The person I am interested in interviewing is the attorney Ryoko Minagawa, the Executive Director of “Lawyers for Trafficked Victims.” It’s incredibly reassuring to know that there is a legal team in this country that works for trafficking victims. I imagined she would be extremely busy, so I didn’t expect her to have time for us. However, when I asked her, she kindly agreed to be interviewed.
“Lawyers for Trafficked Victims” has been Active Since 2015
“Lawyers for Trafficked Victims (LTV)” was established following a seminar held in March 2013. In this seminar for legal professionals, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the NPO Polaris Project Japan (which was actively helping and supporting victims of sex trafficking at the time), attorney Yoko Yoshida of JNATIP (Japan Network Against Trafficking in Persons), and Shoichi Ibusuki, also an attorney involved in human rights issues of foreign technical intern trainees, gave lectures. They informed the audience that there are victims of trafficking in persons in their daily lives and explained the structure and problems of human trafficking. A loose network of volunteer lawyers was formed among the participants, and two years later, they launched LTV. Ms. Minagawa has been serving as the executive director since then.
Currently LTV has 15 members, all of whom are attorneys. Their activities include “consultation,” “representation in legal cases (negotiations and court representation),” “giving lectures,” and “building relationships with counterparts in sending countries.”
Human Trafficking is a Cross-border Crime; therefore, Relationships in Sending Countries is Essential
The reason for taking “sending countries” into consideration is because most of the trafficking victims supported by LTV are foreigners. For example, when a victim is protected in a women’s shelter and needs legal support, she is introduced to LTV through IOM upon her request. Many such victims return home before or during court proceedings. To maintain close contact with these returned victims, collaborations with the local government agencies and NGOs are essential. Therefore, the attorneys of LTV visited Thailand in 2014, the Philippines in 2015, and Cambodia in 2018, to learn about local laws and build relationships with them. I was moved by their passion, as most of these activities were conducted without pay.
Advice Seekers do not Regard Themselves as Trafficking Victims
LTV does not limit its support only to foreign victims. Ms. Minagawa says, “We accept consultations from anyone who might be a victim of human trafficking, regardless of nationality or gender. However, I want to emphasize that no one comes to us thinking they are a ‘trafficking victim.’ Human trafficking is often hidden within various everyday incidents and crimes. Therefore, people involved in public consultation services, investigative agencies like police, as well as we lawyers, prosecutors, and judges, need to learn more about human trafficking.”
A Theme Pursued Consistently Since Student Days
Going back to her own story, it was inevitable that Ms. Minagawa participated in the seminar in 2013. This is because she was deeply shocked by the book “Children for Sale: The Cry of Innocence” by Maki Okubo, which she read shortly after entering university. She visited shelters for children in the Philippines and was involved in activities to help street children. Her senior thesis was a research paper on “Child Prostitution in Cambodia.” After becoming a lawyer, she continuously questioned and practiced ways she could help solve human trafficking issues as a Japanese lawyer.
In April this year, Ms. Minagawa won a judgment that made her feel “we’ve finally come this far.” It concerned a case in 2016 where seven Cambodian women were forced into prostitution in Ikaho, Gunma Prefecture. In the appeal ruling, the Tokyo High Court finalized a judgment ordering the three perpetrators to pay a total of 7.15 million yen to compensate the damages. What a victory!
The Need for Comprehensive Laws
“It is a positive progress that the claims of trafficking victims have been recognized as they were by the Japanese judiciary. However, it is disappointing that it took so many years. The first trial judgment at the district court level was careless and biased, almost assuming that the victims came to Japan for prostitution,” Ms. Minagawa said, expressing only partial joy. “If the crime of human trafficking was properly applied as a criminal offense, or if Japan had comprehensive laws on human trafficking (laws that include both punishment for criminals and relief for victims), we wouldn’t have had to go through such a long and complicated process.”
While it is the role of Diet members to create laws, it is the responsibility of citizens to generate momentum for such changes. We want to raise awareness more than before that human trafficking exists in our daily lives and to recognize that awareness can lead to solutions. (Nozomi Kuriyama)