Coordination for the provision of assistance and consultation services

To contribute to realize the gender-equal society, through conducting gender–related educational programs for the public, and providing various services for the empowerment of women

Gender-related events and training programs Programs to support local group’s activities

and networking to promote gender equality Information centers/libraries Research and study programs Counseling rooms for women

They are the public facilities founded and funded by the local governments.There are 326 centers in Japan (2009)

The building on the outside

Entrance lobby

The building on the outside

Seminar room

Computer room

Child-care roomCounseling room

SV centers(180 locations in 2008)

Women’s consulting offices

The Ministry of Health, labour and Welfare The Anti-Prostitution Law1956 Have temporary protection

facilities(public shelters) Specialized staff placed

Gender equality centers Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office The Basic Law for a Gender -equal Society 1999 Have only counseling rooms Can utilize gender-sensitive

approach and other center functions

The Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of Victims 2001

(SV centers)

The results of “Purple Dial” ~the nation-wide 24-hour hotline service for sexual violence victims~(2/8~3/27 in 2011, 7 weeks)

The number of lines for women 30(daytime)/10(night), for men 2 for crisis counseling 2, for foreigners 1 (12-hour

hotline)Total calls 61,328The number of consultations women 18,454 (75.6%), men 1,824 (8.9%) crisis 2,216 (10.8%), foreigners 978 (4.8%)

The results of the consultations for foreignersThe Contents of the consultations DV cases 307, others 572 (discriminations, human rights, children’s education, legal procedures, visa, human relations, etc.)Sexual violence 18, traffickings 3, sexual harassment 2, stalking 2Used language Thai 213, Tagalog 143, Chinese 80, English 69, Spanish 19, Korean 10

Answering rates

They rarely come into contact with the centers --they are still invisible in our society --when the police find them, they are sent to the

temporary protection facilities (women’s consulting offices)

--they would rather go to NGO support groups They sometimes emerge at the center as DV victims --those who came to Japan as entertainers, then got

married to (or cohabited with) Japanese men --those who came as a bride through mediators of

both countries SV centers are expected to be more aware of the

issue of trafficking and provide specific services for them

--provide multi-language service (multi-language information cards, hotlines, trained interpreters)

Victims of DV and trafficking have so much common in terms of the provision of consultations and assistance

The center was founded (2001) The counseling room starts with 3 counselors (2001) Started the network meeting for all the related

municipal divisions, organizations and NGO group (2001) Started the working group to formulate the support

system for the victims (2002) Collaborated with NGO groups and established an NGO

shelter for DV victims and their children (2002) The working group submitted a report to the Mayor(2003) W.G. conducted the hearings of each division and made

the best possible manuals to support the victims (2003) Started a recycle shop for fund-raising of the shelter(‘03)

Kurume center

Exchange of the Network sheets of all the related divisions and organizations

for a better and easier collaboration One-stop service system in the city hall (by utilizing

standardized format of recording the cases) for the safety and the alleviation of stress of the victims Support manuals for each related division to ensure the provision of the best possible assistance at

each division Recycle shop within the center for fund-raising of the shelter and the provision of a

place for the empowerment of the victims Elimination of domestic violence declaration of Kurume

city for a better and safer community

Some of the achievements

Start with 2 counselors in 1995 Authorized as a SV center in 2002 3 counselors in 2003 Establish the DV center to coordinate all the measures

to cope with domestic violence, with longer counseling hours and 5 counselors in 2004

6 counselors in 2005 Start networking and social-working in 2006

avance

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Promoted the overall environment for a better collaboration of all the related organizations

--regular, formal conferences and opportunities of trainings of all the related organizations and agencies

Secured the environment easy for each counselor to collaborate with other organizations

--provision of more opportunities for various trainings and supervisions of counselors

--regular visits of the counselors to each related organizations

--small-sized meetings with a particular organization so that each counselor can coordinate all the available

social resources well and cooperate with the most appropriate person of the most appropriate organization in the most appropriate way

Macro approac

h

Micro approac

h

To connect the body and the mind by experiencing the relaxation of the

body and opening the mind To feel safe and confident by experiencing the new body

movements and becoming free from the accumulated memories of fear and pain

To recover the control of their own body and the power they have

For that purpose, we provide various programs for their empowerment …… one example is bodywork

Let’s all try some breathing and posture exercises

●Ms. A has been physically abused by her husband. She has taken a refuge at her Philipina friend’s house. Ms. A consulted with the police and the police referred her to the center’s counseling room.

●Ms. A’s Philipina friend accompanied her to the center as an interpreter and a supporter.

●Ms. A is in her 30s and comes from the Philippines. She came to Japan as an entertainer seven years ago. At that time, her travel arrangements has been made by a broker. When she was working at a bar, she met a Japanese man and married him.

●Ms. A lives in a family of 5 which includes her husband who works in a major manufacturing factory, a boy, a girl and her husband’s younger brother who works as a part-time worker. Since the boy has a heart disease and mental disability, Ms. A stayed at home to take care of her children and concentrate on the house work.

●Ms. A and her husband have been quarreling about the behavior of her husband’s younger brother. The younger brother often brought his friends back home late at night and made a loud noise which disturbed the children and the neighbors.

●On the following day after another disturbing night, Ms. A begged her husband to talk to the younger brother to change his behavior. But the husband ignored her plea and never said anything to him. Instead he started beating her. When Ms. A tried to resist, the husband kicked her thighs very hard with his knees repeatedly.

●Ms. A did not want to leave the city where she was living, since the special school for children with disability where her son went to was located there. Therefore, the Center’s assistance would be based on this request.

●The first step was to secure the safe environment to study for her children, since it was likely that the husband will come looking for them in the school to find out where they escaped to. The Center provided information on the available assistance and upon request, the staff accompanied the client.

A: Securing client’s safety at all times

B: Continuous assistance for rebuilding life

C: Assistance for the client’s and children’s physical and mental rehabilitation

D: Assistance for divorce procedure

1 Seek police intervention – Police station2 Apply for Protection order – 6 months

restraining order etc　　／ Provincial court, police station3 Relocation to a safe place/shelter　　／ Women’s consulting Office, NGO shelter4 Prevent pursuit from the perpetrator, Keep

strict confidentiality about residential information and client’s private information

　　／ Coordinate with relevant divisions within the City Hall e.g. Residential division, Protection division, Family and children affairs Division, Public health care division, Board of Education, etc

1 Assistance on securing accommodation – public housing, private accommodation, social welfare facilities etc

　　 ／ Residential division, Family and children affairs division

2 Securing living expenses/ access to welfare funds – utilisation of welfare funds, application for benefit allowances

　　／ Life protection division3 Assistance for medical treatments – issuance of medical

certificates, provide information on appropriate medical agencies

　　／ Public health care division, Medical and pension division

4 Assistance for school transfers – to prevent pursuit from the perpetrator

　 ／ Board of Education5 Arrangements for child-care facilities

／ Childcare division　

　

　 　／ Gender equality center　　／ Psychiatrists 1 Encourage exhibition of emotion 2 Encourage acceptance of one’s self

(emotion, sense, decision, choice etc) 3 Respect self determination 4 Encourage empowerment 5 Provide information on appropriate

medical agencies 6 Provide information on appropriate

self-help groups and children’s program

　　 ／ Gender equality center 1 Organise client’s claims 2 Provision of information on lawyers 3 Provision of information on the

process, necessary documents, estimate costs etc

4 Assistance for preparing necessary documents, accompany the client to court hearings/ lawyer’s office, police station etc

The role of counselors/case-managers Listen carefully to the cliant Focus on what is going right in the client life, what

she has, what she can/could do, and let her aware of them and try to use them when we support her

　 strength based support → the client is the person who survived the difficult circumstances and decided to take action to change her life to a better one

Respect her self-decision The counselor should be conscious of the strengths

and the limitations of one’s organization and oneself When the case goes beyond one’s boundaries, try

not to hold it alone, but refer to the appropriate person/division/organization

Kyoko Katsuki