Voicesea Podcast

Bituin Shimada, one of the co-founders of Kakehashi, arrived in Japan about 50 years ago in the 1970s as a young student. Living as a first-generation Filipino migrant, Bituin had to navigate learning a new language and understanding the cultures to make Japan her home. While working as a professional court interpreter, she came to believe that learning the language, understanding the cultures, and having access to the right information is key for migrants to thrive, especially for the youth migrants who struggle to adapt to their new land. This is why she co-founded Kakehashi, a voluntary group that helps children and youth of Filipino and mixed heritage who migrate to Japan, together with her friends and allies who shared the vision. Kakehashi means “bridging the links” in Japanese. Among many initiatives, they published a multi-lingual handbook “Bridging the Gap” designed to provide a practical guide to help young migrants in Japan with navigating various aspects of life in Japan. This book also illustrates real-life stories of individuals who overcame various challenges adopting in Japan. It is a product of a long collective process of the community supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) in Japan, and won the 2021 Migration Advocacy and Media Award in the Philippines, for Best Book on Migration, non-fiction/guide category. Would you like to know more about the experiences of youth migrants and how they could be guided and supported to thrive as equal members of society? In this episode, Bituin, or Tita Bi, tells us some inspiring life stories of hers that led her to work for young Filipino and mixed-heritage migrants and many youth migrants from other backgrounds, as well as about “Bridging the Gap” and Kakehashi’s work. You can get a PDF copy of the handbook “Bridging the Gap” by completing this form (available in Tagalog, English and Japanese) https://forms.gle/eX1jBqi6bEQjLs4H6 Short videos of the “Bridging the Gap” are available in English: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUDDZqjej70zzpgr5KLyip_B Filipino： https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUBCzW6ZgV_jAx_XSfJ6k_Im Japanese： https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfWmuk4e7tUD_m4J5fE163vYOHFxykkjb You can also watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/da5RVEXeq34 Kakehashi - Bridging Cultures, Linking Lives (kakehashi-ph.jp) This episode is supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation

This month marks 3 years since the military coup of February 2021 in Myanmar. There are estimated 130,000 Rohingya people and other Muslims remained in squalid camps in Rakhine State and about a million people in neighbouring Bangladesh. Being one of the most persecuted communities in the world, the Rohyinga people are victims of genocide, and continue to be denied basic human rights including access to adequate food, healthcare and education. The crucial humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other marginalized groups in Myanmar are often obstructed, and refugee camps are under highly restrictive control of authorities. In the dire situation, many Rohingya people have no choice but to take dangerous journeys for survival. Indonesia is one of the destinations for those who flee through the sea. However, a lack of understanding of root causes of the systemic oppressions of Rohingya people is leading to discrimination against them in their new land. Since late 2023, harmful hate narratives against Rohingya people seeking asylum have been heard increasingly in Indonesia. In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast had an opportunity to talk with Maung Zarni, a scholar of genocide (https://maungzarni.net/en/bio-cv), who explained us the context in which Rohingya people so marginalised and vulnerable that they have no choice but to seek asylum in neighboring countries. We also explore how the coup in 2021 affected conditions faced by the Rohingya communities and changed the perspectives of people in Myanmar towards Rohingya communities. How can solidarity among people of the world advocate for the human rights of victims of genocide, people fleeing political persecution, conflicts, and other human rights violations?

Every year on 21 November, the World Fisheries Day is observed. The ocean-based economy, including fisheries, provides significant numbers of jobs in East and Southeast Asia, where more than 80% of the surface is covered by oceans, being home to more than 31.000 island economies. In order to improve the rights protection of sea-based workers, the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) was established in 2006. To date, MLC is ratified by the majority of the UN member states with 104 state parties. However, the Convention excluded the workers in the fishing industry leaving them highly vulnerable to labour and other rights violations. To fill the gap in the said convention, Work in Fishing Convention (ILO Convention 188/ILO C188) was adopted in 2007. After 16 years since the adaptation, ILO C188 is ratified by only 21 countries worldwide. Among the countries in East and Southeast Asia, Thailand is the only country in the region that has ratified the convention. In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast has a conversation with the Deputy Director of Stella Maris Seafarers Center in Thailand, Apinya Tajit. Apinya is one of the key actors in advocating for the rights of seafarers including those working in the fishing industry. With her, we discuss changes the ratification of ILO C188 has brought to fishers in/from Thailand, the problems that still remain, and how important it is for other countries that are not yet state parties to the convention to ratify it. In this episode, Apinya Tajit also shares some recommendations by civil societies following the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Placement and Protection of Migrant Fishers in May 2023. This episode is supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).

In 2022, BEBESEA with a support from The Sasakawa Peace Foundation published a study about Strengthening Health Protection for Migrant Workers in East and Southeast Asia. The said study enabled deepening understanding on what is “on papers” about policies regarding protection of migrant workers, including insights from the perspectives of academics and practitioners, while there is a lack of perspectives from the migrant workers themselves. Considering the said lack of perspectives, BEBESEA later developed a further Participatory Action Research to give space for migrant worker communities to share their stories and their experiences on their access to social protection, in order to have a deeper understanding on aspirations of migrant workers related to social protection and what action for changes they wish to see and take. So, basically, what impact does the migration bring to the family left behind? What does social protection mean to migrant worker communities? And how it really affects their lives? VOICESEA Podcast had an opportunity to have a conversation with Sherry Wang from Serve the People Association and Razel Navalta from Kakehashi, who are both research collaborators and have worked with migrant workers communities in the said research. If you eager to know the answers of the questions above, don't miss this episode! Special thanks to: The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Serve the People Association, and Kakehashi.Transcript

Migrant workers have often been glorified as foreign exchange heroes because of the remittances they send to their countries of origin. The governments often say that migrants' remittances play an important role in the economic and social develoment. However, we often overlook its imoact on migrant workers as the biggest part of migrant workers' salaries are spent on remittances. Meanwhile, the remittances has not always been able to lift families out of poverty while much is spent on daily needs. Since 2017, a research project entitled "Lives of Migrant Remittances: An Asian Comparative Study" has been conducted as a collaborative study by academic-based researchers in Canada and migrant communities in Indonesia, Hong Kong, and the Philippines. The study highlights how remittances are generated, managed and distributed. Its findings show the initial problems of sending migrant workers are not small, starting from high-cost placement fees, cheap labor wages to deep-rooted poverty, and that the remittance policies actually add to the long list of structural problems that are already stifling many migrant workers. In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast has a conversation with Professor Denise from the Alberta University as the private investigator of this research, alongside with Eni Lestari, chairperson of International Migrants Alliance. If you are eager to find the answers, this episode is definitely for you!

Mary Jane Veloso is a former woman migrant domestic worker from the Philippines, and has been imprisoned after sentenced to death over a decade. She is a victim of trafficking in person and was sentenced to death because she was set up to smuggle drugs to Indonesia. After 7 years since the last time her family visited Mary Jane Veloso, in the second week of June 2023, her parents and the children visited Indonesia again to reunite with her in the prison. Commemorating the World's Day Against Trafficking in Persons, VOICESEA Podcast had a conversation with the mother and the eldest son of Mary Jane Veloso. If you eager to know about their feelings, what they want to see in the near future, including the impacts this case bring to the family, this episode is for you!

March celebrates International Women's Day (IWD) and Women’s History Month globally for more than 100 years, there are still so many situations that put women in a very vulnerable position to face human rights violation, such as trafficking in person, which affects women (49 percent) and girls (23 percent) as the majority of all reported trafficking in person cases. In this episode, VOICESEA Podcast had a conversation with Joanna Concepcion, the Chairperson of Migrante International, an organization which are widely known for their advocacy on the rights of migrants around the world, which has led advocacy and campaigns for Mary Jane Veloso, a Filipino woman who is also a former migrant domestic worker who was a victim of trafficking in person and sentenced to death penalty. Johana has just visited Mary Jane during her visit to Indonesia. What are the updates of Mary Jane Veloso's case? Why is she still in prison while the Filipino court already sentenced her recruiter for trafficking in person? And how vulnerable are women, especially women migrant workers, to the trafficking in person and human rights violation and why? If you are eager to find the answers for these questions, please listen to our conversation in this special episode dedicated to commemorate international women's movement! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).

The Asia Pacific maritime sector is one of the most influential sectors in the world economy. Southeast Asia, geographically, lies in a strategic position where its seas play a dominant role: more than 80% of the surface area is covered by oceans, being home to more than 31,000 island economies. The ocean based economy provides significant numbers of jobs in East and Southeast Asia. But, the fact is, workers in the sea-based work place are vulnerable to human rights violations. Even, all of indicators made by ILO about forced labor are experienced by them in their daily works. Deception and coercion play a big role to “discipline” the workers, the debt bondage, got paid less than the minimum wage and also long working hours without overtime pay and sometimes got their salaries unpaid. Why is that happening? What are the causes? Who are the responsible actors? If you eager to know the answers, please listen to our conversation with Benni Yusriza, a lecturer of Paramadina University whose works and researches mostly about the sea-based migrant workers, seafarers, and fishers where he addresses the issue of human trafficking and forced labour in the fishing industry in Indonesia and Southeast Asia by combining everyday international relations approach with critical migration studies! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

The year of 2023 will be an important year for Indonesia. The handing over of a hammer from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen to Indonesian President Joko Widodo on the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits on 13 November 2022 symbolized Indonesia is honored to be the Chair of ASEAN this year. In parallel with that, civil society organizations or CSOs from Cambodia also handed over the holding of ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People Forum (ACSC/APF) 2023 to the representatives of Indonesian CSOs. The ACSC/APF is a forum where civil societies from Southeast Asia countries could share, discuss and make recommendations about situations of human rights and democracy in the region. Talking about human rights in the region, actually ASEAN itself has its integral part in ASEAN organizational structure and an overarching institution with overall responsibility for the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN, called ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). In this episode, through a conversation with Indonesia Representative to AICHR H.E Yuyun Wahyuningrum, we tried to find out what is the importance of Indonesian chairship of ASEAN, how AICHR will use this chairship to give positive impact to situation of human rights and democracy in the region, as well as what is to be done by the civil societies to support the works. If you eager to know the answers, please listen to the full episodes, only on VOICESEA Podcast! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

In November this year, Indonesia underwent its 4th cycle of Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN Human Rights Council last November. In this process, where the situation of human rights in Indonesia was reviewed – the Government received recommendations from at least 22 UN member states to either moratorium or abolish death penalty in the country. Long before this, the international community had already highlighted the issue of the death penalty in Indonesia. One of the high-profile cases is that of Merry Utami, an Indonesian migrant worker who was framed for carrying narcotics and sentenced to death as a result 21 years ago. In this episode, Voicesea Podcast had a conversation with Fadiyah Alaydrus, who wrote a story about the case of Merry Utami from a perspective of her daughter through BEBESEA Story Fellowship. She discussed about the multi-layered suffering faced by death row convicts including the vulnerability of migrant workers facing the death penalty, and how the impact is felt by not only Merry Utami but also her family. To read her story (in Bahasa Indonesia) visit - https://bebesea.org/2022/02/perempuan-pekerja-migran-dan-perangkap-narkotika-berujung-eksekusi-mati-ditulis-oleh-fadiyah-alaidrus/ This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

"Fiction is the best way to convey the truth," that what Anastasya Wulandari Hasyim believes for so long that she finally initiated the making of Morotomo. Morotomo is an anthology of stories of migrant workers, written by migrant workers themselves to raise the collective awareness. Not just that, the idea of raising collective awareness is also the main reason why Anastasya and her colleagues established RUMI Jepang, an initiative consists of Indonesian researchers working on migrant workers issues. So, what is RUMI Jepang? Why is this issue important for them? Why collective awareness is so crucial? What are the main problems faced by migrant workers and how collective awareness can lead to a solution to these problems? Find the answers here! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

For more than 2 years, the world has been facing Covid-19 and its socio-economic impact. This pandemic has made each nation-state tighten migration flows through official channels. More restrictive regulations on migration lead to a situation where transnational mobility is less easily accessible with obstacles such as more expensive costs for people who wish to migrate to another county including, and not limited to, migrant workers. Reducing the costs relating to migration, particularly fees charged to migrants and their families, is one of the key steps towards ethical recruitment of migrant workers and protection their rights. To achieve this, it is important to understand what kind of costs and fees inccur during the recruitment and placement process as well as to identify how these fees charged to workers could lead to exploitation. Why is this happening? What are the root causes? Who are the actors responsible for these unfair situations faced by migrant workers for a very long time?" This episode explore these questions. If you are interested in knowing more about this topic, listen to this VOICESEA Podcast conversation with Pamungkas Ayudaning Dewanto, the lead researcher of BEBESEA’s latest research on excessive placement and recruitment fees or migrant workers. Don’t miss it! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

“If I am not committed now, there is no hope for my generation” – Tual Sawn Khai is a researcher and writer on migration, refugees, climate change, health and welfare policies. He is from Chin State, which is described as Myanmar’s “forgotten state” - Chin people have long struggled with systemic oppression. It has been more than a year since the military coup was attempted in February 2021, the military or Tatmadaw has seized control of the country under non-democratic and anti-human rights regime. People of Myanmar in and out of the country continue to reject the military junta. Brutal military crackdowns have been affecting all people of Myanmar, but their experiences are different among different ethnic groups. VOICESEA Podcast spoke with Khai, one of Myanmar’s young people who are committed to fight against Tatmadaw and the military regime. In this episode, he tells us about the military coup and people’s resistance from his perspectives as a youth of Myanmar, situations of people fleeing the conflicts, as well as historic background and oppression against Chin people in Myanmar. This episode is a part of solidarity with people of Myanmar. Listen to this conversation and know more about #whatshappeninginmyanmar This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF)

As we commemorate 2 years into Covid-19 pandemic, this public health crisis really emphasizes the need of Universal Health Coverage. Access to comprehensive, high quality and appropriate health services is a very fundamental right for every human being, and they should be provided to everyone regardless of who you are, where you are. All people should have access to healthcare whenever they need it, without any financial hardship. Unfortunately, migrant workers have a lot of barriers to overcome when accessing healthcare. In a lot of cases, migrant workers are excluded from the health system in both home and host societies. So even if the society have a very comprehensive health system for its citizen, in a lot of cases, migrant workers are excluded. Why is this happening? What are the root causes? Who are the actors responsible for this particular discriminatory situation faced by migrant workers for a very long time? If you are interested in knowing more about this topic, listen to this VOICESEA Podcast conversation with Adeline Tinessia, the lead researcher of BEBESEA’s latest research on the health protection for migrant workers. Don’t miss it! Also, join our report launching event "Two Years Into Pandemic: Advocating Health Protection & Eliminating Excessive Placement and Recruitment Fees of Migrant Workers in Southeast and East Asia" on 10 March 2022 to learn more. Event details: https://bit.ly/SPPFPublicDiscussion Registration: https://bit.ly/HealthProtection18 “Proposed Guideline to Protect Migrant Workers’ Rights during Public Heath Crisis” by BEBESEA: https://bebesea.org/2021/04/proposed-guideline-to-protect-migrant-workers-rights-during-public-health-crisis/ This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF).

On the 1st of February last year, Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, made a coup d'etat and detained its political enemies including President Win Myint and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Since then, Tatmadaw has seized control of the country under the non-democratic and anti-human rights regime. While more than 1,400 civilians have been killed and more than 11,000 people have been arbitrily arrested during the military crackdowns, Tatmadaw has been strongly rejected by Myanmar people and reveived worldwide condemnations. VOICESEA Podcast had the honour to speak with H.E. Mr. Bo Hla-Tint, the Ambassador of National Unity Government of Myanmar (NUG) to ASEAN about updates on the situations in Myanmar, NUG and people's movement, motives of Tatmadaw and background of the coup, ASEAN Chair Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit to Myanmar as well as regipnal and international solidarity and roles of civil society. To commemorate one year since the coup and build our solidarity with people of Myanmar, don't miss this episode to know more #whatshappeninginmyanmar

In every New Year, people often ask “what are your New Year’s resolution?" or “What's new for you in this year?" As obviously you can see, what’s new for BEBESEA 2022 is the launch of our rebranded podcast ‘VOICESEA Podcast’! Yeay! But why did we decide change our name and what’s new? VOICESEA comes with widening our focus and perspectives of our conversations from previously focusing solely on migration to the wider issues related to human rights in East and Southeast Asia in order to equip ourselves for better advocacy work for the rights of migrants and cross-cutting/intersectional human rights issues. Shrinking civic space in Indonesia, Hong Kong and Myanmar, and also extra judicial killing in the name of the war on drug in the Philippines are the examples of deterioration of human rights situations happened in our regions in 2021. But why are we making this podcast about cross-cutting and intersectional human rights issues? Why is it important for BEBESEA? If you want to know more about our new initiative for 2022, don't miss this episode! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

Yllang is a feminist and independent artist from the Philippines and was a migrant worker in Japan for many years. As a self-taught artist, she founded Empowerment Through Art in 2017, a collective that raises funds for grassroots organizations and aspiring artists from low-income families. Exclusion, discrimination and inequalities hugely impacted her life experiences and struggles as a daughter of a migrant worker, a minor migrant entertainer and a mother of a Filipino-Japanese child. However, Yllang never gave up her passion for art and made herself a thriving artist, who uses her art as a tool of advocacy and empowerment not only for herself but also for her comrades, people experiencing similar life experiences and struggles. Yllang, who has been an integral part of the birth of BEBESEA, joins I’Migrant Podcast to tell her stories. Have you ever wondered who is the artist of the powerful paintings often appear in BEBESEA’s platforms? Listen to this episode and meet the artist. This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

On 30 July, we commemorate World Day against Trafficking in Persons. What really is TIP? How is it different from people smuggling? What makes some people, including migrants, refugees and stateless people, more vulnerable to trafficking? The annual report on TIP from the Department of State (USA) this year downgraded Malaysia into Tier 3 or the worst ranking. How do we understand this Tier System and the classification of countries? Is it valid? To mark this day, I'Migrant Podcast had a conversation with Andika Wahab, Research Fellow at the National University of Malaysia (UKM), who shared with us very informative narratives and views based on his extensive experiences researching in the field of migration, child labour, and related human rights issues in Malaysia and beyond. Don’t miss it! This episode is sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

Ronel has made South Korea home for the last 20 years, and supporting fellow members of the migrant community in Gimpo City, Gyeonggi Province. He tells us about migrant workers' situations in South Korea, not only during the pandemic, but also how the environment surrounding migrants has changed over the time since he arrived in the country, and roles played by community leaders, civil society and National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Ronel C Nani is a human rights activist based in Gimpo, South Korea. This episode is a part of the series focusing on COVID-19’s impact on migrant workers in their major destinations in East and Southeast Asia, following up the cross-regional joint research conducted as part of BEBESEA initiative in 2020. COVID-19 & Migrant Workers Series is in collaboration with Hamburger Podcast by HRWG Indonesia and supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.

Migrants’ rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights are human rights - we have human rights simply because we are all human beings equally. Lennon Ying-Dah Wong, International Coordinator of Serve the People Association (SPA), Taoyuan, tells us about migrant workers' situations in Taiwan and shares his thoughts on the importance of democratic space to fight against unjust social systems that violate human rights. This episode is a part of the series focusing on COVID-19’s impact on migrant workers in their major destinations in East and Southeast Asia, following up the cross-regional joint research conducted as part of BEBESEA initiative in 2020. COVID-19 & Migrant Workers Series is in collaboration with Hamburger Podcast by HRWG Indonesia and supported by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.