APFS launches 100-day action to nurture children's dreams

No matter where you are in the world or in any era, children should be protected. No one would disagree that it is important to build a society in which children can develop their dreams.

However, there are 400 million children in the world who live in so-called "extreme poverty" with an income of $1.25 a day. Furthermore, "poverty" is steadily increasing even in Japan, which has been considered a developed country. The "child (relative) poverty rate" defined by the OECD in Japan was 16.3% in 2013, the fourth highest among the 20 developed countries. Under these circumstances, one in six children is living in poverty. Situations in which children find it difficult to nurture their dreams, such as giving up on continuing to school, are spreading. Some people try to explain "poverty" away with "personal responsibility," but is that really appropriate? Isn't it more important to create a "safety net" to protect children?

APFS has seen the difficult situation in Japanese society for children with irregular residency to develop their dreams. A child born to an irregular migrant becomes an irregular migrant from the day he or she is born. A child cannot choose the family he or she will be born into. Is it really appropriate to accuse a child of being an irregular migrant? Irregular migrant children have consistently received education in Japan. If they are deported to their parents' home country, they will not be able to realize their dreams because they do not understand the language and have no foundation for life. Japan is the place where irregular migrant children can realize their dreams. For irregular migrant children, it is not just the fact that they are in a state of economic "poverty." The problem is that they have to fight the anxiety every day that they may be "returned" to the "mother country" of their unknown parents tomorrow. This will not allow them to develop dreams.

Undocumented children cannot enroll in 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 have been told that they may not be able to take the public high school entrance exam when it comes to continuing their education, and they spend every day anxious about whether they will be able to take the exam.
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 will be taking part in the "100 Days of Action" to create a society where all children, including undocumented immigrants, can develop their dreams. To kick off the 100 Days of Action, a "Children's Conference" was held on August 29th, where children could think for themselves about what they can do to make their dreams come true. In addition, APFS will lobby members of the Diet and convey to them the current situation, which makes it difficult for children to develop their dreams, along with the actual situation.
In addition, we will also be holding street activities and reporting sessions. At the end of the event, we will make a request to the Ministry of Justice. Through the "100 Days of Action," we aim to create a society where all children can develop their dreams.

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