U.N. expert urges Japan to terminate intern program for foreign workers+

TOKYO, March 31 Kyodo -
A visiting U.N. expert on migrants' human rights urged the Japanese government
Wednesday to terminate its industrial trainee and technical intern program for
workers from foreign countries, saying it may amount to ''slavery'' in some
cases, fueling demand for exploitative cheap labor in possible violation of
human rights.
''This program should be discontinued and replaced by an employment program,''
Jorge Bustamante, U.N. special rapporteur on human rights of migrants, said at
a press conference held at the U.N. Information Center.
The program was introduced with the aim of transferring technology and skills
to developing countries, but critics say a number of program participants are
forced to engage in long hours of labor without protections generally applied
to Japanese workers in accordance with the labor law.
While praising some of Japan's measures to alleviate the impact of the economic
crisis on the foreign population, Bustamante noted that the country still faces
a range of challenges, including racism, discrimination and exploitation of
migrants, based on information provided by civic groups.
''Racism and discrimination based on nationality are still too common in Japan,
including in the workplace, in schools, in health care establishments and
housing,'' he said.
''Japan should adopt specific legislation on the prevention and elimination of
racial discrimination, since the current general provisions included in the
Constitution and existing laws are not effective in protecting foreign
residents from discrimination based on race and nationality,'' Bustamante said.
Prior to embarking on his first official visit to Japan in the U.N. post,
Bustamante had received a number of complaints about the mistreatment of
foreigners in Japan in possible violation of their human rights, including one
this year and two last year, he told Kyodo News after the news conference.
Since his arrival in the country on March 23, Bustamante has interviewed
migrants and their families, including Filipinos and Brazilians in Nagoya,
Aichi Prefecture, and held discussions with officials of ministries and
agencies concerned.
Japanese civic groups supporting migrants said it is significant that a U.N.
expert has conducted an assessment on the human rights of migrants in Japan,
which has yet to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the
Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
Bustamante will submit a report on his visit to the U.N. Human Rights Council
to present his findings, conclusions and recommendations possibly in September
or October after submitting a draft to the Japanese government.
Following his meetings and discussions in Japan, Bustamante pointed out that a
number of parents of Japanese-born children or those who have lived in the
country for a long time have been deported or detained due to their irregular
residence status.
''In accordance with the principle of the best interest of the child, families
should not be separated,'' he said.
Assigned in July 2005 to the post created in 1999, the main responsibilities of
which include examining ways to overcome obstacles to the protection of
migrants' human rights in given countries, Bustamante has officially visited
countries such as Britain, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and the United
States, assessing the conditions of migrants in those countries as the special
rapporteur.
==Kyodo
2010-03-31 23:26:04


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