, wearing hijab, working on night
shift in the restaurant.

4

No.78 November 2016

JJICA
ICA

2016 JICA Gender Mainstreaming Policies
for Government Officers (A)Under a commission from the Kyushu International Center of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), theKitakyushu Forum on Asian Women (KFAW) holds an annual seminar for central and local government officials in developing
countries who are in charge of gender mainstreaming policies.
The purpose of the seminar is to foster government officials who can promote gender mainstreaming policies comprehensively
and effectively in developing countries, toward a gender-equal society.
This year, the seminar was held from Monday, June 6 to Monday, July 4, with nine Participants from eight countries: Bhutan,
El Salvador, India, Kenya, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Serbia, and East Timor.

The Participants first presented their country reports todescribe the situation and problems that their home countries
face when addressing gender mainstreaming, thereby sharing
the problems with other Participants.
Designed to help Participants comprehensively understandthe concepts, methods, and theories involved in gendermainstreaming, the seminar provides a well-balanced mix oflectures, workshops, site visits and presentations. In particular,
the workshops and presentations are organized to serve asopportunities for interactive learning for both instructors andParticipants.
This year’s session on gender mainstreaming in rural areas
included a wide variety of curriculums, taking advantage of thefeatures of Kitakyushu City, the venue of the seminar.
Specifically, on top of attending a lecture on the city’s efforts toincrease incomes of workers in agriculture, forestry and fisheryindustries, the Participants visited a female farmers’ group

On a visit to the female farmer groupengaged in processing, development and sales of local specialties
in the city, as well as the shop where such items were sold.
When visiting the female farmers’ group, the Participants
sampled miso and dressings as examples of processed products.
They thus learned about the cooperative activities that exists
between the city and female farmers through the lecture andthe visit site.
During the approximately one-month seminar period, theParticipants climbed Mt. Sarakura and visited Kokura Castle
on their days off and cultivated friendships with each other.
They lived and spent some time together on their days off,
enabling them to understand each other’s home country anddiscuss gender equality at leisure. Accordingly, at the action
plan presentation on the final day of the seminar, theyexchanged opinions in a lively atmosphere, making the event
even more significant.

Workshop

LectureParticipants’ Messages and Impressions▪Ms. YANGZOM Tashi▪Ms. WAHBA Arwa E.Y（Bhutan）（Palestine）

I was finally able to realize myI studied together with Jaya,

dream of visiting Japan, and my

Becky,

experience in the country was so

Tshewang, Tashi, and Barreto. All

wonderful that I will never forget it forof them are new friends that I met

the rest of my life. When I was inhere in the safest country in theJapan, I felt as if I were in my home country. Japan is aworld. In this country, there is no need to worry about

second home country for me. I learned a lot not only from the

explosions or the fear of death. I was able to live at easewell-organized, excellent seminar curricula, but also fromand enjoy a new experience. In Japan, together with thosemany other things in Japan. What impressed me most waswith different cultural backgrounds, I learned what it is likethe country’s safe environment and friendly Japanese

to live in calm and peace.

people. Even strangers whom I happened to meet in thestreet were nice to me.

No.78 November 2016

5

Milana,Lis,

Kemey,

FY 2016/17

KFAW Visiting Researchers and Their Research Themes

KFAW recruits visiting researchers annually in order to expand the fields and geographical area of our research and encourage experts from a wide
variety of fields to conduct research on gender and women. Two pairs of researchers will conduct research for two years based on the following themes:

Human Rights of Sexual Minorities andCivil Society in Asia: Focus on Comparative Study

Human Resources Management for Foreign
Care Workers in Japan: A Gender Perspective
on Recruitment and Training

Professor, Faculty of Law of the University of Kitakyushu

Research Fellow, Saga Women’s Junior Collegeof Singapore, Taiwan, Province of China and Japan
Keiko Tsuji-TAMURA

Rie KAGE

Kyouko HIKITA

Yukari MAEYAMA

Associate Professor, Kagoshima Prefectural College

Associate Professor, Saga Women’s Junior College

Presently, issues involving the expansion of human rights ofsexual minorities (i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenderpeople, called “LGBT”) are being included on the political agenda
not only in the West but also in Asia. In Japan, in 2015, Shibuya
Ward and Setagaya Ward began to issue to same-sex couples
certificates recognizing their partnerships as equivalent tomarriage. Discussions on same-sex marriage and other issues
involving sexual minorities, as well as trial measures for sexual
minorities, have just been launched in this country.
This research will feature a comparison between Singapore,
where same-sex marriage and sexual intercourse between men are
illegal ; Taiwan , Province of China , which is moving toward theestablishment of a law on same -sex marriage ; and Japan , where
discussions on same-sex marriage have finally begun. The research
will reveal the features of each country by highlighting the
movements for the expansion of human rights of sexual minorities,
and focusing on members of civil society serving as an importantelement in such movements, especially women’s organizations.

Although the Japanese government had been cautious in
introducing foreign workers into the country, it recently began
to receive those who aimed to work as qualified care workers
from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam under Economic
Partnership Agreements (EPA). Behind this is the government’s
desire to address a decline in the country’s workforce and ashortage of care workers resulting from an increase in the
aging population. In addition, the government is planning toreceive foreign domestic workers in some of the National
Strategic Special Zones. Receiving foreign workers is thus
becoming an important issue to be discussed.
This research will focus on the measures that the Japanese
government has introduced for receiving foreign care workers (totake care of senior citizens or support household chores), thereby
clarifying the Japanese gender structure and the position offoreign workers in the labor market. The research will also
analyze the current situation and problems regarding how tosecure and develop such workers.

KFAW Asian Researchers Network Seminar Report Marriage Hunting in Iran –▼▼Development of Tobata/Kitakyushu and the History of an
Anti-Pollution Campaign Headed by Women’s Organizations

 

Social Changes and Marriages in Iran

Date: Sunday, April 17, 2016, 13:00 - 15:30

Date: Sunday, May 29, 2016, 10:00 - 12:00

Lecturers: A tsushi KAJIMA (Professor, Department of Creative

Lecturer: T oyoko MORITA (Specially-Appointed Associate

Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Kitakyushu College)
Satoko KANZAKI (KFAW Chief Researcher)

Professor, Kagoshima University Global Initiative Center)

Participants: 3
0Participants: 5
4

In Iran, where most citizens are Muslims (Shias),
Westernization was introduced after the end of the Second World
War. Also, the Family Protection Law, which was designed toprotect women from Sharia law, was established on the initiativeof congresswomen. After the Islamic Revolution in Iran, however,operation of the law was suspended, followed by the Islamizationof the country, as indicated by the issuance of a mandate forwomen to wear a hijab in public.
Traditionally, most women in Iran married partners whom
their families introduced to them, and they did so in their teens.
Today, an increasing number of women have a high educational
background and participate in society, while many young people
are unemployed. Accordingly, it is no longer true that almost
anybody can get married as it was in the past. To address the
problems of a tendency to marry later, a decline in the birth rate,
and an increase in divorces, the government established a newversion of the Family Protection Law. When this law wasestablished, women who had a strong faith in Islam and women
who liked Westernized culture cooperated with each other inasking for improvements.
Associate Professor Morita stressedthat women in Iran did not merely
allow themselves to be oppressed, but
tried to be involved with society on theirown initiative and thus change society.

As one of the four major industrial zones in Japan, Kitakyushu
long underpinned Japan’s post-war restoration and economic growth.
On the other hand, the city paid the heavy price of severe industrial
pollution, which destroyed the citizens’ healthy daily lives. Amidst
this serious situation, the Tobata Women’s Association launched ananti-pollution campaign, which moved the government andcompanies to take necessary action to overcome the pollution. Thisseminar served as a good opportunity for participants to consider
pollution through the history of Kitakyushu based on the twodifferent perspectives of companies/engineers and women/citizens.
Researcher Kanzaki indicated that women in those days hadtaken action with a strong belief that nothing had been more
important than family health, which moved the government andcompanies to implement necessary measures, and that such
women had served as the driving force to proceed with efforts toovercome the pollution. Professor Kajima explained that theengineers in those days had felt torn between
the necessity to establish and operate more power plants tocover power shortage in the industrial zone for the country’s
post-war restoration, and the fact thatthe establishment and operation of
the plants had caused their families
and local residents to suffer from
pollution.

6

No.78 November 2016

ISSN
ISSN
0918-82660918-8266International Understanding Seminar “KFAW Consulate Series 8”

Debriefing on Participation in the 60th
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60)
Date
Venue
Speakers

Thursday, May 19, 2016, 18:30 - 20:00
Small Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal
Gender Equality Center, MOVE
Mitsuko HORIUCHI (KFAW President)
Yuka MURASHIMA“Consul General of the Vietnamese Consulate-General in Fukuoka
Talks! Present Situation in Vietnam and the Role of Women”
ISSN 0918-8266

ISSN 0918-8266

Thursday, August 4, 2016, 15:30 - 17:00
DateVenue 	Small Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center, MOVE

Speakers 	Nguyen Phuong HONG
(Consul General of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam in Fukuoka)(participant in BPW’s program to send interns to the CSW60)
Participants

35

We held a debriefing on the 60th Commission
on the Status of Women 2016 (CSW60), held in
New York from March 14 to 24, 2016. The meeting
began with KFAW President HORIUCHI
reporting on CSW60’s priority theme “Women’s
Empowerment and Its Link to Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).” This was followed by Ms. MURASHIMA’s report on theside events that she had joined and been impressed most. She
mentioned her observation that active participation of younger
generation including herself would be the key to create a genderequal society in Japan. In the Q & A session after the report,
participants asked many questions in a very lively atmosphere.

Participants

56

Consul General Nguyen Phuong HONG provided an outline ofVietnam and spoke about how women in the country demonstrated
their capabilities in society from the aspects of labor, education, politics,
and economics. Of particular note was women’s involvement in the
country’s politics, which was highly praised by the UN, saying that the country’s
percentage of women participating in political activities was the highest in the world.
The consul general also explained that the percentage of female members of the
National Assembly was 26.8%, and that both the incumbent Chair of the National
Assembly and the incumbent Vice President were women. Vietnamese women playextremely important roles not only in domestic but also in international sphere. In
addition, many of them work while taking care of their children and household chores
like Japanese women. The consul general stressed the importance of Vietnamese
women in all aspects of Vietnamese society.

Kitakyushu Town Meeting as a Follow up to the 1st WWAS International Conference– Women’s Capabilities in an Aging Society and Local Communities
Date

Promotion Office of the Planning and Coordination Bureau, Kitakyushu City)

Keynote Lecture<Moderator>
Miyuki MATSUDA

Friday, July 8, 2016, 13:30 – 16:30
Participants 160
Venue 	Large Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender
Equality Center, MOVE

Women’s Capabilities in an Aging Society and Local Communities
Keiko HIGUCHI(Chairperson of the Women’s Association for a Better Aging Society)
Report on the 1st WWAS International Conference

Suggestions toward Positive Reform
Miyuki MATSUDA(Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of WWAS 2016 International Conference)
Panel Discussion

Women’s Capabilities in an Aging Society and Communities– Future of Kitakyushu City
<Panelists>
Keiko HIGUCHI(Critic and Chairperson of the Women’s Association for a Better Aging Society)

Noriaki SEKI

(Director of the SATOYAMA Active Viewers of a Sustainable Society)

Chikako OBA(Department Director in Charge of the Special Zone, Regional Revitalization

Stephanie WESTON(Professor at the Faculty of Law, Fukuoka University)(Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of WWAS 2016 International Conference)

Featuring the theme of women demonstrating their capabilities in a rapidly
aging society, this town meeting was held as a follow-up to an international conference
held in Fukuoka City. The meeting was designed for panelists and participants todiscuss the problems of and future prospects for local communities in an aging society.
In the keynote lecture, Ms. HIGUCHI stressed that it was important for womento participate in the decision-making process in local communities, so that they could
overcome various problems, especially women’s poverty and many difficulties thatthey face when taking care of senior citizens. In the panel discussion session, thepanelists presented their activities and efforts in their respective positions. The
session concluded with the confirmation that in order to realize a better aging society
for all citizens, it was important for women to workin an age-appropriate way and play an importantrole in supporting their local communities, andthat it was necessary to accomplish positive reformthat would enable everybody to develop his/her full
Panel discussion
potential.

The 27th Kitakyushu Conference on Asian Women“Leave No One Behind” – What Can We Do to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

KeynoteLectureMs. Yoko HAYASHI(Lawyer, Chairperson of the U.N. Committee on
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women)

In the keynote lecture, Ms. Yoko HAYASHI, the first Japanese Chairperson of theCommittee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, will provide an outline of Special Guest Ms. Kyoko HOKUGO (Director, Gender Mainstreaming Division
the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which need to be addressed on a global scale.
of the Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)
She will also speak about the relationship between Goal 5 of the SDGs (Gender Equality)
Panel Discussion
and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, as<
Panelist >well as about related efforts.
・Ms. Yoko HAYASHI (Lawyer, Chairperson of the U.N. Committee on
In the panel discussion session, panelists will exchange opinions regarding the current situation
the Elimination of Discrimination against Women)
・Ms. Kyoko HOKUGO (Director, Gender Mainstreaming Division of thein Japan and other Asian countries, as well as future action to be taken to achieve the SDGs.
Foreign Policy Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan)

・Ms. Koh MIYAOI (United Nations Development Program [UNDP]

Saturday, November 26, 2016, 13:00 – 16:00
Venue 	Large Seminar Room, 5th Floor, Kitakyushu Municipal Gender Equality Center MOVE
Capacity 150 (on a first-come-first-served basis), free of chargeChildcare service Available. 500 yen per child (reservation required)
Date

Location
Locationof of
Kitakyushu
Kitakyushu

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

Beijing
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

Beijing& Guidance Center, Child and Domestic Affairs Bureau, Kitakyushu City)< Coordinator > Mitsuko HORIUCHI (KFAW President)

KITAKYUSHUKITAKYUSHUOTEMACHIOTEMACHIBUILDING
BUILDING
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FAX＋81-93-583-5195
FAX＋81-93-583-5195
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434
PHONE＋81-93-583-3434

DalianDalianKFAW

Gender Advisor for Asia & the Pacific)

・Mr. Tomohide NAKAMURA (Assistant Manager, Central Children’s Counseling

Seoul

Tokyo

KFAW
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