Symposium on Human Trafficking
1. Objectives
Human trafficking is a serious crime and violation of human rights and
human dignity, and deprivation of its freedom. Human trafficking is often
considered as modern slavery and it is an important and crucial issue worldwide.
ILO has reported there are more than 40 million victims of human trafficking
in the world and they are often exploited as sexual labors, forced labors,
child soldiers or involved with organ trades and other crimes. Japan is
placed Tier2 on “Trafficking in Persons Report” issued by the US Department,
and the statistic shows that about 50,000 people are forced to work for
sexual labors in Japan. However, Japanese media merely reports the issue
so that the public awareness on this matter is quite low.
RfP Japan has launched Taskforce Team to prevent and work for the issue
from perspectives of multi-faith communities since April 2020. RfP Japan
takes this opportunity to learn from the expertise on this crucial issue,
raise public awareness and consider concrete actions to combat human trafficking.
2. Dates:24th November 2020, 14:00~17:00 (JST)
3. Organizer:Religions for Peace Japan, Taskforce on Prevention of Human Trafficking
4. Venue:ZOOM, Online Symposium
5. Theme: “Current Situation of Human Trafficking”
6. Language:Japanese/ English (*simultaneous interpretation is available)
7. Registration
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkd-2prjwvG9y5S4InnMvSOd4rwrD0Tcn8
8. Tentative Program
MC: Rev. Megumi Wada, Director of International Interreligious Cooperation,
Rissho Kosei-kai
Time (JST)
14:00 Opening Remarks Rev. Fumio Shishino, Shinto Priest and Kancho of Fusokyo, Director of
Taskforce on Prevention of Human Trafficking
14:10 Keynote “What is Human Trafficking? Learning from the Voices of Survivors
in Nepal” Prof. Masako Tanaka, Professor of Sophia University
14:55 Floor Discussion
15:00 Break
15:10 Panel Discussion“What Can We Do Now?”
Moderator: Rev. Nobuhiro Nemoto, Secretary General of ACRP
Panelists:
1. Ms. Elga Sarapung, Director, Institute for Interfaith Dialogue in Indonesia
2. Sister. Shizue Hirota, Mercedarias Misioneras de Bérriz, Catholic
3. Ven. Eigen Onishi, Chief Manager of Kiyomizudera Buddhist Temple
16:15 Panel and Floor Discussion
16:50 Closing Remarks Rev. Shinsaku Hashimoto, Shinto Priest and Director of Oomoto Tokyo headquarters
9. Profile of the Keynote Speaker:
TANAKA Masako is a development practitioner and a certified social worker
engaged in various civil society activities both in Nepal and in Japan
more than two decades. She obtained a Master of Arts in Gender Analysis
in Development from University of East Anglia in the UK and a Ph.D. in
Development Studies from Nihon Fukushi University in Japan. As a Professor
in Faculty of Global Studies at Sophia University, she teaches South Asian
Regional Studies, International Cooperation, and Gender and Development.
Her main works focus on roles of different actors in development aid and
citizen’s movements. Her current research areas include a case study of
evolutional process of a trafficking survivors’ organization in Nepal and
migration studies particularly on roles of migrants’ organization during
the integration process of migrants and reproductive health of migrant
women in Japan.