PRESS
RELEASE
Violations of Women’s
Rights in
UN Experts Release Strong
Recommendations
The
United Nations Committee Against Torture echoes the concerns of the OMCT and
AJWRC, highlighting a need for increased education and responsiveness to Women’s
Rights Issues in Japan
Geneva-Tokyo,
In
the consideration of gender-based violence and trafficking in
In
recommending a gender-focused approach to these situations and the provision of
“better protection and appropriate care for such victims,” the Committee
addresses concerns that past efforts by officials were too focused on the crime
and criminal, while ignoring the victim’s needs in aftermath of the often
traumatizing ordeals they have been through. In many instances this led to “victims
of trafficking be[ing] treated as illegal immigrants and deported without
redress or remedy.”
Importantly,
the Committee found that “both education (...) and remedial measures (…) are
themselves a means of preventing further violation of the State party’s
obligations.” More
specifically, the Committee found that education regarding human rights,
particularly the rights of women and children, is inadequate as it currently
exists in
The
Committee also made a point to express concern about the fact that acts which
amount to torture and ill treatment continue to be subject to statutes of
limitation. The Committee found
this particularly disconcerting in the cases of the military sexual slavery or
“comfort women” system from World War II, noting that for victims of these
crimes the remedies remain inadequate, and are sometimes in and of themselves
detrimental, perpetuating further harm. CAT states that the survivors of the
military sexual slavery “experience continuing abuse and re-traumatisation as
a result of the State party’s official denial of the facts, concealment or
failure to disclose other facts, failure to prosecute those criminally
responsible for acts of torture, and failure to provide adequate rehabilitation
to the victims and survivors.”
While the Japanese Government does officially recognize some moral
responsibility in these crimes, they refuse to recognize any form of legal
responsibility, and as such do not prosecute the perpetrators or in anyway
adequately redress their victims.
In
yet another instance of failure to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes, the
Committee expressed concern about the State’s lack of action concerning violence
against women and girls by military personnel, including foreign personnel
stationed in military bases in
According
to the UN body, these actions (and failure to act) clearly contravene several
provisions of the Convention against Torture, ratified by
Contact
AJWRC
–
Hisako Motoyama: ajwrc@ajwrc.org /
+81-3-3780-5245
OMCT
–
Mariana Duarte: md@omct.org /
+41 22 809 49 39
Background
information and documentation
General
information on CAT’s 38th session – see http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/cats38.htm
Full
text of CAT’s Concluding Observations on
OMCT
and AJWRC alternative report – see http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cat/docs/ngos/shadow_rep_Japan.pdf
[1] This report was drafted by the OMCT and AJWRC in collaboration with Japan Network Against Trafficking in Persons, Kalakasan - Migrant Women Empowerment Center, National Shelters Network, International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism-Japan Committee (IMADR-JC), Okinawa Women Act Against, Military Violence, SWASH – Sex Work and Sexual Health, Warriors Japan, and Violence Against Women in War Network-Japan (VAWW-Net Japan).