About us
PAPS was established in 2009. At that time, we were engaged in prevention and awareness activities for victims of sexual exploitation and digital sexual violence, including victims of pornography. In 2012, three years after its inception, we received one case of consultation for victims of pornography. In response to the victim's too serious situation, we found that there was no law to directly address the assault.
PAPS felt strongly that there was a need for a system to support those who have been seriously affected by pornography, so we started a consultation service. Through the consultations we received, we realized that many young women were suffering from the same problem.
In 2017, we established a non-profit organization to realize our mission of "putting an end to sexual exploitation in our generation," and we have been providing the following comprehensive support (*1) to victims of sexual exploitation and digital sexual violence, mainly in their teens and 20s, by utilizing the expertise we have accumulated.
Number of new consultations
Sudden rise
What is comprehensive support?
According to UN Special Rapporteur Joy Ngozi Ezeilo (2007), the majority of trafficking in persons in Japan is for the purpose of prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation, that a comprehensive and holistic approach "5 Ps" and "3 Rs" are essential as a strategic foundation to address this situation, especially trafficking in persons (sexual exploitation) of women and children.
PAPS works on the basis of these eight strategic foundations, which are as follows.
"5 Ps"
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Protection
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Prosecution
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Punishment
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Prevention
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Promotion
（Promoting International Cooperation）
"3 Rs"
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Redress
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Rehabilitation
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Reintegration
（Reintegration of victims to enable them to play a constructive role in society）
PAPS supports survivors of sexual exploitation and digital sexual violence.
Outreaching,
Providing a place to stay
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Outreaching: A process in which social workers proactively reach out to those who need assistance but have not yet received it, by talking to them and providing information and support.
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Removal Request: Requesting the removal of sexually explicit images on behalf of the person concerned.
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Advocacy: Public relations, awareness - raising, policy advocacy, etc.
Policy Recommendation
Independence and Recovery
What social issues does PAPS address?
Today, due to the accelerated spread of smartphones and the increasingly sophisticated sexual exploitation business, we receive consultations from high school and junior high school students about child pornography and revenge pornography, as well as about being involved in adult videos and the sex industry against their will after the age of around 18. Many women and children, and sometimes even men, have suffered deep physical and mental scars from sexual exploitation, but have been unable to report the damage. At PAPS, we address the social issues of "Digital Sexual Violence" and "Sexual Exploitation".
(1) Digital Sexual Assault
Digital sexual violence refers to sexual assaults that use digital technology and devices such as smartphones and the Internet, such as "sexual videos and images were taken on smartphones and other devices even though I did not consent," and "the sexual videos and images that were taken have been spread on social networking services.
Digital sexual violence is a concept that is becoming increasingly popular, as evidenced by its use in TV news reports and academic presentations. Some overseas studies have shown that digital sexual violence victimization has the same impact on victims as direct sexual violence victimization, and laws are being developed based on social recognition of the seriousness of the damage. In Japan, the National Police Agency reported 1479 cases of victim consultation related to private sexual image recordings in 2019, with women in their 20s accounting for the overwhelming majority. However, the current law has very limited provisions for victims' relief, and there are challenges in recovering from the damage.
Digital sexual violence encompasses serious problems such as the fear that "someone I don't know might see me naked" or "my acquaintances or family members might see the images," and the problem of losing one's family or job and losing one's place in the world when people around one actually find out about it. Because images on the Internet can now be saved and re-posted by anyone, it is practically impossible to erase these damaging images completely, and many victims complain of rarefied thoughts of death in despair due to the pain with no end in sight. We have confirmed that some victims have been found to have committed suicide through contact with relatives or others after consulting with PAPS, and some of them have made repeated suicide attempts and suddenly lost contact with us. Digital sexual violence is a very big obstacle to young women's independence, and psychological, spiritual, and social support is urgently needed.
(2) Sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation is the exploitation (or attempted exploitation) of a person's vulnerable position, power relationship, or trust with another person for sexual purposes. Sexual exploitation also includes gaining financial, social, or political advantage by sexually exploiting a partner. Sexual exploitation occurs especially in the sale or facilitation of sex, child pornography, and adult videos.
In Japan, prostitution is illegal. However, it is legal to film and sell adult videos in which sex acts take place. In the case of a victim reported to PAPS, A person who was under 17 year-old (Considered as a child by age) until yesterday is now legally filmed as a subject in an adult video and sold as a product as soon as he/she reaches his/her 18th birthday. It is not only adult videos produced by adult video production companies and adult video makers that are consumed as "entertainment" on adult sites. Revenge pornography, voyeurism, and private filming are also considered sexual video genres.
Sexual exploitation is based on the economic principle of supply and demand, a system that supports this principle, and a society that tolerates it. We are investigating the reality of sexual exploitation through the consultation we receive and are working to break the cycle of sexual exploitation.
Four features of PAPS
Interpersonal Support Expertise
The counseling support team, including social workers, probation officers, and psychological counselors, bring their specialized perspectives to support the independence and recovery of counselors.
Multilingual staff on hand
With staff who can speak English, Chinese, Korean, French, and Malay, we are able to provide multilingual consultation services and smoothly respond to requests for removal of images from overseas pornography sites that have been spread against their will, as well as cases of revenge pornography by ex-lovers of foreigners.
Familiarity with ICT
technology
Under the leadership of network engineers and system engineers, we conduct a wide range of activities including how to request deletion of sexual image records, evidence preservation activities such as streaming video and chat logs, how to confirm the IP address and server location of the poster, analysis of cell phones and smart phones as evidence, and security measures.
Qualified Outreach
Through the voices of our consultants and our past outreach experience, PAPS understands the streets, spots, and areas where scouts from AV production companies and sex industry Procuring calls out, so we can pinpoint and provide information to the women on the street who are the scouts' targets.
To end sexual exploitation
The notion that "sex can be bought" permeates society through various media. In a society where buying sex is tolerated, even if it is a crime, it is treated as a self-responsibility for the victim, and the power to report the damage is taken away. Conversely, perpetrators are at less risk of being arrested, and sexual exploitation becomes more rampant as more newcomers enter the market. As a result, a huge interest structure related to sexual exploitation is created. On the other hand, many women, who are vulnerable to being victimized by the structure of sexual exploitation, are taught from an early age through various media that sex is more valuable as a selling point the younger they are, the more exposed they are, the more valuable they are, and the more they are exploited as a sexual commodity.
In this context, sexual exploiters do not miss the moment when children and young women lose hope in society, or lose their place in society because they cannot find a connection with it. Currently, there are businesses that take advantage of the vulnerability of young women around the age of 18 to 20 years old, and have them act as pawns in managed prostitution, sex-related businesses, and adult films in order to pay off large debts. Although these are illegal activities, most of them go unpunished because no evidence is left behind, and as of the press release of 2023, group assaults and fatal assaults related to the victimization have also occurred, making the industry a hotbed of organized crime. Some of the female victims have committed suicide; with the lowering of the age of adulthood in April 2022, young women aged 18 and 19 are being targeted. Frankly, the welfare of young women is losing ground to the number of those who sexually exploit them.
不利な条件を乗り越えていくために
なぜ性的搾取はなくならないのでしょうか？
性的搾取が横行することにより、経済的な損失も計り知れないと考えます。犯罪収益でいえば、拳銃やドラッグは、一回しか売買できませんが、性は何度も繰り返し売ることができ、それに関わる者たちは荒稼ぎできてしまいます。最近では、警察庁によれば暴力団や匿名・流動型犯罪グループの関与の可能性があるとして、取り締まりを強化していますが、性的搾取を直接取り締まる法律がないことや、たとえ法律に抵触していたとしても、取締りの対象になったとしても、立証が困難なケースとなることが多く逮捕されにくい現状があります。そのため、性的搾取に手を染める人は一向に減らない問題もあります。
私たちは「セックスは買える」ことがエンターテインメントとなっている時代に生きています。世界規模で女性と子どもの性的搾取が定着化し、性的搾取がもたらす莫大な収益により維持・強化されています。それを覆すことは並大抵ではありません。
ぱっぷすではこの2年間で、AV出演被害防止救済法・不同意撮影罪・性的グルーミング罪が成立したことを通じて社会を変えていくことができました。
いまダイナミックに社会が変わりつつあります。
ぱっぷすは、これからも相談支援活動を通じて、性的搾取に終止符を打つために、
心温かなご支援いただけますよう宜しくお願いします。