[Thank you for your cooperation] "I want to make my dreams come true in Japan!" "Postcard Campaign" to support undocumented children

[Thank you for your cooperation]
With the cooperation of many people, we mailed approximately 150 postcards to the Ministry of Justice on Monday, December 21st.
We hope that the Ministry of Justice - Immigration Bureau will accept your postcards.
Thank you for your cooperation.

Since September 2015, APFS has been working on the "APFS 100 Days of Action to Nurture Children's Dreams" (※1).
To date, we have undertaken a variety of activities, including "children's conferences," "lobbying members of parliament," "street signature campaigns," "launching local support groups," and "press conferences at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan," with the aim of helping undocumented children realize their dreams for the future.
The activities have been covered by multiple media outlets.

●The Asahi Shimbun
●The Japan Times
● Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan (video)

Next, in line with Human Rights Week (※2) (December 4th to 10th), we will be taking part in a "Postcard Campaign to Support Undocumented Children Who Want to Make Their Dreams Come True in Japan."
If you agree with the aims below, please sign and send a postcard with your message to the Ministry of Justice.
Many messages will help change the Ministry of Justice and lead to children being able to realize their dreams for the future in Japan. We appreciate your cooperation.

＜Objective＞
1. Please grant special permission to stay as soon as possible so that my children can realize their dreams for the future in Japan.
2. Please do not separate parents and children. Please grant special permission to stay to the parents so that the children can live in peace.

<How to obtain postcards>
You can download the postcard template below.
Please print it out on an official postcard and use it (set your printer's paper size to "postcard").

● Front side (address)
download
● Back side (message section)
download

*If you are a group or other entity and would like to submit multiple postcards, we will send them to you by mail.
(We apologize for the inconvenience, but please affix a 52 yen stamp before posting.)
Please contact the following number and let us know the number of copies you require and the shipping address.

<Notes>
1. Please mail your postcard during Human Rights Week, December 4th to 10th.
2. We will count the number of postcards sent. Once you have sent your postcard,
We apologize for the inconvenience, but please contact the following address to let us know the number of items you would like to send.

＜Contact Information＞
TEL 03-3964-8739 FAX 03-3579-0197 E-mail apfs-1987@nifty.com

<100 Days of Action to Nurture Children's DreamsWhat is it? (※1)
There are 60,007 undocumented immigrants in Japanese society. Among them are children born to undocumented parents. APFS has seen the difficult situation in Japanese society for undocumented immigrant children to nurture their dreams. Children cannot choose the family they are born into. Is it really appropriate to accuse children of being undocumented immigrants? Children struggle daily with the fear that they may be "returned" to the "mother country" of unknown parents. This will not allow them to nurture their dreams.

Children with irregular residency cannot join health insurance. Some children refrain from going to the hospital even when they are sick. Others are afraid of getting injured and are unable to exercise. Some children were told that they might not be able to take the entrance exam for public high school when it came time to continue their education, and spent every day worrying about whether they would be able to take the exam. Furthermore, there are children who have been approached by the Ministry of Justice - the Immigration Bureau - to be granted a residence status for themselves, on the condition that their parents return to their home country.

However, the children of irregular migrants have not given up on their dreams, even in this unstable situation. They each continue to hold on to their dreams, such as "I want to repay my parents for their kindness in Japan," "I want to work in the nursing care industry and look after the elderly," or "I want to work at the airport and be active internationally."

APFS has been working on the "APFS 100 Days of Action to Nurture Children's Dreams" since September 2015. To date, we have carried out a variety of activities, including "children's conferences," "lobbying members of the Diet," "signature campaigns on the streets," and "launching local support groups."
The "postcard campaign" took place in front of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau in October and November, and over 100 postcards have already been collected.

<Human Rights WeekWhat is it? (※2)
At its third General Assembly on December 10, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard for all people and all nations to achieve in order to secure fundamental human rights, which are the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. Subsequently, at its fifth General Assembly on December 4, 1950, a resolution was adopted calling for all member states and relevant organizations to designate December 10, the day the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted, as "Human Rights Day" and to hold various events to promote human rights activities on this day as a day to celebrate the day.

In Japan, the Ministry of Justice and the National Federation of Human Rights Commissioners have designated the week ending on December 10 every year (December 4th to 10th) as "Human Rights Week" since 1949 to commemorate the adoption of the Declaration. There are 17 points of emphasis throughout the year, and "Respect the human rights of foreigners" is one of them. (Excerpt from the Ministry of Justice website)