Sunday, March 4, 2018

Chinese technical intern fights sexual harassment



On February 23rd,  a hearing was held on a sexual harassment complaint brought by a Chinese technical intern at Mito District Court in Ibaragi Prefecture. The plaintiff “A” is a Chinese woman in her thirties who came to Japan on September 13th 2013 as a technical intern and started to work on a vegetable farm in Moriya City, Ibaragi Prefecture from October 16th of that year. Immediately after starting to work, she was sexually harassed by the employer “B.” She complained to the intermediary organization, Tsubasa Cooperative, but nothing was done. The sponsoring organization changed her workplace, but after January 18th, 2015 A was not assigned to a job. So, she was able to work only one year and three months of her three year internship in Japan. In September 2016 her period of stay expired and she had to return to China. Before returning to her country, she got in touch with a support group for technical interns. Her case was taken up in the media and she filed a lawsuit seeking to unpaid wages and sexual harassment damages. (MATSUMOTO Hiromi)
 Photo: Notice board of the Mito District Court


見え隠れする差別意識〜技能実習生が訴えた「セクハラと賃金未払い」裁判

中国人女性技能実習生Aさんが未払い賃金と実習中に受けたセクハラ被害等に対して損害賠償を求めた裁判が、223日(金)水戸地裁であった。
Aさん(30代女性)は2013913日に技能実習生として来日し、同年1016日から茨城県守谷市の大葉栽培農家で働き始めた。その直後から父親Bからセクハラを受け続け、被害を協同組合つばさへ訴えたが聞いてもらえなかった。さらに、Aさんは別の場所に移動させられ、2015118日から仕事を与えられなかった。実習期間は3年であったが、わずか13か月しか働くことができなかった。その後、Aさんは在留期間が満了したため、中国へ帰国しなければならなかった。
 幸いなことに、帰国前に技能実習生の支援に携わっていた支援者につながり、メディアの報道が相次いだことから、提訴に至ったという。(松本浩美)

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