Background
Since the magnitude 9.0 great earthquake hit eastern Japan on March 11, large volumes of financial assistance have been pledged to the devastated region from within and outside of the country. Not only the central government, but local governments, communities and businesses have extended support, as well as domestic and overseas non-governmental and non-profit organizations. Having lost more than 20,000 lives with more missing, homes and offices, the people affected by the earthquake and the tsunami need extended relief aid and reconstruction assistance to deal with an unprecedented scale of devastation. The needs of the survivors vary according to a wide range of age, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, ethnicities, family relationships and employment. We cannot and should not leave the responsibility of recovery only up to local support groups. Instead, the survivors need a wide range of support including hands-on help from as many experts as possible.
Women who survived the disaster face a particular aspect of the disaster-led hardships, which may violate their basic human rights. We must deal with issues related to their individual needs, both physical and mental, child-rearing, caring for family members, physical and psychological abuse, employment, insurance and housing. Despite the urgent need to develop a gender-based perspective in the recovery process, we see there is no proper system to address this need in Japan.
The Cabinet Office has issued guidelines on how to better meet the needs of vulnerable people in the devastated region, based on lessons learned from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. However, the guidelines still lack follow-up measures, and they are not reinforced. This project is, thus, aimed at fulfilling the lack of female representation in every aspect of life.
Concept
Vision
Human rights of the women who survived the Great East Japan Earthquake are respected.
Mission
To respond to and best fulfill the needs of the women survivors in the Great East Japan
Earthquake;
To help create opportunities where women can initiate some of the reconstruction efforts;
To promote gender sensitivity in the main stream society.
Target
Scope of activities
To ensure psychological and physical safety and security of the women involved in assisting women survivors (Preventing violence and follow-up care)
To ensure livelihood of women survivors through employment and compensation (Information, consultation, lobbying for policy reforms)
To improve housing and living environment for women survivors (Evacuation centers, temporary housing, encouraging participation in community rebuilding)
To improve medical, hygiene, welfare services in devastated region
To strengthen media relations of women survivors and their support groups
Organization
Rise Together for Women in East Japan Disaster (Rise Together) is to help women, especially survivors of the disaster, play an active role in Tohoku’s reconstruction efforts by advocating and lobbying for measures and policies that respond to their particular needs at best. This is done by gathering data and voices of women through researches and by informing the public, as well as the government, of our findings. The group set up a council and overseers to maintain accountability in carrying out its projects.
Members
Board
Akiko Nakajima (Wayo Women’s University)
Mieko Takenobu (Wako University)
Chieko Akaishi (Women’s Democratic Journalfemine)
Reiko Masai (Women’s Net Kobe)
Noriko Seyama (Asia Japan Women’s Resource Centre)
Yukiko Tsunoda (NPO Center for Education and Support for Women)
Azusa Yamashita (Office for Gender Equality, Iwate University, National University Corporation)
Che Seon Ae (Pianist)
Steering Committee
Tomoko Endo (National Women’s Shelter Net)
Tomoko Yunomae (Japan Accountability Caucus for the Beijing Conference)
Chie Matsumoto (Journalist)
Masako Tanaka (Asia Japan Women’s Resource Centre)
