http://www.imadr.org/multi/ IMADR's primary focus is to combat racism, racial discrimination and multiple discrimination (in particular, discrimination based on both race and gender) as they cut across the areas below. ja Copyright 2008 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:23:49 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss annual report (external link) to the UN Human Rights Council's 7th session, recognizing the activities of the Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination as a positive development, and encouraging dialogue between the Government and civil society.]]> http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/imadr_delivers_statements_on_t/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/imadr_delivers_statements_on_t/ 01)Combating racial discrimination in Japan SubNews CategoryNews SubNews ThemeNews Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:23:49 +0000 http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/imadr_cosigns_privacy_internat/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/imadr_cosigns_privacy_internat/ 03)Racism and Japanese public policy CategoryNews ThemeNews Thu, 29 Nov 2007 23:41:13 +0000 On December 26, 2004, countless lives throughout Asia, including Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Southern India were suddenly stolen away by a tsunami. While vast amounts of emergency aid came in from various foreign governments, international organizations and NGO groups, activists and grassroots movements were already involved in relief efforts on the ground, together with the affected communities. IMADR has worked from day one to gather relief funds to bolster partner organizations in Sri Lanka and India working to foster recovery. IMADR took into account three important issues in responding to the tsunami disaster: 1) The existence of socially marginalized peoples who are discriminated against in aid and recovery efforts. ２）That local groups working at the grassroots level are hindered in their efforts, and survivors are forced into becoming passive receivers. ３）The government and military are using recovery efforts as a chance to expand their sphere of military influence, and a large amount of money from the international community is not reaching its intended beneficiaries. It is because of these considerations that IMADR/IMADR-JC, although not a humanitarian aid or relief organization, decided to call for continuous support based on the following general guidelines: 1. To support aid and recovery efforts of local activists and grassroots groups; 2. To support those who are socially marginalized or discriminated against; 3. To focus on those who may not be receiving aid from the government or international groups because they are socially marginalized or discriminated against, and work towards necessary system reform; 4. To expand linkages of peoples and communities beyond borders, in order to ensure long-term aid to and the creation of movements by those affected; and 5. To collect donations both in Japan and internationally in order to act upon these guidelines. We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the numerous individuals and groups who have responded to our calls for help. Because of your efforts, IMADR and its partner groups have been able to see real accomplishments. Synopses of reports from IMADR’s partner organizations carrying out aid and recovery efforts in Sri Lanka and India can be found below. http://www.imadr.org/multi/tsunami/sectiondescription_3/post_7/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/tsunami/sectiondescription_3/post_7/ 04)Tsunami aid and reconstruction efforts SectionDescription SectionDescription Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:34:35 +0000 Voices of protest can be heard when the governor of Tokyo and other government officials make discriminatory remarks, or when violence and threats are made against Korean children resident in Japan. There are people in Japan who experience discrimination on a daily basis, such as being refused entry to certain shops. It is becoming clear that many people, thrust into these situations, are powerless to do anything about it. Japan’s laws and its system do not come to their aid. It’s a fact that one cannot always rely on the justice system, which costs a considerable amount of time, money, and effort to achieve results. Most situations require quick support from a national human rights institution - this kind of body has yet to be established in Japan. Since the 1990s, national human rights institutions, independent of their respective governments, have been established in many countries around the world. In 1993, the United Nations adopted the Paris Principles which created certain basic standards for national human rights institutions. The Human Rights Protection Bill, rejected in 2005, was commendable to a certain extend because of its provisions banning discrimination, but left a lot to be desired in terms of complying with the Paris Principles. It was not an independent body that could offer effective recourse to victims, and it was much criticized domestically. Since then, there has been no concrete move towards setting up a national human rights institution. http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/sectiondescription_2/post_6/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/sectiondescription_2/post_6/ 03)Racism and Japanese public policy SectionDescription SectionDescription Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:32:50 +0000 Multiple Discrimination Against Minority Women Historically, discrimination based on gender, race and other forms have been seen as parallel but distinct forms of discrimination. But in recent years, the international community has come to recognise the fact that factors such as age, disability, ethnicity and socio-economic status can compound discrimination based upon sex, forming further multiple barriers to women's empowerment and social advancement. In 2000, the United Nations convened an Expert Group Meeting on Gender and Racial Discrimination which produced a report on this topic. Further, in its General Recommendation XXV on Gender Related Dimensions of Racial Discrimination, the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination recognised that “racial discrimination does not always affect women and men equally or in the same way”, that certain forms of racial discrimination may be directed specifically towards women, and “that some forms of racial discrimination have a unique and specific impact on women”. As a result, the Committee recommended a more systematic and consistent approach to evaluating and monitoring the disadvantages, obstacles and difficulties women face. Conversely, in the same period, initiatives within Japan to address multiple discriminations have been almost non-existent. In 1999, IMADR-JC established a Minority Women’s Multiple Discrimination Network to grasp the current reality of and address the problems and forms of multiple discrimination faced by minority women, by raising awareness, carrying out research and studies, and facilitating networks. We held working group meetings to discuss and share the experiences of minority women, culminating in the publication of the book Minority Women Can Change the World! Multiple Discrimination Against Minority Women. These groups of minority women also raised, as a common issue, the lack of any data that reflected their situations, and the subsequent survey of minority women carried out by these groups was a direct product of these discussions. The Views of Minority Women - into Policy! Into Society!; Consideration of Japan’s Periodic Reports under the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW”) In July 2003, the Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (“CEDAW Committee”) considered Japan's fourth and fifth periodic reports on the implementation of the CEDAW. IMADR carried out various initiatives centered on this process, hoping to utilize it as a springboard to begin addressing the issues faced by minority women. At a minimum, it was felt that minority women needed to remind the Committee and the government of their existence, and the fact that they were yet to enjoy the spirit of the rights protected under CEDAW. Believing it important to work with other women’s organizations and movements, IMADR-JC was actively involved in the formation and facilitation of the Japan NGO Network for CEDAW (“JNNC”). Women involved in Japanese women’s movement were also able, through working together with minority women to lobby the UN and the Japanese government, to increase their understanding of the issues faced by minority women, with CEDAW providing an important opportunity to collaborate in respect of common issues. IMADR-JC drew up and submitted a preliminary NGO alternative report for the CEDAW Committee’s consideration, focusing on the situations of Buraku women, Zainichi Korean Women, Ainu women, women with disabilities and women’s shelters. IMADR-JC and Buraku and Ainu women also lobbied committee members directly, holding committee briefings and attending the CEDAW session where Japan’s report was considered. As a result, half of the Committee’s members made reference to the issue of minority women during the session. The Committee’s Concluding Comments, issued in August 2003 also highlight the lack of information in the government’s report regarding the situation of minority women, with the Committee expressing their concern over the multiple forms of discrimination and marginalization these women may face with respect to education, health, employment, social welfare and exposure to violence, both within their own communities and in the wider society. On this basis, the Committee called for the inclusion, in the government’s next report, of “comprehensive information, including disaggregated data on the situation of minority women”, especially in respect of the abovementioned areas. ]]> http://www.imadr.org/multi/mw/sectiondescription_1/post_5/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/mw/sectiondescription_1/post_5/ 02)Multiple discrimination against minority women in Japan SectionDescription SectionDescription Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:30:33 +0000 Racism, racial discrimination, and xenophobia do exist in Japan. The effects of these are felt by the Buraku people, the Ainu, the people of Okinawa, people from former Japanese colonies such as the Koreans, Chinese, and their descendants, other foreigners, and migrant workers who have come from all over Asia. All concerned actors, including the Japanese government, must acknowledge the existence of these groups, who have been rendered invisible, or whose existence has not been properly recognized. The state of discrimination that these groups face, including underlying social, economic, and political structures, as well as the history and distinct cultures of these groups, must be more deeply understood and appropriate measures taken. Without this, creating a multiethnic and multicultural society in Japan will not be possible. It is based on this understanding that IMADR’s Japan Committee (IMADR-JC), together with many organizations and individuals, and particularly minorities themselves, is taking part in advocacy and information dissemination activities. The Japan NGO Network for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (ERD-Net) was established under the initiative of IMADR-JC with the above context in mind. It is centered on Japan’s minority groups and individuals, with the participation of groups and individuals who work for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, and colonialism. It is a broad network for actors to deepen their mutual understanding and awareness regarding the existence and history of minority groups who have been historically marginalized and made invisible, and the state of discrimination against them today. ERD-Net seeks to make effective use of international human rights mechanisms, and call for concrete measures through the abolishment or creation of legal systems. ERD-Net highly commends the Japan Mission Report created by the UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance Doudou Diene (“Diene Report”), as the first UN document to address racism, racial discrimination and xenophobia in Japan in a comprehensive manner. ERD-Net aims for the implementation of the report’s recommendations in Japan by demanding this from the Japanese government, disseminating the report to the public, and using it as a springboard to further discuss and debate the issues. In February 2007, after the Japanese government issued a statement in response to the Diene Report, ERD-Net created a counter statement to present their views and submitted it to the UN Human Rights Council. ERD-Net also seeks to implement the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) in Japan. The Japanese government submitted its first and second periodic report due under ICERD in 2000. The report was reviewed by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination (CERD) the following year, together with reports submitted by NGOs. The government is now preparing its third and fourth periodic report. ERD-Net calls on the Japanese government, as a state party to ICERD, to implement the final recommendations that CERD adopted during its 2001 review of Japan. http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/sectiondescription/post_4/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/sectiondescription/post_4/ 01)Combating racial discrimination in Japan SectionDescription SectionDescription Thu, 30 Aug 2007 07:19:23 +0000 http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/new/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/new/ 03)Racism and Japanese public policy CategoryNews Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:28:41 +0000 http://www.imadr.org/multi/mw/post_2/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/mw/post_2/ 02)Multiple discrimination against minority women in Japan CategoryNews ThemeNews Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:32:00 +0000 【カテゴリーの説明文】　 　人権救済機関の設置、人種主義的政策の改廃]]> http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/sectiondescription_2/post_1/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/policy/sectiondescription_2/post_1/ 03)Racism and Japanese public policy SectionDescription Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:31:23 +0000 IMADR is calling for your support to continue to help people rebuild lives and provide sustainable conditions for the future. http://www.imadr.org/multi/tsunami/post/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/tsunami/post/ 04)Tsunami aid and reconstruction efforts CategoryNews Mon, 23 Jul 2007 03:30:42 +0000 updated report on political platforms which promote or incite racial discrimination (external link) to the 5th session of the Human Rights Council, held from 11 to 18 June 2007. ]]> http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/news/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/news/ 01)Combating racial discrimination in Japan CategoryNews Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:41:28 +0000 IMADR's primary focus is to combat racism, racial discrimination and multiple discrimination (in particular, discrimination based on both race and gender) as they cut across the following areas: · Eliminating discrimination based on work and descent · Eliminating exploitative migration & trafficking in women & children · Upholding the rights of indigenous peoples · Upholding the rights of minorities · Eliminating racial discrimination in the administration of justice · Strengthening international human rights protection mechanisms for the elimination of discrimination and racism, and promoting their effective use by the discriminated IMADR's activities introduced below all involve the complex interplay of multiple issues. http://www.imadr.org/multi/description/imadr/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/description/imadr/ Description Mon, 30 Apr 2007 06:50:03 +0000 http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/human_rights_council_4th_sessi/ http://www.imadr.org/multi/erd/human_rights_council_4th_sessi/ 01)Combating racial discrimination in Japan CategoryNews Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:59:58 +0000