11 Sep The Human Rights Working Group in Jakarta
The Human Rights Working Group in Jakarta, Indonesia, invited Kakehashi to participate in a community-based participatory research project for Better Engagement Between East and Southeast Asia (BEBESEA) on the social protection of migrant workers in East and Southeast Asia, focusing on data-gathering in Malaysia, Hongkong, Taiwan, and Japan. The project continues the last research study on social protection by academics, CSO practitioners, and government representatives conducted in 2022. To deepen the understanding of the situation of migrant workers and to take into account their aspirations and those of their communities, the approach this time was taken from the perspective of the migrant communities themselves.
From December 2022 to February 2023, Kakehashi members Razel Navalta and Bituin Shimada conducted interviews and focused-group discussions of Filipino migrants in Japan, covering different sectors in Japan.
The findings of the collective project were presented at the Forum on Social Protection through Migrant Communities’ Lens: Participatory Action Research and Multi-Stakeholders’ Dialogue, which was co-sponsored by the Bar Council Migrants, Refugees, the Immigration Affairs Committee (MRIAC), BEBESEA, and Our Journey. It was held at the Malaysian Bar Council in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on August 3, 2023.