"Voicesea" is a podcast dedicated to highlighting the human rights issues across East and Southeast Asia from the perspectives of civil society. It aims to be a platform for sharing, learning and advocating for human rights across regions and to build solidarity among multi-stakeholders. This podcast is part of the BEBESEA network, a cross-regional network of civil society actors advocating for the rights of migrants and addressing intersectional human rights issues in East and Southeast Asia. Previously called I'Migrant Podcast. Visit bebesea.org for more detail.
Kakehashi: Bridging cultures, languages, and information for young migrants in Japan
Bituin Shimada, one of the co-founders of Kakehashi, arrived in Japan about 50 years ago in the 1970s as a young student. Living as a first-generation Filipino migrant, Bituin had to navigate learning a new language and understanding the cultures to make Japan her home. While working as a professional court interpreter, she came to believe that learning the language, understanding the cultures, and having access to the right information is key for migrants to thrive, especially for the youth migrants who struggle to adapt to their new land. This is why she co-founded Kakehashi, a voluntary group that helps children and youth of Filipino and mixed heritage who migrate to Japan, together with her friends and allies who shared the vision.
Kakehashi means “bridging the links” in Japanese. Among many initiatives, they published a multi-lingual handbook “Bridging the Gap” designed to provide a practical guide to help young migrants in Japan with navigating various aspects of life in Japan. This book also illustrates real-life stories of individuals who overcame various challenges adopting in Japan. It is a product of a long collective process of the community supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) in Japan, and won the 2021 Migration Advocacy and Media Award in the Philippines, for Best Book on Migration, non-fiction/guide category.
Would you like to know more about the experiences of youth migrants and how they could be guided and supported to thrive as equal members of society? In this episode, Bituin, or Tita Bi, tells us some inspiring life stories of hers that led her to work for young Filipino and mixed-heritage migrants and many youth migrants from other backgrounds, as well as about “Bridging the Gap” and Kakehashi’s work.
You can get a PDF copy of the handbook “Bridging the Gap” by completing this form (available in Tagalog, English and Japanese) https://forms.gle/eX1jBqi6bEQjLs4H6 (https://forms.gle/eX1jBqi6bEQjLs4H6)
Short videos of the “Bridging the Gap” are available in
English:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUDDZqjej70zzpgr5KLyip_B (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUDDZqjej70zzpgr5KLyip_B)
Filipino：
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUBCzW6ZgV_jAx_XSfJ6k_Im (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUBCzW6ZgV_jAx_XSfJ6k_Im)
Japanese：
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUD_m4J5fE163vYOHFxykkjb (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUD_m4J5fE163vYOHFxykkjb)
You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/da5RVEXeq34
Kakehashi - Bridging Cultures, Linking Lives (kakehashi-ph.jp (http://kakehashi-ph.jp/))
This episode is supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation
27 Feb 2024
Rohingya, the Palestinians of Southeast Asia: A Forgotten Genocide (Conversation with Maung Zarni)
This month marks 3 years since the military coup of February 2021 in Myanmar. There are estimated 130,000 Rohingya people and other Muslims remained in squalid camps in Rakhine State and about a million people in neighbouring Bangladesh. Being one of the most persecuted communities in the world, the Rohyinga people are victims of genocide, and continue to be denied basic human rights including access to adequate food, healthcare and education. The crucial humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other marginalized groups in Myanmar are often obstructed, and refugee camps are under highly restrictive control of authorities.
In the dire situation, many Rohingya people have no choice but to take dangerous journeys for survival. Indonesia is one of the destinations for those who flee through the sea. However, a lack of understanding of root causes of the systemic oppressions of Rohingya people is leading to discrimination against them in their new land. Since late 2023, harmful hate narratives against Rohingya people seeking asylum have been heard increasingly in Indonesia.
In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast had an opportunity to talk with Maung Zarni, a scholar of genocide (https://maungzarni.net/en/bio-cv), who explained us the context in which Rohingya people so marginalised and vulnerable that they have no choice but to seek asylum in neighboring countries. We also explore how the coup in 2021 affected conditions faced by the Rohingya communities and changed the perspectives of people in Myanmar towards Rohingya communities. How can solidarity among people of the world advocate for the human rights of victims of genocide, people fleeing political persecution, conflicts, and other human rights violations?
21 Nov 2023
World Fisheries Day: What has changed for fishers of Thailand? The only country in Asia ratified the Work in Fishing Convention
Every year on 21 November, the World Fisheries Day is observed. The ocean-based economy, including fisheries, provides significant numbers of jobs in East and Southeast Asia, where more than 80% of the surface is covered by oceans, being home to more than 31.000 island economies.
In order to improve the rights protection of sea-based workers, the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) was established in 2006. To date, MLC is ratified by the majority of the UN member states with 104 state parties. However, the Convention excluded the workers in the fishing industry leaving them highly vulnerable to labour and other rights violations. To fill the gap in the said convention, Work in Fishing Convention (ILO Convention 188/ILO C188) was adopted in 2007. After 16 years since the adaptation, ILO C188 is ratified by only 21 countries worldwide. Among the countries in East and Southeast Asia, Thailand is the only country in the region that has ratified the convention.
In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast has a conversation with the Deputy Director of Stella Maris Seafarers Center in Thailand, Apinya Tajit. Apinya is one of the key actors in advocating for the rights of seafarers including those working in the fishing industry. With her, we discuss changes the ratification of ILO C188 has brought to fishers in/from Thailand, the problems that still remain, and how important it is for other countries that are not yet state parties to the convention to ratify it. In this episode, Apinya Tajit also shares some recommendations by civil societies following the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers in May 2023.
This episode is supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).
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