ABOUT PAPS | PAPS
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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

 
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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"

  • Protection

  • Prosecution

  • Punishment

  • Prevention

  • Promotion

(Promoting International Cooperation)

​"3 Rs"

  • Redress

  • Rehabilitation

  • Reintegration

(Reintegration of victims to enable them to play a constructive role in society)

  • Outreach: 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.

  • Removal Request: Requesting the removal of sexually explicit images on behalf of the person concerned.

  • Advocacy: Public relations, awareness - raising, policy advocacy, etc.

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Policy Recommendation
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Independence and Recovery

PAPS supports survivors of sexual exploitation and digital sexual violence.

 

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".

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(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.

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(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.

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.

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.

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.

To overcome adverse conditions

 

Why hasn't sexual exploitation been eliminated?

We believe that rampant sexual exploitation causes incalculable economic losses. In terms of criminal proceeds, guns and drugs can only be bought and sold once, but sex can be sold over and over again, allowing those involved to make wild profits. Recently, according to the National Police Agency, there is a possibility of involvement of gangs and anonymous or mobile crime groups, and they have been strengthening their crackdown on this crime. Even if there is a violation of the law, it is often difficult to prove the case, making it difficult to arrest the perpetrator. As a result, the number of people who engage in sexual exploitation has not decreased at all.

We live in an era where "sex can be bought" has become entertainment. The sexual exploitation of women and children has become entrenched on a global scale, maintained and reinforced by the enormous profits it brings. Reversing it is extraordinary.

In the past two years, PAPS has been able to change society through the enactment of the AV Appearance Damage Prevention and Relief Act, the crime of non-consensual filming, and the crime of sexual grooming.

 

Society is changing dynamically now.

PAPS will continue to put an end to sexual exploitation through its counseling and support activities, and

 


We hope that you will warmly support us in our efforts to put an end to sexual exploitation through our counseling and support activities.

Organization Overview

Organization for Pornography And Sexual Exploitation Survivors : PAPS

TEL : 050-3186-4119 FAX : 03-6304-2564 MAIL : paps@paps-jp.org

 

Information Disclosure

Electronic public notice of business reports such as the "Rental Balance Sheet" as stipulated in Article 28-2, Paragraph 1 of the Specified Nonprofit Corporation Law.

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