Reports on our activities

NFSJ World Day Against Trafficking in Persons Campaign 2022: Looking Back at NFSJ Cafes (July 30 – August 30, 2022)

To commemorate World Day Against Trafficking in Persons on July 30, NFSJ conducts an annual online awareness campaign.

This year, out of the 28 NFSJ Cafés that have been held so far, we selected the most memorable sessions and seven staff members created short report articles. In the past month, we have posted 10 articles on our website and shared them on social media.

Looking Back at NFSJ Cafés
http://notforsalejapan.org/en/looking-back-at-nfsj-cafes

NFSJ Cafes have covered all aspects of human trafficking and modern slavery, or the various issues that exist around it. The topics covered in these reports range from Kabukicho night patrols and Dogenzaka night walks, to LGBT and immigration issues, to sex industry and sexual consent, and connections to industries such as mining and seafood.

If any of the topics caught your interest, please read on.

*The Reason Why We Hold NFSJ Cafes http://notforsalejapan.org/en/nfsj-cafes/202207/974

*The list of past NFSJ Cafe:
http://notforsalejapan.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/NFSJ-Cafe-List.pdf

Mini Lecture Video Clip on SDGs and Human Trafficking (19min.)now available on YouTube

 

We participated in the online event “SDGs Yokohama CITY” on February 20 and hosted two seminars, “What is Human Trafficking?” each consisting of 3 sections: a mini lecture, introduction of a book and a film, and a mini English conversation class.

Now, a 19 minute video clip of the mini lecture part is available on YouTube. In this lecture, NFSJ Director Yamaoka explains on “SDGs and Human Trafficking/ Modern Slavery” using PowerPoint slides. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmLCdXimjQ8
This is a shortened version, or, the essence of the regular lectures that we usually give at universities and in other occasions.

As we added English subtitles to this one, please take a look at it. And please use it as a tool to let your English speaking friends know about human trafficking issues around the world and in Japan.

The other video clips (15 to 20 min. each) on Introduction to Books and Films and on Mini-English Conversation Classes will be added sequentially to our NFSJ Channel soon. (Sorry, English subtitles not available for those videos.)
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdRVMwEGE2L7Z4gEV92T5UA

We hope that by making more people aware of the issue of human trafficking and modern slavery, we can get a little closer to finding a solution. We would be happy if we could work together with you to use these tools.  Thank you!

Event Report: NFSJ Cafe #20 “Human Trafficking in Japan?”

As announced, we have held the 20th NFSJ Cafe online on June 11. It was our first public online event and it went well with 32 participants from Hokkaido to Osaka. Mariko Yamaoka, Director of NFSJ, gave lecture on the modern slavery structure, what is happening in Japan, and what we can do to end it. We had short but insightful group discussions twice in 6 groups. Some participants were concerned about foreign technical interns and foreign students living in their neighborhood. Some were concerned about the billboard ads visible in town to allure young girls into sex industry. We hope that we can meet the participants in person someday.

(Report) 2/16 NFSJ Awareness Table at Fair Trade Forum Musashino 2020

On February 16, NFSJ participated in the Fair Trade Forum Musashino 2020 at the Seikei University in Kichijoji, Tokyo, and also participated in the Fair Trade Marketplace held at the same place.

As we have reported in the NFSJ newsletter, Musashino City is now actively working towards Fair Trade Town Certification, which is a joint effort by the city government, businesses, shops, and civic groups to expand movement of fair trade. The “Fair Trade  Forum Musashino 2020” was also the launch of the Fair Trade Town Musashino Promotion Council.

In the forum, Ms. Satomi Harada, one of the members of the Fair Trade Town movement who led Nagoya City to the certification and has been leading the activities since then, gave a keynote speech. Then, university students with ties to Musashino City presented their action plans of town planning, and a panel discussion on “Sustainable communities with bees” was held. The organizer initially expected about 100 people to attend, but the hall was almost full with 180 participants.

You may wonder “What does human trafficking have to do with fair trade?”  One of the activities of NFSJ’s mission is to provide information to the general public to help them take small actions to eradicate human trafficking. The most frequently asked question at lectures and workshops is, “So what can we do to solve this problem?” Fair trade incorporates not only purchasing goods and raw materials from producers at a fair price, but also a variety of support to ensure that these people are guaranteed a livelihood and continue their economic activities. Buying fair trade products is a small step, but it can be a big movement if we do it together. That’s why we are inviting you to buy fair trade products and promote ethical consumption as one of the strategies to get involved in solving the problem of human trafficking.

On that day, NFSJ handed out materials such as “Why NFSJ Recommends Fair Trade” flyers* with action cards asking stores to stock fair trade products, and the “Guidebook for Exploring Ethical Products*” to help people find ethical products by noticing various certification marks. The action cards in particular drew the interest of other fair trade shops; there was a lady who said, “We’ll hand them out at our booth too!” According to Ms. Harada, who gave the keynote speech, “People flock to things that are delicious, fun, glamorous and sparkling. This aspect is important for the spillover and sustainment of the social contribution activities.” Though human trafficking is a serious issue, it is important for NFSJ to experience and expand communication in such a sparkling event.

(*Although available only in Japanese, you may order copies of the Fair Trade Flyer and the Ethical Products Guidebook (leaflet). Please contact: japan@notforsalecampaign.org.)

 

(Report) NFSJ Seminar : Ethical Consumption to protect Human Rights, Environment, Peace and Animal Rights

The NFSJ seminar “How to practice ‘ethical consumption’ to protect human rights, environment, peace and animal rights” was held on February 15 as part of Yokohama International Forum 2020. The speakers were Mariko Arikawa, a sustainable PR planner and ethical consumption coordinator, and Mariko Yamaoka, the director of Not For Sale Japan. The forum was held when people just started to worry about the spread of COVID-19, so the number of participants was as half as the past years. Our seminar was attended by 20 people including staff and speakers in the room that seats 36 people.

Ms. Arikawa is well-versed in so-called “green purchasing” and ethical consumption. She explained how and what to buy ethically, in particular, to protect environment. She took tea as an example and compared the data of price and carbon dioxide emissions in the two cases: pouring home-brewed tea in a bottle and buying tea in plastic bottles.

When hearing of ethical consumption or fair trade, a lot of people would feel pressured, thinking they would have to change their whole life-style. But Ms. Arikawa says quite differently: “You can just add one ethical factor to other factors of your purchasing decision like preference and price. In Japan, 49 % of the whole “consumption” amount is categorized “home purchases”, so it is more likely to create bigger change by changing the action of each of the consumers.

Yamaoka of NFSJ talked about ethical consumption in terms of human rights. Behind the products and services we buy are exploitative structures: for example, foreign technical intern trainees and students come to Japan after paying deposit and other cost by borrowing money and find themselves deeply stranded in the slave-like labor condition. But as a consumer, it is hard to discern if this kind of structure exists behind the certain product we buy. “Ethical Report Card of Companies” is one of the possible ways to choose ethical companies, along with buying fair trade products.

In the discussion time, all participants were divided into groups with 4-5 members and shared their own experience of sustainable purchasing and talked about ideas to promote ethical consumption. And in the sharing time, variety of ideas were presented, such as buying directly from the producers, creating system of domestic fair trade, telling stories behind the products, promoting products by creating podcast programs, etc. We were all glad by the outcome of the event where participants exchanged their views and ideas lively and in a very friendly atmosphere.

Japanese Translation of the Part on Japan, Global Slavery Index 2018

Walk Free Foundation, an Australian NGO, issues Global Slavery Index, the comprehensive research report on the modern slavery. The 2018 report included for the first time a detailed report on Japan.

NFSJ contributed for the report by giving advice and information. We also translated the part on Japan so that people in Japan would be able to read the contend of the report.

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