f o Action@QOOT|QOPO@@@@@@
@ Participation in Policy Making
@ Education and Mass Media
@ Labor
@ Family/Welfare
@ Peace/Development
@ Environment
Participation in Policy Making
1. To conduct policy assessment and inspection concerning all Governmentfs policies that promote gender equality, and promote gender equality.
2. To request that political parties revise the election system to increase the number of women parliamentarians, and to realize the election system focusing on proportional representation.
3. To encourage the central and local governments to promote many women to managerial positions of national and local public servants, applying positive actions to the full.
4. To encourage the central and local governments to appoint intellectuals as advisory council members who understand the concept of ggenderh correctly and who have gender perspectives.
5. To request that local governments enact ordinances to promote gender equality, create an environment that calls citizensf interest in promoting plans for gender equality, and establish systems within administrative organs effective to create an environment to promote gender equality
6. In the situation where the merger of cities, towns and villages is being rapidly promoted, to monitor the systems for gender equality in order to prevent them from retrogression after reorganization of local governments, and continue to request that they promote the systems further.
7. To request that the relevant organs establish gombudspersons for gender equalityh in order to check discrimination against women in society as a whole including political and economic activities and facilitate a practical effect toward the realization of equality.
8. To encourage political parties, corporations, organizations and civil society organizations to set concrete targets to appoint women in managerial positions. In particular, to urge political parties the necessity to raise the percentage of women candidates and to take special measures to encourage women who are aware of gender equality to go into politics.
9. To encourage universities, research institutes, other higher educational facilities and learned societies in science and technology fields to take positive actions in order to promote gender equality.
10. To encourage families, schools and society as a whole to promote learning in order to raise interest in political participation and to foster political awareness of voters.
11. To demand strongly that the Government ratify the Optional Protocol to the CEDAW as soon as possible.
12. To request that the central and local governments cooperate with NGOs in implementing policies related to gender equality.
Education and Mass Media
¡ Goals of Action (Education)
1. To clarify perspectives of gender equality education based on human dignity in all educational and cultural policies. In particular, to stress the importance of Article 24 (individual dignity and the essential equality of the sexes in family life) of the Constitution, and Article 3 (equal opportunity of education) and Article 5 (coeducation) of the Fundamental Law of Education.
2. To eliminate fixed gender roles from school education: textbooks and name lists used in schools, school events, curricula at high school, guidance counseling, etc. In particular, to provide and increase learning opportunities for parents and teachers and disseminate gender-sensitiveness.
3. To promote education that respects life and individuality of each child and fosters consideration for others, and to aim at grealizing a society where no one is discriminated against based on sex,h which is the basic idea of a gender-equal society. To educate children in order to lay the foundations of a society where men and women share family responsibilities equally. In particular, to request that the central and local governments enrich the content of coeducational home economics.
4. To raise awareness of the necessity of sex education, formulate a policy on sex education and disseminate it. (1) Every child should acquire scientific knowledge on sexuality and how an embryo develops in its motherfs womb and is born. (2) Every child should learn equal sexual relations between women and men based on reproductive health/rights. (3) Every child should learn about STDs, including HIV/AIDS, as part of sex education. (4) Every child should learn about contraceptives and make it mandatory for middle and high school students.
5. To request that the Government review present official teaching guidelines, revise them to make them standards of fundamental principles that ensure childrenfs human rights, right to learning, gender equality, and peace. Also to request that the Government eliminate control and regulation over education, including the textbook authorization system. To request that textbook publishing companies develop textbooks that eliminate fixed idea on gender, and raise voices against retrogression of textbook publishing companies.
6. To learn about human rights, equality and peace in order to promote women's and menfs equal participation in all the areas of society. To strengthen measures to eliminate persistent gender biases in choosing future courses and empower boys and girls, and men and women in school education and social education so that they can acquire self-determining ability. To make it clear that sexual harassment at school and violence in extracurricular activities are violation of human rights.
7. To enrich the lectures on women's studies and gender studies in higher education and social education.
8. To request that the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology embody equal participation of both men and women by appointing women to the policy-making positions of educational and cultural organs. In particular, to request that the Ministry raise the ratio of women in managerial positions at school and increase the number of women faculty members at university.
9. To monitor the implementation of gender equality policies in social education including lifelong education, home education, and equal participation of both sexes and grasp and verify the changes in students and the contents of lectures and courses.
10. To grasp the situations of women-related facilities after the introduction of special supervisor system following the revision of the Local Autonomy Law, and monitor and make proposals concerning the management of these facilities according to the Basic Law for a Gender-equal Society.
11. In a society with advanced information technology, to introduce media literacy actively to social education and school education.
¡ Goals of Action (Mass Media)
1. To request that the Government stop controlling mass media and at the same time request self-imposed restraint from mass media.
2. To request that the Government make the existence of the gGuidebook on Public Information from the Gender Perspectivesh known to people and make in-depth guidelines on how to describe women and men.
3. To request the following from media-related corporations and organizations:
(1) To increase the number of women employees and appoint them to the decision-making positions. (2) To raise awareness of gender among people working in mass media through training. (3) To take up gender issues actively in articles and programs. (4) To incorporate gender perspectives in principles on ethics for newspapers and broadcasting standards. (5) To formulate guidelines on how to describe men and women including sexual violence against women and girls and make articles and programs according to the guidelines.
4. To propose establishing a permanent body where people from mass media can have continuous discussions with womenfs organizations.
5. To request that the Government incorporate gender perspectives in media-related laws.
6. To request that the central and local governments conduct research on how descriptions of men and women by media have influence on young people and citizens.
7. To request corrective measures from the Government and media-related corporations to avoid digital divides in the midst of the rapid growth of ICT, especially gaps between men and women and gaps among occupations and in social life
8. To ask for cooperation from various fields to eliminate discriminatory sexual information that might affect young people.
Labor
1. Realization of Equal Employment
(1) To request the following drastic revision of the Equal Employment Opportunity Law:
@ To prohibit discrimination against women and men based on sex.
A To add to the purpose of the Law gbalancing work and family responsibilities of both male and female workers.h
B To prohibit gindirect discriminationh which constitutes practical discrimination.
C To prohibit unfair treatment on the grounds of pregnancy and childbirth.
D To obligate employers to apply positive actions.
E To obligate employers to take measures to prevent sexual harassment and to aid the victims.
F To establish the following system to redress discrimination based on sex:
The system should have authority to investigate, to recommend corrections and to order corrections.
The redress should cover discrimination based on sex, including recruitment, employment, placement, promotion, education and training, welfare programs, retirement, wages and other working conditions, and sexual harassment.
To prohibit disadvantageous treatment on the grounds of allegations of redress.
To obligate the responsibility of verification to employers.
G To delete dual-track employment.
(2) To request the realization of equal treatment for part-time, dispatch, terminable contract, subcontract workers.
@ To request the enactment of the Law to Ensure Equal Treatment for Part-Time Workers, including equal hourly basic wage rates and free shift from part-time to full-time and vice versa, considering that a part-time worker as an "employed person whose normal hours of work are less than those of comparable full-time workers,h based on the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention (No.100) and ILO Part-Time Work Convention (No.175).
A To request the expansion of application of pension systems to part-time and terminable contract workers.
B To promote application of labor laws including the Child-care and Family-care Leave Law to part-time workers.
C To stop the increase in terminable contracts, strengthen regulations and limit the length of gterm.h
D To strengthen social protection measures for home business, work at home and subcontract workers.
(3) To secure employment and create jobs.
@ To request that the Government promote the measures to support women's and men's effort to balance work, family life and community activities.
A To enrich and diversify vocational training and skill training for young women entering into the labor market.
B To request that the Government review its policies in order to prohibit the age limit in employment so that people can change jobs without disadvantages.
C To systematize reemployment with the change of age of pension supply to 65 years old
D To improve employment and working conditions for elderly care and child-care workers.
E To secure jobs for women in disadvantageous situations such as single-mothers and disabled women.
2. To promote fair and equal rules that respond to the change of working environment
(1) To request that the Government enact a law on labor contracts in order to make rules on employment, contracts, and retirement.
(2) To maintain industrial minimum wage system.
(3) To strengthen safety and hygiene measures for small-scale enterprises. To promote employment insurance and other social insurances. To promote supply of retirement money or to promote mutual aid projects for small- and medium-sized enterprise retirement money.
3. Conditions to balance work and family life
(1) To request that the Government reduce and regulate working hours, overtime, holiday and late-night work.
@ To guarantee specifically in the law the maximum of the total annual working hours of 1,800 hours for full-time workers.
A To reduce the regulation of overtime work to 150 hours per year.
B To eliminate unpaid overtime work.
C To request that the Government and employers create environment where men are encouraged to take child-care and family-care leave.
4. To promote ratification of ILO conventions that promote gender equalit
(1) To promote ratification of ILO Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention (No.111), Nursing Personnel Convention (No.149), Convention on Night Work (No. 171), Part-Time Work Convention (No.175), Home Work Convention (No.177) and Maternity Protection Convention (No.183).
(2) To request that Japanese and multinational corporations observe international labor standards, especially ILO core labor standards.
5. To establish womenfs right to health (pregnancy and childbirth) through their lifecycle
(1) To establish womenfs right to gpregnancy and childbirth.h
(2) To enrich and expand medical care based on sex differences.
(3) To raise maternity benefits to 70%.
(4) To request that the Government extend prenatal and postnatal leave to 8 weeks, and extend leave for complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.
(5) To request that the Government supply disease benefits and childbirth benefits through National Health Insurance.
6. To assess properly the labor of women engaged in agriculture, fisheries and self-employment and to protect them as workers.
(1) To promote the conclusion of family management agreements in order to establish proper labor assessment and to clarify the contribution of women farmers to their family property.
(2) To request that the Government give women farmers the right to take prenatal and postnatal leave and to childbirth benefits, and to use day care centers, which is a matter of course for employees.
7. Human rights and labor of foreigners living in Japan
(1) To eliminate discrimination against foreign workers living in Japan and to apply labor protection laws to them. In receiving foreign workers in care work, to respond deliberately on the assumption that sufficient training and proper working conditions are provided.
(2) To grasp the actual situation of trafficking in women and children and strengthen measures for it.
8. To support women entrepreneurs and women engaged in family businesses.
(1) To provide them with training and services on legal aspects of business management, production development, funding, production and quality control and marketing.
(2) To ensure the application of pregnancy and childbirth protection and social security systems.
9. To appoint women to managerial positions.
(1) To apply positive actions in appointing women to the managerial position of corporations and labor unions.
10. To introduce gender perspectives in various statistics.
@Family/Welfare
1. To establish the hindividualh and to build a society where people can live without worrying.
(1) To promote human rights, freedom and equality education from childhood.
(2) To request that the Government revise laws on social systems based on a family as a unit and change them into systems based on an individual as a unit. To change pension rights that vary according to working styles and positions and establish a pension system that ensures a minimum standard of living. To review class 3 insurers and survivorsf pensions, and promote division of pension benefits due to marriage breakdown. To revise a special deduction for spouses and at the same time to raise a basic deduction to avoid an increase in the tax burden: to change taxation systems neutral to the differences of life style.
(3) To revise the Civil Code so that the dual surname system will be introduced, discrimination against children born out of wedlock in inheritance will be abolished, minimum age for marriage will be equal between women and men, and prohibition period for women against remarriage will be abolished.
(4) To form social awareness that recognizes diversifying families and various options of womenfs life styles including single-member families.
(5) To create an environment where volunteer activities are expanded and men and women can participate in various activities, especially to form local networks.
2. To establish sexual and reproductive health/ rights.
(1) To review existing health services, medical care systems and medical science theories from gender perspectives and establish a medical system based on sexual and reproductive health/rights including womenfs clinics and medical care based on sex differences.
(2) To request from the Government the provision of information and services on quality healthcare, obstetric services and medical support so that safe and satisfactory pregnancy, childbirth and child-care are ensured for both mothers and children.
(3) To review the Mother's Body Protection Law, to disseminate correct knowledge on contraceptives in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies and to request from the Government legal protection for unavoidable abortions. To repeal provisions on illegal abortions in the Penal Code.
(4) To review systems concerning childbirth such as securing the cost of pregnancy checkups and childbirth through health insurance or by the National Treasury, securing holidays for medical checkups and providing information and expenses of treatments for infertility so that women can bear children without worrying.
(5) To request that the persons concerned be careful about reproductive technology development and intervention of eugenics, especially prenatal diagnosis. To establish human rights education concerning sexual and reproductive health/rights for doctors, nurses and health workers. To prevent introducing provisions on fetus in the Motherfs Body Protection Law.
(6) To raise awareness of human rights concerning sexual and reproductive health/rights in society as a whole including students, parents, teachers and health workers, and especially men.
3. To strengthen support for child-care and diverse families.
(1) To establish a system on allowances for dependent children (under 18 years).
(2) To request that the Government shorten working hours of parents and guardians raising children and secure income during child care leave.
(3) To enrich day-care centers and kindergartens that receive babies under 1 year, children with illnesses and nighttime child care, and to set stabilized child care fees.
(4) Enrich care of schoolchildren after school hours and childrenfs halls.
(5) To provide free medical care for infants and enrich childrenfs hospitals.
(6) To establish childrenfs right to education.
(7) To strengthen the ties that bind parent and child together and to create good environment of local communities.
(8) To review the taxation system.
(9) To strengthen various support measures for poor families and fatherless or motherless families.
(10) To change policies that assume fixed gender roles.
4. To ensure independence of elderly women.
(1) To secure income of elderly people.
To promote employment and entrepreneurship of the elderly and to create an environment where they can continue working as long as they are healthy.
To request that the government implement as soon as possible the raise of pensions a half of which should be borne by the National Treasury, abolish present gbasic pensionsh that include class 1, class 2, and class 3 insurers, and establish a new pension system that secures minimum pensions. To supply 100% benefits of old-age pensions and abolish supply restrictions by sex. To adopt a new measure to divide pensions at divorce, for example to divide the amount including both husbandf and wifefs pensions by 2, and not to limit the division to class 3 insurers.
To raise basic deductions and the maximum tax exempt income in the taxation system.
(2) To establish new health and long-term care insurance systems so that elderly people can live without worrying.
To stop a health care system for the elderly which increases the amount the elderly must bear, and to reduce the amount by reviving the ceiling of the amount the elderly must pay at hospitals and clinics.
The third plan of long-term care insurance should be based on the situation of elderly people and insurers in local communities instead of on numerical targets set by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. To establish mechanisms which views of residents, users, and insurers are reflected in formulating the plan.
To review long-term care insurance premiums and users' fees so that they are within the gability to pay and incomeh of the elderly people.
To ensure usersf protection, reliable care services and care workers.
(3) To establish a social foundation that facilitates elderly peoplefs independence.
To improve houses and facilities for the elderly, provide rental houses that accept the elderly and enrich financial aid systems.
To develop barrier-free living environment where the elderly and disabled can live independently, and enrich local facilities.
To provide counseling services for the elderly and adopt policies for their recreation.
To utilize elderly people's skills and knowledge for the future generations and local communities.
(4) To establish systems to utilize individualsf ability.
To support work of retiring gbaby boomersh so that they can utilize their experience and ability after retirement, and provide them with information on jobs.
5. To protect human rights of women in fatherless families, women with disabilities and minority women.
(1) To support single mothers, women with disabilities and minority women so that they can find proper jobs, and to improve the support system including the increase in loans of welfare fund.
(2) To supply allowances for dependent children to motherless families as well as fatherless families and support fathers to look for jobs effectively.
(3) To facilitate women in fatherless families and victims of domestic violence to move into public houses with low rents.
(4) To improve measures to demand payment of expense of bringing up children after divorce.
(5) To request that the Government conduct surveys on human rights of minority women and support their life.
(6) To request that the Government institutionalize counseling services, emergency evacuation, relief and necessary legal support for foreign women and girls living in Japan who are victims of violence.
(7) To request that the Government protect human rights of refugee families and their right to the unification of families.
6. To eliminate violence against women and establish womenfs human rights.
(1) To prevent violence inflicted by spouses and to protect victims.
@ To improve protection order system.
To strengthen punishment of perpetrators who violate the order to prohibit the approach, and cooperation between local governments. To expand the range of persons who receive the order to prohibit the approach to relatives and friends. To review the standards of recognition including common-law marriages.
A To ensure safe houses and living expenses for victims of domestic violence and to review systems to support them including the movement of certificates of residence, issuance of health insurance cards, etc.
B To review the contents of support centers for DV victims and make them effectively support victimsf independent life.
C To obligate to the local governments to accept the victims in public housing.
D To take emergency measures before taking the cases to the Family Court if they are dangerous.
E To enrich life support and job support for DV victims.
F To strengthen the punishment of perpetrators and arrest those who violate the protection orders. To strengthen education for rehabilitation.
(2) To strengthen provisions on crimes of violence.
(3) To revise the Anti-Prostitution Law drastically.
(4) To strengthen mechanisms to prevent and eradicate trafficking in persons and to enact the Human Rights Law.
(5) To enact a law to solve the issue of gcomfort women,h recognize the historical facts, apologize publicly and compensate for damages.
(6) To identify the situation of sexual violence toward refugee women, women and children living on military bases and request that international human rights organs prevent it and help the victims.
(7) To file complaints against mass media, advertisers of pornography and sex industries that encourage commercialization of sex, and request that the Government formulate concrete policies to educate, raise consciousness of and guide business circles in order to create a society that do not tolerate sexual exploitation and trafficking in persons.
7. Women and disasters
(1) To request that the central and local governments take womenfs perspectives in rescue operations for the vulnerable, including women and children, with the participation of women in the decision-making process.
(2) To prevent violence against women when disasters occur and to take sanitary measures for women.
@Peace/Development
1. To oppose the revision of the Constitution especially to hold on to Article 9, which stipulates the renunciation of war. To enrich constitution committee established in IWYLG, study hard and express our opinions as occasion demands.
2. To take actions to oppose all nuclear testing and to aim abolition of nuclear weapons. To request the observance of the three Non-Nuclear Principles and disclosure of information on introduction of nuclear weapons into Japan. To take actions to conclude a non-nuclear convention.
3. To request that the Government, United Nations, and international organizations abolish biological and chemical weapons and complete disarmament. To request the observance of the Three Principles of Arms Export.
4. To request that the Government reduce defense expenditure and use it for the purpose of peace.
5. To demand the reduction and abolition of military bases which threaten civic life and request the revision of the Japan-US Status of Forces Agreement.
6. To request from the Government the prevention and redress of serious human rights violation against civilians, especially women and girls, in the U.S. military bases.
7. To request that the United Nations and international agencies prevent and redress the serious human rights violation against civilians, especially women and girls in areas of conflict.
8. To demand that the Government apologize for the past aggressive war Japan provoked and retrieve the honor of gcomfort womenh of the former Japanese army and make reparation for them.
9. To request that the Government, the United Nations and international organs implement resolution 1325 of the Security Council through womenfs participation in decision-making processes concerning peace.
10. To raise awareness of human rights in order to realize a society where all the differences of culture and religion are recognized and human rights are respected.
11. To demand that Japanese ODA meet the needs of recipient countries and regions and that ODA be offered with GAD perspectives. To monitor the implementation of GAD Initiative and request improvement as occasion arises.
12. To make a proposal to the Government that the Japanese Government, who is a sponsor of the DESDfs project make the concerned ministries and agencies promote the project. To emphasize further that gender perspectives are indispensable in promoting the project.
13. To request that the Government continue strengthening the support for UNIFEMfs activities. To cooperate and support the activities of UNIFEM Tokyo.
Environment
1. To request that the Government implement 6% reduction of CO2 emissions by 2012 in relation to the 1990 base line, in view of the Kyoto Protocol coming into effect this year, and monitor the Government implementation. Civil society must also make an effort to realize the reduction.
2. To continue advocating gfood safetyh considering the influence of food on human body. To request that the Government improve the structure of production, distribution and consumption and information on it to protect peoplefs health.
3. To request that the Government establish mechanisms to promote the U.N. Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005~2014) in concerned ministries and agencies. To promote womenfs participation in national activities on DESD in cooperation with NGOs of Japan, who is the sponsor of the project, paying attention to the response and development of other countries.
4. To promote women's participation in the decision-making of prevention, response, relief and crisis management of natural disasters, considering womenfs roles are indispensable in addressing frequent natural disasters.
5. To promote and study utilization and dissemination of natural energy, considering the danger and influence of nuclear power on environment, and to propose measures to prevent destruction of environment.
6. To start a movement to prohibit the use of harmful chemical substance (PCB, chlorine-based chemical compounds persistent in the environment, asbestos, and other harmful substance), considering the influence on the future generation.
7. To monitor the disposal of harmful wastes including industrial wastes, nuclear wastes and medical wastes, and make a further effort to reduce garbage (reduction, regeneration, and recycling).
8. To continue a movement to revise the Law for Promotion of Sorted Collection and Recycling of Containers and Packing to ensure resource-saving.
