On June 20, HRN gave an oral statement on the human rights situation of persons still displaced by the Fukushima disaster for the 59th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. A video of the oral statement is below, and a transcript of the statement is below that.
Transcription:
We appreciate the continuing concern of the Special Rapporteur for the Fukushima nuclear victims since 2011.
27,000 people are still officially recognized as IDPs affected by the disaster.
Official housing support for IDPs was terminated eight years ago. Fukushima prefecture has filed 40 court cases to demand evictions, despite the residents struggling with mental illness, terminal cancer, disability and poverty. The court judgments also ignore international human rights law and the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement.
Japan’s gender gap has made the situation of female IDPs even worse, leading to poverty for many women and single mothers.
The Act on Protection and Support for the Victims of the Nuclear Disaster was established in 2012. It was designed to provide livelihood support for the Fukushima nuclear victims, especially children. However, the Act still hasn’t been implemented yet.
We urge local authorities to withdraw all of the lawsuits against and evicting IDPs and the government to give equal support to mandatory and voluntary evacuees to stop their suffering mentally, physically, and financially.
Thank you.