JOICFP NEWS NO.256 OCTOBER 1995.pdf
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NO. 256 October 1995
ISSN 0911-0755
JOICFP NEWS
Japan Takes No-compromise Stand at Beijing
Japanese delegation expresses
commitment to women’s
empowerment and
reproductive health and rights
The Japanese government made clear its
nrm commitment to the issues of reproductive
rights and health and the empowerment of
women at the Fourth World Conference on
Women, held in Beijing from September 4 -15,
and the NGO Forum, held in Huairow from
August 30 - September 8. In his official
statement on September 5, head of the Japanese
delegation Koken Nosaka, minister of Women’s
Affairs and chief cabinet secretary, outlined
pillars of action: empowerment of women;
respecting the human rights of women; and
partnership between women and men,
partnership between NGOs and governments
and partnership across international borders.
The conference, organized by the UN,
determined policy directions concerning
women for the next 10 years. Attendance was
estimated at over 17,000 representatives of 189
intries attending in national delegations
mainly comprised of government ministers,
parliamentarians, top-ranking government
officials and NGO representatives. The
recommendations agreed upon by national
delegations at the conference produced the
Platform for Action document. Some 30,000
attended the NGO Forum.
The no-compromise statement made by
Japan was welcomed by international agencies
and NGOs as a signal of Japan’s leadership in
the field and an encouraging direction for other
donor countries to follow. The statement
echoed the comprehensive approach taken by
Japan in its Initiative on Women in
Development (WID), which the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MOFA) developed prior to the
conference. In announcing the initiative, the
government described it as the first
comprehensive initiative on WID developed by
a government. In his statement to the
conference, Nosaka stressed that he will make
every effort to expand Japan’s development
assistance for WID which
already exceeds US$600
million a year.
The goal of actions taken
to empower women is to
“fully develop the potential of
women and enable them to
choose from various
possibilities,” said Nosaka.
The keys to achieve women’s
empowerment include
education, participation in the
work place and decision
making processes, he added.
“It is essentia] that women
participate in economic and
A view of the Fourth World Conference on Women held in
Beijing from September 4 -15.
social development on equal
terms with men and thus fully
benefit from the process in order to ensure that
A Role for NGOs
balanced, sustainable development is achieved.
To that end, in implementing development
assistance, donors need to enhance cooperation
Japan’s commitment to working closely
in order to empower women and remove gender with NGOs was emphasized at a briefing for
inequality in all aspects of women’s lives.”
Japanese NGOs held prior to the conference on
Noting that human rights of women are
September 3 in Beijing. The MOFA officials
universal and must not be violated, Nosaka said outlined Japan’s plan toward the 21 st century
that Japan highly evaluates the fact that there is
to promote the active participation of women in
now agreement on the importance of
society with the aim of achieving equal
reproductive health and rights, and on the need
partnership with men. The officials made it
for generic approaches to ensure these rights.
clear that Japan stands firm on its commitment
Japan intends to take strong action so that
to the Program of Action of the International
women will no longer be victims of
Conference on Population and Development
prostitution, sexual crimes and sexual
(ICPD) and will not step back from this stand.
exploitation, he said. “The government will
The officials also emphasized the
support activities in a thoughtful and effective
importance of Japan’s WID Initiative, which
manner for the protection of women’s human
was outlined at the meeting. The initiative,
rights conducted at the grassroots level by
which recognizes an important role for NGOs,
Japanese and foreign NGOs.”
is crucial to the government’s efforts to reflect
In describing the third pillar, the enhance
gender perspectives in ODA, according to the
ment of partnership, Nosaka emphasized
officials. Japan demonstrated the importance
Japan’s commitment to partnership between
placed on NGOs by including NGO
NGOs and government. “It (the government)
representatives — all women — in the official
intends to involve all the people in the effort to
delegation, the officials noted. This was the
accomplish gender equality, reinforcing the
most of any delegation at the conference.
cooperative relationship between NGOs and the
The officials pointed out that Japan, which
government that was established in the cause of bears one-fifth of the world’s total ODA, hopes
preparing for this conference,” he said.
that other countries will follow the direction it
B
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NGO Forum
JoiCFP Helps Raise
Women’s Voices
JOICFP was actively involved in the NGO
Forum of the 4th World Conference on Women,
held August 30 - September 8, in Huairow,
55km from the main conference in Beijing.
Women enjoy the opening ceremony of the
JOICFP also organized three events that were
NGO Forum.
open to all participants of the NGO Forum.
The first, the Symposium on Promoting
has set with the WID initiative. Japan also
Reproductive Health and Rights — Voices from
contributed US$2.5 million to support the
Africa, Asia and Latin America, was held on
Beijing conference and NGO Forum, they said.
September 1. To provide a broad spectrum of
opinions, panelists were drawn
from countries in three regions:
Kenya, India and Mexico. One of
Japan’s WID Initiative
the highlights of the event was a
Japan's comprehensive WID Initiative announced at the
role play about the problems that
Beijing conference clearly outlines three priority areas of
women in India face within the
cooperation: education, health and economic and social
family and community. A speaker
participation. The initiative was developed by the Ministry
from the host country of China also
of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) ahead ofthe Beijing conference
contributed to the symposium.
and reflects perspectives of NGO representatives who
The different needs, issues and
attended a meeting with MOFA officials on August 18 in
recommendations
related to
Tokyo. The document clarifies Japan's position on the three
reproductive health in each region
areas and outlines specific action to be taken and goals to
presented by the speakers made the
be achieved. Below are some excerpts of the document.
symposium a unique event. A
Gender disparity in education, and primary education in
particular, adversely affects the economic and social life of
serious reproductive health and
a country. Il is important to guarantee educational
rights issue confronting women in
opportunities for girls to rectify the gender disparity in
Japan was also raised by Dr. Kunio
education.
Kitamura, director, Ichigaya Clinic,
In a social context whereby women’s primary role is
Japan Family Planning Association
seen as bearing children, the recurring cycle of pregnancy,
(JFPA). Kitamura stressed that the
birth and child rearing makes it nearly impossible for
government’s delay to authorize the
women to participate in development and thus derive benefit
low-dose oral contraceptive pill has
from this process. Il is necessary to provide reproductive
grave consequences for women’s
health care and ensure reproductive rights for women in
order to prevent unwanted cases of pregnancy and birth
reproductive health.
through family planning, and thus enable parents to plan
The second event was the
pregnancy, childbirth and child rearing.
Forum on Health of Women and
To make the empowerment of women a reality, it is
Youth on September 2. The event
imperative to enable women to realize their full potential
focused on the video Adolescent
and thus become active participants in the economy and
Women/Voices Unheard, shown at
society, and thereby to indirectly assist in their efforts
the forum. Participants discussed
toward independence.
ways to effectively utilize the video
Japan will work toward greater public consciousness of
which depicts the impact that lack
gender and development issues through various contacts
with the developing countries.
of status and education have on the
lives of three young women of
Bangladesh, Thailand and Mexico.
The video was hailed as an
Japan also announced its plan to hold several
effective tool for stimulating
workshops on WID in the 1995-1996 period as part of its
discussions and convincing policy
follow-up to the Beijing conference. According to MOFA,
makers of the needs of women.
“Such activities form an integral part of the WID initiative.
The third event, the
The Japanese WID Fund (JWIDF), established in 1995 with
Symposium on Japan’s Global
initial funding of US$1 million, will be instrumental in
these efforts.” The fund will be administered by UNDP.
Issues Initiative on Population and
AIDS and WID Initiative, featured
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"lOICH*
Or
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Indian women perform a role play at the
September 1 symposium.
speakers Norio Hattori, deputy director general,
Economic Cooperation Bureau, MOFA; Saad
Raheem Sheikh, director, Asia and the Pacific
Division, UNFPA; Dr. Fred Sai, president,
IPPF, and Ingar Brueggemann, new secretary
general, IPPF. The event was attended by about
50 people including two Japanese parlia
mentarians and representatives of international
and national NGOs and mass media.
The symposium provided a forum for
creating awareness and discussing issues
related to the GII and the new WID initiative of
the Japanese government. It was a unique
opportunity for NGOs to raise issues directly to
Japanese officials about the initiatives. The
importance of facilitating dialog between the
government and NGOs was emphasized by
Hattori who said he is encouraging Japanese
embassies in each country to serve as a
communication channel with local NGOs.
Sheikh also provided an overview of
UNFPA initiatives with NGOs, while
Brueggemann explained the challenges facing
IPPF. Applauding its initiatives and leadership
in the field, Sai urged Japan to maintain its
momentum to set an example for other
countries to follow.
Participants discuss JOICFP’s educational
film at the September 2 forum.
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
IMPGPD
Parliamentarians Firm
on Reproductive Health
& Rights
Legislators from 57 countries attending a
meeting in Tokyo affirmed their belief that
“equitable and universal access to education
and reproductive health and rights, including
sexual health and rights, are a pre-requisite for
improving the living conditions of all
individuals, including adolescents, and for
empowering women and promoting their
advancement.” The participants of the
itemational Meeting of Parliamentarians on
Gender, Population and Development
(IMPGPD), held in Tokyo on August 31 and
September 1, also affirmed the unique and
important
role of
parliamentarians
in ensuring
adequate
attention to
gender,
population and
development
issues and
recognized the
Ingar Brueggemann,
need to develop
IPPF secretary general
networks
among
oarliamentarians at the national, regional and
ter-regional levels to strengthen exchange of
experiences and cooperation.
The recommendations were part of the
Tokyo Declaration developed by the
parliamentarians ahead of the 4th World
Conference on Women. The meeting, which
saw active discussions on various issues raised
in the declaration, was attended by about 150
participants including observers. Almost all
participating legislators later traveled to Beijing
to attend the UN conference as part of national
delegations.
The IMPGPD was hosted by the Japan
Parliamentarians Federation for Population
(JPFP) and the Asian Forum of
Parliamentarians on Population and
Development (AFPPD). It was supported by
UNFPA and IPPF.
Participants were welcomed with an
address by Taro Nakayama, chairperson, JPFP.
Taking a clear stand of reproductive rights and
health, Nakayama said, “I believe that unless
empowerment of women, in other words, unless
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
entarians
' ALJ^aY'^p'?-!?bd ?.®veam
>opment
Tokyo, Japan
women have the rights
to decide how many
children and when they
will bear and manage
their reproductive rights
and health, there could
be no resolution of the
issues of population nor
Speakers of the International Meeting of Parliamentarians on
improvement of
Gender, Population and Development.
women’s health.”
The role of
parliamentarians as representatives of the
The meeting was closed with remarks by
people was stressed by Shin Sakurai,
the new Secretary General of IPPF Ingar
chairperson, AFPPD. “It is not possible for
Brueggemann. “We now know that there is no
governments alone to solve the population
conflict between, the macro-demographic
problem nor for the private sector to do it on its concerns of worldwide population growth and
own. It is essential to have the active
its concomitant impact on development on the
commitment of us parliamentarians, who listen
one hand and, on the other micro-democratic
to our people and are elected by them and act as participation and empowerment of individual
their representatives.”
women and men as a means and an end in
Japan’s commitment to the issues of
itself. Indeed, we have recognized that without
gender, population and development was
the enhancement of the status of women and
emphasized in a message read on behalf of
girls, development cannot be achieved either
Minister of Foreign Affairs Yohei Kono. “As a
economically or morally,” she said.
means to support women’s empowerment, the
Brueggeman urged the parliamentarians to let
Japanese government, through its Women in
their voices be heard at Beijing and not lose the
Development Initiative, will support women’s
important consensus reached in Cairo.
initiatives in developing countries which aim to
promote women’s participation in
development,” he said.
Kayoko Shimizu, chairperson, IMPGPD,
and member, House of Councilors, stressed that
women hold the key to population. “The great
achievement of the International Conference on
Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo
was the adoption of the strategy to ensure
women of their rights through their
empowerment,” she said. “The conference
New secretary general of IPPF,
adopted its Program of Action for women’s
Ingar Brueggemann (front, center), met
reproductive health and rights which lead to
with representatives of the Family
their empowerment and improved health.”
Planning Federation of Japan (FPFJ),
The need to carry forward to Beijing the
Japan Family Planning Association
historic gains made at the ICPD and earlier
(JFPA) and JOICFP while in Japan to
conferences was emphasized by Dr. Nafis
attend the International Meeting of
Sadik, executive director, UNFPA. “We must
Parliamentarians on Gender, Population
be vigilant in ensuring that the Beijing
and Development, held August 31 conference reaffirms and extends the
September 1. She was accompanied by
breakthroughs achieved at the ICPD, and that as
Mark Laskin, assistant secretary
a result, the world community moves forward
general, IPPF (rear, 3rd from left).
even more vigorously in fully implementing all
aspects of the Cairo agreement,” she said.
3
New Publication
Closing the Gap
“That success in planning a family is only
one of the many challenges a woman faces in
her life goes without saying. But because
having children is a basic aspect of women’s
lives and because most of the responsibility for
raising children still falls on women, both the
timing ofpregnancy and birth and the number
of children a woman bears affect many other
areas of her life,” states The Alan Guttmacher
Institute in its recent
publication, “Hopes and
Realities." The report,
.Of,J subtitled “Closing the
I
Gap Between Women’s
REALITIES Aspirations and Their
REALillESl Reproductive Experi
ences,” brings together
comparative data from 42 countries on issues
related to women’s lives and the formation of
families. Sixteen countries, including three
developed countries, are the main focus of the
report. Below are some highlights.
Depending on where they live, women say
they want between two to eight children.
Women who marry or start a union while they
are very young typically have their first child at
an early age. In many developing countries,
20 - 50% of women marry or start a union
before their 1 Sth birthday. Sizable proportions
may even do so before they are 15. Between
20% and 46% of women in the majority of the
selected developing countries had their first
child before their 1 Sth birthday.
Often, when women find out they are
pregnant, they realize that they are not in a
position to raise a child. Some of these women
will have an induced abortion. Estimates for
the late 1980s and early 1990s indicate that
between one-quarter and one-third of pregnan
cies in China, Japan and the U.S., and one-fifth
of those in France, ended in induced abortion.
In 1995, there will be about 139 million
live births throughout the world, and about 52
million induced abortions. These figures
suggest that roughly 28% of all pregnancies —
worldwide — end in an abortion. Of these
abortions, 21 million are performed in countries
where the procedure is not legal. Roughly 30 50 women per 1,000 women of child-bearing
age have abortions each year in Latin America
and about 27 per 1,000 do so in the U.S. In the
Netherlands, a developed country, where
contraceptive use is very efficient, the rate is
only five abortions per 1,000 women.
Unsafe abortions are a leading cause of
maternal deaths around the world. The WHO
estimates that 13% of all pregnancy-related
deaths result from abortion complications,
particularly hemorrhage and infection.
A gap frequently exists between the number
of children women say they want and the
number they have, and sizable proportions of
women in every country are having unplanned
pregnancies. If all unwanted births were
prevented, the global number of births would
drop from 139 million annually to 122 million.
Almost 230 million women worldwide lack
effective contraceptive methods and services.
Common Issues
for Women
children, she will have to practice contraception
for about 20 years. The report shows that the
practice of contraception is a big chore for
women. It also points out that except for Japan
and the U.S., men are taking very little
responsibility for this in the countries we
covered. In most other countries, you’ll see
that between 1% and 12% of the contraception
is done by men — everything else is by women.
I also found it striking that in virtually all
countries — this includes Japan — that the
choice of contraceptive method is not dictated
by what women want or by having much
variety. It’s really dictated by such issues as
politics or tradition. It is really the medical
profession or the government that decides
what’s available to women. That’s significant.
The other point we wanted to make with
this report — in a tactful and delicate way — is
that even if countries think they don’t have an
abortion problem; they do have a problem. The
only places where there are few abortions are
countries where people still want very high
fertility. In countries where people want to
have small families, and where women have
some degree of independence and are not under
extreme social control, even with the use of
contraception, there will still be substantial
need for abortion.
I think perhaps among the most difficult
policies to impose upon people are those that
deal with having children. They are not likely
to be successful. Even with a fair amount of
coercion —
there is an
enormous
amount of
resistance.
This is an
aspect of
life which
is so
important
to people
Rosoff
and is
highly
resistant to government intervention. So, to be
successful, you have to start wif the people
themselves to some degree and ouild upon their
wishes to have fewer children.
Homs
Jeannie Rosoff, president, The Alan
Guttmacher Institute, spoke to JOICFP NEWS
on August 17 about her organization's
publication, “Hopes and Realities.’’ Below is
an outline of the interview.
People always tell you how different their
countries are or how different their problems
are. But most people pretty much want the
same things in life. It’s valuable to try to draw
out these things that are in common, because
the tendency is to separate people.
This is one of the reasons why we
consciously took less-developed countries,
developed countries and the most advanced
countries (for Hopes and Realities).
For most women child bearing is a very
central portion of their lives. Their lives are
also sometimes organized around not having
children. If a woman wants to have only two
4
women want between two and eight children,
states “Hopes and Realities."
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
Japan
Sexuality and Human Bonding
A comparative study of adolescent
sexuality in Japan and Mexico was also
presented at the main conference by the
Nursing School of Jichi Medical College. The
Mexico part of the survey was conducted with
the assistance of the Mexican Foundation for
Family Planning (MEXFAM), JOICFP’s
counterpart in Mexico.
One of MEXFAM’s unique programs was
presented at a congress event by Alfonso Ldpez
Juarez, director general, MEXFAM. Lopez
spoke about MEXFAM’s unique Gente Joven
sex education program for adolescents, which
aims to change the understanding and the
meaning of sexuality in the minds of young
people. Through this outreach program,
MEXFAM seeks to teach young people that
“sexual life has value in itself: the value of
communication and love among human beings.”
Ldpez said that Gente Joven aims to promote a
culture of sexual health as opposed to the
culture of compulsive reproduction.
Gente Joven focuses on schools of all
levels, urban and rural communities and
factories and provides sex education starting
with 9-year-olds, L6pez said. The program
utilizes trained instructors and advanced I EC
materials. Some of these, including printed and
audiovisual materials, were produced in
cooperation with JOICFP. He said that the
program has reached over one million people
across the nation in the last nine years.
Following the congress, Lopez traveled to
Kusastumachi, Gunma Prefecture, where he
observed preventive health-care activities
including health
• consultations for the
• aged and infant
An NGO Perspective
• immunization. He
• was also introduced
JOICFP Senior Program Officer Kiyoko Ikegami joined a Japanese
e
cj(y’s
government mission to Thailand from August 13 -19 to prepare for training • adolescent program
of administrators of programs under the Global Issues Initiative for
•
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Lopez paid a
Population and AIDS. The course, to be executed under the Foundation for *
•
courtesy
call to
Advanced Studies in International Cooperation and Development (FASID), c
Mayor
Yoshio
will be held at the beginning of 1996 in Thailand. The mission included one •
FASID member, two experts and Ikegami. As the sole NGO representative, * Nishino of Ota City, a
Ikegami reflected an NGO perspective in her recommendations concerning • member of the
the draft course curriculum. Specifically she urged that the grassroots
• Municipal
activities of NGOs be included in one of the three training modules. Her
e Coordinating
comments echoed the recommendations of Thai NGOs working in the field • Committee for
of population and HIV/AIDS. Another recommendation was to have NGO •, Overseas Bicycle
representatives actively involved in the training of the 20 or so trainees.
• Assistance
During the stay in Thailand, the Japanese team visited two major NGOs
* (MCCOBA), which
involved in population and HIV/AIDS, Care Thailand and the Population
• has donated bicycles
and Community Development Association (PDA).
* to assist MEXFAM.
“Sexuality and human bonding” was the
theme of the 12th World Congress of Sexology
held in Yokohama, Japan, from August 12 -16.
Dr. Seichii Matsumoto, chairman, Japan Family
Planning Association (JFPA) served as presi
dent of the meeting. It was attended by 800
participants including 250 from overseas. A
total of 41
countries
were repre
!
sented at
the event.
The
congress
was opened
with a
statement
recorded on
Lopez (right) at a health
video from
center in Nagano.
Shidzue
Kato,
president of Family Planning Federation of
Japan (FPFJ), and acting president of JOICFP.
Noting JOICFP’s unique position in Japan as an
international organization in the field of
population and reproductive health including
family planning (FP), Kato commented that
JOICFP’s community-based Integrated Project
was effective for FP promotion.
In parallel with the congress, JFPA
organized various activities including the
Symposium on Sexuality of Aged People. The
ic was particularly relevant for countries
such as Japan where the proportion of aged in
the population is rapidly increasing.
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JOICFPNEWS, October 1995
5
Reproductive
Health Explained
Over 30 people including women’s activists
and an official of the Ministry of Health and
Welfare were given an in-depth introduction to
reproductive health and rights on August 11 in
Tokyo by Dr. Pramilia Senanayake, assistant
secretary general, IPPE Organized by the
Family Planning Federation of Japan (FPFJ),
the seminar also included an overview of
IPPF’s reproductive health activities.
Senanayake was in Tokyo to attend the 12th
World Congress of Sexology in Yokohama
where she served as a speaker.
In her presentation entitled, “Reproductive
Health — What Does It Really Mean?”
Senanayake provided insights into the concepts
of reproductive health and rights. She used 60
slides to introduce the situation of women
worldwide and offer descriptions and statistics
of various aspects.
“Within the framework of WHO’s
definition of health as a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-being, and not
merely the absence of disease or infirmity,
reproductive health
addresses the
reproductive
processes, functions
and system at all
stages of life,”
noted Senanayake.
“ Reproductive
health could also be
Senanayake
defined as the
ability of men and
women to undertake sexual activity safely,
whether or not pregnancy is desired and, if it is
desired, for the woman to carry the pregnancy
to term safely, deliver a healthy infant and be
prepared to nurture it.”
Senanayake used statistics to highlight
various reproductive health issues. Noting the
estimated annual 500,000 maternal deaths
worldwide, she pointed out that only 6,000 of
these occur in developed countries. She added
that about 5.6 million infant deaths and 200,000
maternal deaths in developing countries could
be avoided if optimum conditions for child
bearing were observed.
Extremely practical and easy to understand,
the presentation was effective for emphasizing
to the Japanese audience that family planning is
a basic human right and conveying the many
dimensions of reproductive health.
China
Insights into Community-based
Activities
Members of the Japanese non
governmental organization, 2050, observed
conditions in two areas of China where
JOICFP’s Integrated Project (IP) is
implemented prior to attending the NGO Forum
' •
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i
Girls work as street vendors instead of
attending school in Guizhou Province.
of the 4th World Conference on Women in
Beijing. Headed by Katsuhide Kitatani,
president of 2050, and senior advisor of
UNFPA, the study tour was organized by
JOICFP and held from August 20 - 29.
Firsthand
Observations
The two areas selected for the tour were
Taicang City, Jiangsu Province, and Duyun
City, Guizhou Province. In Taicang, the team
visited the Taicang IP Center, which is
providing a mix of health-care services on a
fee-charged basis. The team also visited a
farmer’s house.
In Guizhou, the visitors were provided with
insights into such issues as FP/MCH, poverty
and women in the province by officials of
various bodies including the FP commission,
women’s federation, development bureau and
health bureau. The team was told that out of a
population of 33 million in Guizhou, 10 million
live below the poverty line. Some 31.5% of the
population is made up of ethnic minorities.
To gain a broad perspective, the team
visited both IP and non-IP villages in the
province. The comparison enabled the
members to note the difference in people’s
awareness of health and the better quality of
life enjoyed by people in the IP village, which
has better environmental santitation, toilets and
drinking water sources.
One of the pressing problems noted in the
non-IP area in Guizhou was the low rate of
school attendance among the girl children. The
members of 2050 expressed their hope of
collaborating with JOICFP in efforts to raise
the enrollment of girls in the province.
Sharing Lessons in Self-reliance
Thirteen members of a study mission from China learned practical techniques to
promote community-based health-care on a fee-charged basis while in Japan from July
27-August 9. The team was led by Dr. Mi Rong, chief, Division of Science and
Technology, Family Planning Commission of Shaanxi Province.
The participants of the seminar were drawn from
areas where JOICFP’s IP is in its 4th cycle and
where the 5th cycle of the project is to be launched
in 1996. A representative of the State Family
Planning Commission also joined the 10 members
from the 4th cycle and two from the 5th cycle areas.
The 12th of its kind to be held in Japan, the
Parasite Control Seminar for Promoting the IP in
China was sponsored by the Sasakawa Foundation
The Chinese team observes health
and conducted by the Japan Association of Parasite
care in Fukushima.
Control (JAPC). This year’s seminar included a
field trip to Fukushima Prefecture where the team was able to gain insights into providing
preventive health-care services on a fee-charged basis.
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Eleven members of a study team learned
firsthand about family planning and maternal
and child health (FP/MCH) in China while in
the country from July 27 - August 9. The team,
which included representatives of the public
health and preventive health field and the mass
media, toured three areas to gain a wide
perspective of FP/MCH.
The Japanese visitors first traveled to Jiupu
District, Anshan City, Liaoning Province, where
JOICFP’s Integrated Project (IP) was launched
in 1987. The project, which began in two of.
district’s towns/townships, is now in its 3rd
cycle and has been expanded to cover all 10
towns/townships with a population of 340,000.
Since the IP
began,the
crude birth
rate has drop
ped from
14.09%o in
1986 to reach
10.01%oin
1994 and the
infant mortal
Central household
ity rate has
members in Jiupu District.
decreased
from 31.4 per
1,000 live births to reach 12.8. An interesting
activity observed by the team was the “central
household system” whereby community won
work together to generate income for themselves and their families and to learn skills.
The two other areas visited by the team will
both begin the project as 5th cycle areas at the
beginning of 1996. In Tuokexun County,
Tulufan District, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous
Region, where the project will be launched in
two counties, 82% of the population is made up
of ethnic minorities. According to available
statistics, the hospital delivery rate in the
county is a mere 32%.
The other 5th cycle area viewed by the
team was Minghe County, Qinghai Province.
Like Tuokexun, Minghe is a very economically
depressed area. About 54% of the population
of the county is made up of ethnic groups.
The project is expected to do much to
improve health and raise the quality of lives in
both areas. A seminar in Taicang City was held
in September in preparation for the launch of
the projects and baseline surveys are scheduled
to be conducted before year end.
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
In the News
Reaching Adolescent Women
in Latin America
r
Participants at this year’s Latin American
Workshop of IEC on Young Women’s Health
proposed a set of recommendations on
adolescent women’s health ahead of the 4th
World Conference on Women in Beijing. The
three-day workshop, held in Guatemala City,
ended on July 21 with a call to establish an
international center to gather IEC materials for
educating young
people on
reproductive health
and related subjects.
Participants
recommended the
promotion of IEC
approaches that are
participatory and
Shoji Shibata
creative and that
respect people’s
social and cultural environments.
The workshop was attended by 24 partici
pants from 14 countries with 56 participants
from Guatemala. Supported by UNFPA and
IPPF, the event was organized by the
Guatemalan Family Planning Association
ILU^’
Co
IO
if
'^7.
People wait for health checkups in San
Lucas Toliman.
stay in Guatemala from August 28-31. Dis
patched with funds from the Postal Savings for
International Voluntary Aid (POSIVA) scheme,
the team included Dr. Shigeo Hayashi, former
director, National Institute of Health of Japan,
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
^APROFiM
JOICFP
Taller Latinoamericano de InformaciOTl,
Education y Comunicacidn, sobre Salud de
Mujeres Adolescentes
19,20 Y 21 de julio de 1995
Guatemala C.A.
(APROFAM) and JOICFP to
&
promote exchange of
information and experiences
4
in IEC and foster develop
ment of IEC materials in the
region. To achieve these
aims, each participant
presented materials produced
by their organizations.
A view of the speakers at the opening of the Latin American
As in previous
Workshop of IEC on Young Women’s Health.
workshops, participants were
required to develop proposals for
IEC materials. The three best proposals, two
Support Team for Latin America and the
from Guatemala and one from Paraguay, were
Caribean Region. Shoji Shibata, deputy
selected and funds were provided for
executive secretary, Japan Family Planning
development. The selected proposals were a
Association (JFPA), also introduced JFPA’s
student newspaper, a pamphlet for prevention of income-generation activities involving the
HIV/AIDS and an educational video on
production and distribution of educational
violence against women. Materials produced
materials on adolescent health and FP/MCH.
from funded proposals of the previous
workshop were also presented.
Participants were provided with a UNFPA
17th APCO Meeting
perspective on adolescent women’s health
ahead of the Beijing event by Isabel Hernandez,
The Integrated Project (IP) was given
advisor, Social/Cultural Investigation, Country
a strong endorsement by Dr. L. Savioli,
medical officer, WHO, at the 17th Asian
Parasite Control Organization (APCO)
Parasitologists’ Meeting, held in Tokyo
from July 18-20. “The WHO is very
supportive of the Integrated Project
pioneered
by Japan Association of
and Takaaki Hara, director, Department of
Parasite
Control
(JAPC) to control
Research and Study, JAPC. The team members
intestinal
helminths,
” said Savioli.
monitored project areas and provided technical
“
WHO
looks
at
a
more
close association
advice on operating a fee-charging system for
and
collaboration
with
JAPC
in the
services. They also exchanged information
years
to
come.
”
with the UNFPA evaluation mission.
The meeting was attended by 11
The visit coincided with the start of
members
of the APCO research group
outreach medical services in the area using a
from
nine
countries and representatives
new mobile clinic. Welcomed by a large group
from
WHO,
UNICEF, JAPC and JOICFP.
of villagers, the health staff attended over 80
It
was
sponsored
by the Japan Keirin
clients with services ranging from vasectomy
Association
and
Hoken
Kaikan Group
and tubal ligation, to pap smears and pre- and
and
organized
by
APCO
and JAPC in
post-natal checkups. For the APROFAM staff,
cooperation
with
JOICFP
and the Tokyo
the large turnout indicated how well the project
Health
Service
Association
(THSA).
has been accepted by the local Mayan people.
Kunio Waki, director, UNICEF for Japan,
Basic orientation and training were also
Australia and New Zealand, and Dr.
provided for the staff of APROFAM involved in
Soichiro Iwao, director, Infectious
promoting parasite control services under the IP
Disease Control Division, Health
as a means to generate income and promote
Services Bureau, Ministry of Health and
self-reliance. Self-reliance has become a
Welfare of Japan, also spoke at the event.
pressing issue for APROFAM which is now
facing shrinking outside assistance.
, A
J
n'5‘i
A Step Towards Self-reliance
A three-member team from Japan provided
practical technical assistance to laboratory
technicians and health staff of the Integrated
Project (IP) in San Lucas Toliman, during its
___ -
7
I'w]
k
VOICE OF VOICES
By Chojiro Kunii
Launching JOICFP World
r
The activities of JOICFP are supported by a
great number of people. One notable activity
that has been drawing enthusiastic support from
people nationwide this year is the Used Prepaid
Card Collection Campaign for International
Cooperation. Prior to the campaign, Japanese
people generally threw away their prepaid
telephone, highway and railway cards once they
were used. But after learning that there were
many collectors of these cards, we decided to
start a campaign to collect them. Collecting the
cards, which often feature attractive pictures
and graphics, has caught on in many countries
DIARY
of the world as a hobby much like the global
popularity of stamp collecting.
To make our campaign a success we got in
contact with brokers who trade these used
prepaid cards and buy each card for about ¥7 to
¥8 (approximately 7 US cents). A JOICFP staff
member thoroughly investigated the system of
card trading. A suitable broker was selected
and the Shinjuku Branch of Nippon Telegraph
and Telephone Corporation (NTT) was
consulted on the matter.
We then launched the campaign to the
public, asking for support through our own
publications and the mass media. The response
was extremely positive. So far, about 6 million
cards have been sent to our office by 20,000
individuals, groups and companies nationwide.
The funds raised through the sale of the
cards are used to purchase basic equipment,
CD
tools and supplies for community-based health
care activities and to promote the self-reliance
of JOICFP projects in developing countries.
Thanks to the wide coverage by the media,
support for the campaign is expanding to
workplaces, youth groups, hobby clubs, student
bodies in primary and secondary schools,
community organizations and interest groups.
These individuals and groups send cards with
heart-warming messages which are sorted by
volunteers of the Shinjuku City Social Welfare
Council. The volunteers also handle thank-you
letters to donors.
As I watched this campaign catch on, I
cherished the idea of publishing a newsletter as
a communication tool to reach supporters and
provide information on JOICFP’s activities,
while offering a forum for supporters. This
hope is now being realized with the Japanese
JOICFP World newsletter, which is scheduler'
to be published quarterly. The inaugural issue
will be released in the near future.
C)
o
- Juan Santiago, deputy chief,
C)
Interregional & NGO Programs Branch,
()
Technical and Evaluation Division, UNFPA,
o
visited JOICFP on Aug. 9 and 10 to exchange o
information.
o
- Alfonso Lopez Juarez, director general,
o
Mexican Foundation for Family Planning
CD
(MEXFAM), was in Japan from Aug. 11-18 q
to participate in the World Congress of
C)
Sexology in Yokohama and to observe
O
Japanese health activities.
q)
- JOICFP Senior Program Officer Kiyoko C)
o
Ikegami was in Thailand to participate in
preparations for the Japanese government’s o
o
FASID training course from Aug. 13 - 19.
C)
- Dr. Sung-Hee Yun, associate director,
o
Population Communication Services/
Population Information Program (PCS/PIP), C)
C)
& chief, Asia Region, Johns Hopkins
C)
University, visited JOICFP on Aug. 22 to
()
exchange information.
C)
- Three Indonesian trainees of a course
o
organized by the Foundation for Children’s C)
Future attended a one-day lecture at JOICFP Q
on family planning in Japan and JOICFP’s
international activities on Aug. 23.
- Dr. Michael Jancloes, director of
division, Intensified Cooperation with
Countries, WHO, visited JOICFP on Aug.
23 for information exchange.
- JOICFP Councilor Michio Ozaki, Senior
Program Officer Yukio Honma and Program
Officer Maho Ishikawa accompanied 12
members of the Japanese NGO, 2050, who
observed JOICFP’s IP activities in China
from Aug. 20 - 28. Led by Katsuhide
Kitatani, senior advisor, UNFPA, the study
team later attended the NGO Forum.
- A mission composed of Dr. Shigeo
Hayashi, former director. National Institute
of Health of Japan; Takaaki Hara, director,
Department of Research and Study, JAPC;
and JOICFP staff member Tetsuo Kato, was
in Guatemala from Aug. 21 - Sept. 1 to
provide technical assistance. Kato later
traveled to Mexico to hold discussions with
officials of the Mexican Foundation for
Family Planning (MEXFAM).
JOICT'P 'Women's lHealtfi andStatus Series
A New Animated Film
RAKHEE and MAUSEE
12 min., Color/English, Hindi, Bengali, Nepali
Education is a key to improving the health and
status of women. The process of change begins
with learning how to read and write. As women
use these skills Io earn money, they gain the power
to make decisions for a better future.
RAKHEE AND MAUSEE is a joint Indian-Japanese
production and part of the women's health and
status series of animated films. The theme is early
marriage and the story concerns 14-year-old
RAKHEE whose fate is changed by an independent
woman called MAUSEE.
Distributed by
Sakura Motion Picture Co., Ltd.
Yoyogi Center Bldg., 57-1 Yoyogi Ichome
Shibuyo-ku, Tokyo 151, Jopon
Tel: 81-3-33206311/Fax: 81-3-332O-7666
16mm-VTR (Beta, VHS/NTSC, PAL, SECAM)
Creating Awareness
JOICFP helped create awareness in Japan prior to the 4th
World Conference on Women in Beijing with film shows in
Tokyo on July 18 and 19. The three JOICFP animated films,
Twin Lotus, My Way and Rakhee and Mausee, were shown to
some 50 experts from various fields, opinion leaders and
representatives of NGOs, women’s groups and the mass media.
The educational films focus on issues such as reproductive
health, adolescent sexuality and early marriage.
8
JOICFP NEWS is a monthly newsletter published by
the Japanese Organization for International
Cooperation in Family Planning, Inc. (JOICFP).
JOICFP NEWS welcomes your comments,
suggestions and contributions. Please mail to:
JOICFP NEWS
Hoken Kaikan Bekkan
1-1, Ichigaya Sadohara-cho
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162 Japan
Phone: 81-3-3268-5875
Facsimile: 81-3-3235-7090
JOICFP NEWS, October 1995
I
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