|
|
|
|
Male migrant workers in Japan have
it tough
By Suvendrini Kakuchi
TOKYO - Ananda, a Sri Lankan man, left for
Japan a year ago after mortgaging his parents'
home to raise US$7,000 to pay a broker for a
three-month tourist visa. "I was determined to
work at any job and make enough money to help my
poor family in Sri Lanka," said the father of
three, who lives on the outskirts of Tokyo in a
cramped apartment with a group of friends.
But the going was much tougher than he
imagined in a country he hoped would make him
rich, to pave the way for a comfortable life when
he returned home. Ananda, who prefers his last
name not to be used, works 14 hours a day in a
cramped factory, rarely takes a holiday because he
does not have paid leave, and endures harsh
working and living conditions in order to make
ends meet.
The case of Ananda is typical
for the foreign male undocumented worker in Japan
who faces abuse and hardship. While not directly
linked to trafficking, they can be compared to
women victims of sexual slavery, an issue now in
the limelight after the release of several
international reports.
"While the problems
of human trafficking focuses on women forced into
sexual slavery in Japan, there are many cases of
coerced male labor in the country, a situation
that still goes ignored and needs urgent
attention," said Tomoyuki Yamaguchi, a counselor
at the Asian Peoples' Friendship, a non-governmental
organization (NGO) supporting migrant workers.
He points out that complaints by male
workers sound very similar to those of trafficked
women, such as low wages, long and exhausting
working hours, and violence from their bosses -
even though the practices of repaying huge debts
and forced prostitution rarely apply to men. The
Asian Peoples Friendship helps about 40 foreign
workers a month, the majority of them male.
Yamaguchi said the bulk of complaints are
over unpaid overtime, sometimes running into
years, and injuries in the workplace. The
counselor said many of the workers were reluctant
to confront their bosses for fear of being
deported for violating their tourist visas. The
Japanese media reported recently that accidents
involving foreign workers have increased sharply
because of the lack of training in workplace
safety and their inability to read safety
instructions in Japanese.
Of the 208
foreign employees who were injured recently in
Shizuoka prefecture, south of Tokyo, 70 Brazilian
and Filipino male workers in fish processing
plants had their fingers cut in the grinders -
some of them suffering serious hand injuries. A
recent global report released by the International
Labor Office (ILO) indicated that men comprise a
large number of victims of forced labor in Japan.
The ILO report singles out Japan as a
recognized destination for migrant labor from Asia
and other developing countries. It also states
that there are as many men as women entering the
country to work illegally, as well as being
deported. In 2003, according to the Japanese
Immigration Bureau, there were a total of 219,000
workers who had overstayed their visas, of which
52% were men.
A breakdown of workers who
were deported in 2004 according to their jobs
indicated that 5,146 men were working in factories
compared to 2,010 women. Koreans topped the list
followed by Chinese and Filipinos. In the services
sector, there were 4,873 women who were sent home
compared to 184 men. From the construction
industry, 5,426 foreign male workers and 42 women
were deported.
"The huge problem of
trafficking of women to Japan was raised because
of the very low consciousness of the issue in
Japan. But it must be acknowledged that foreign
males who enter to work here are also exploited.
This is an issue that is still hidden," said
Mitusko Horiuchi, of the ILO Japan office.
In March, Rengo, Japan's largest labor
union, launched a union for Chinese workers in the
country to help protect their rights. "The
situation of male migrants is terrible. Their
working conditions are bad in both Japanese and
Chinese companies that have been set up here,"
said Rengo's Shu Furuyama.
Furuyama, who
spearheaded the union for Chinese workers, said
the difficulty in getting a valid work visa is the
biggest problem for male migrants. "Without proper
visas, the men are highly vulnerable in the
working place where they are employed as cooks, in
factories dealing with industrial waste or in the
labor-intensive agricultural sector. Cases of
unlawful dismissal, injury, and deportation force
these men to keep working in conditions that are
nothing short of torture and totally against
Japanese labor standards."
Yamaguchi
pointed out that the situation has become worse
for men these days, as immigration officials began
to crack down on foreign workers after the problem
of trafficking surfaced, forcing foreign male
workers not to venture out of their dormitories to
seek help - for fear of being arrested.
(Inter Press Service) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
All material on this
website is copyright and may not be republished in any form without written
permission.
© Copyright 1999 - 2005 Asia Times
Online Ltd.
|
|
Head
Office: Rm 202, Hau Fook Mansion, No. 8 Hau Fook St., Kowloon, Hong
Kong
Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
|
|
|
|
