Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Dialogue and Presscon on the Fact-Finding Mission of 75 deported Filipinos from Japan

 
 August 27, 2013 at CBCP, Intramuros


  As you mayknow, the Japanese government forcibly deported 75 Filipino nationals on July 6, 2013.

  This is the first time Japan has ever chartered a plane to execute a mass deportation of undocumented foreigners.

   A joint delegation of Catholic Commission of Japan Migrants, Refugees and People on the Move (J-Carm) and Solidarity        Network with Migrants Japan (SMJ) in Japan have conducted interviews with individual deportees to assess the deportation  process and their reintegration into the Filipino society. The interviews have unveiled cases of human rights violations during  detention and transportation, as well as lack of governmental assistance in the Philippines. 

 The international supporters from Japan and the Philippines feel that the deportees' urgent needs and concerns are not met and  that they would fall into poverty without proper assistance. Some have no housing, no work or no money. The network is  scheduled to meet with Filipino governmental agencies to convey other findings of their investigation.

 A family and two deported men will also attend the meeting and the press conference.

The Philippines has about 200,000 of its citizens living and working in Japan, with additional 5,700 undocumented.
 Delegates:
 Leny Toentino
 Sister Marcy
 Fujimoto-san
 Deportees


 Joint Statement

                                                               

 We question and oppose the forced mass deportation of the 75 undocumented Filipino migrants because we found that their  human rights were violated and their welfare is disregarded.
 We conducted individual and group interviews with 23 people deported back from Japan in the week of August 20-26 in the  Philippines.
 They all need medical attention and counseling to some extent. Most suffer from symptoms of depression such as attempted  suicide, insomnia, skin disorders, ulcer, aches and difficulty breathing. Their physical and psychological conditions deteriorated  while in detention. Having lived in Japan for more than a decade, they feel alienated and helpless in their home country, and  they are afraid to even venture out to the streets. They need proper assistance to readjust to the new environment. They  have no money to start a new life, with some who are left under the care of their relatives with meager income, while others  have no family or relatives to turn to.
 We demand that the Japanese government; 1) examine thoroughly and carefully in deciding the deportation 2) respect the  deportees’ rights to access family and legal assistance before deportation; 3) prohibit an excessive use of handcuffs to manage the deportees because it is an act of torture and humiliation; 4) provide proper medical attention with a reference to the hospitals in the Philippines.
We also demand that the Filipino government; 1) extend its support to fulfill urgent needs of the 75 deported undocumented migrants; 2) help those undocumented who wish to remain in Japan acquire legal status; 3) provide an accessible and tangible reintegration program designed for undocumented workers.
We call on both governments to suspend the inhumane mass deportation.
J-CaRM (Catholic Commission of Japan Migrants, Refugees and People on the Move)
Solidarity Network with Migrants Japan (SMJ)
ECMI (Episcopal Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People)
Scalabrini 
   
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