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Shihoko Fujiwara: Human trafficking "Modern-day slavery in Japan"

Date:Thursday, July 12, 2012
Time:7:00p.m. (Talk will start at 7:30p.m.) Venue:Temple University, Japan Campus, Mita 502/503
(access: http://www.tuj.ac.jp/maps/tokyo.html)
Speaker: Shihoko Fujiwara
Moderator:Robert Dujarric
Admission:Free (Open to general public)
RSVP:icas@tuj.temple.edu
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Overview
The U.S. Government has designated Japan a Tier 2 human trafficking country for eleven consecutive years. Tier
2 countries are defined as countries whose governments do not comply with minimum international standards.
This ranks Japan below Taiwan and South Korea (Tier 1) and most western European states, in the same category as Hong Kong, Brazil, India, Israel, and Switzerland, and above Russia and China (Tier 2- Watch List).

The trafficking industry in Japan affects hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens and foreigners alike, the vast majority of whom are women and children. Many are forced into the illegal prostitution industry by means of deceit, intimidation, or violence. The Japanese government has long been accused of turning a blind eye to this issue, and they have yet to take the necessary steps to end trafficking for the purposes of forced labor and prostitution and child pornography in Japan once and for all.
Polaris Project Japan has worked since 2004 to increase awareness of trafficking in Japan, provide support for victims, and give guidance to policymakers. The director of Polaris Project Japan, Shihoko Fujiwara, will discuss the current state and trajectory of human trafficking in Japan, and what each of us can do to help bring it to an end. (Please visit http://polarisproject.jp/engsite/aboutus for more
information.)


Speaker
Shihoko Fujiwara started Polaris Project's Japan office in 2004. Since then, she has been responsible for implementing the majority of Polaris Project Japan's programs, including conducting victim outreach and identification, designing outreach materials and strategies, working with victims of trafficking in Japan, launching the first-ever anti-trafficking hotlines in Japan, mobilizing community members, and providing training and technical assistance. She gives briefings on the issue of trafficking to thousands of people every year, including law enforcement, Government officials, foreign government officials, and service providers. In 2008, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Wisconsin for these achievements.

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Robert Dujarric
Director
Kyle Cleveland
Associate Director
Eriko Kawaguchi
Coordinator
Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies
Temple University, Japan Campus
http://www.tuj.ac.jp/icas/

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