A Cambodian technical trainee on Monday filed a damages suit against a manager at a strawberry farm north of Tokyo, alleging multiple instances of rape over a five-month period that led to pregnancy and an abortion.
The 23-year-old woman is seeking about 80 million yen in damages from the 58-year-old manager at the farm in Tochigi Prefecture, according to a complaint filed with the Tokyo District Court.
The woman, who began working at the farm in July 2022, claims she was sexually assaulted by the manager "almost every day" from December 2022 through April 2023 and was threatened by him with being sent back to her country if she refused, it said.
After finding out she was pregnant in January 2023, she was forced to undergo an abortion without being given a sufficient explanation in her mother tongue, and the assaults allegedly continued even after the abortion.
"It is a serious abuse of human rights, taking advantage of the vulnerable position of a trainee," her lawyer Kazuko Ito said, noting that the trainee was burdened with debt from expenses incurred to enter Japan -- a common situation for technical interns.
The man told Kyodo News on Sunday that the sexual acts were consensual and denied making any threats to her.
The woman sought protection and was given shelter by a labor union in Gifu Prefecture in April 2023 and later resumed work as a trainee in a different prefecture, but she was diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder in June this year.
She filed a complaint with the Tochigi prefectural police in 2023 over the allegations, and the case was referred to prosecutors in December of that year, an investigative source said. However, the police included an opinion recommending against indictment, citing insufficient evidence.
"I believe that the laws in Japan will bring justice to a person in a weak position like me," the woman said in a statement.
Two other Cambodian women who were working at the strawberry farm during the same period have also joined the lawsuit against the manager, claiming he fondled their breasts and buttocks.
The three trainees also sought payment of unpaid wages in the suit.
Japan's technical internship program, introduced in 1993 to transfer skills to developing countries, has long been criticized as a cover for importing low-cost labor amid a shrinking working-age population. Many trainees have fled due to abusive treatment, including unpaid wages and harassment.
Japan revised in November its guidelines for the program to enable trainees to switch workplaces more easily by clearly stating job transfers are allowed if interns are abused or sexually harassed or there has been a malicious violation of laws and regulations.
© KYODO
14 Comments
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kurisupisu
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Yeh, because being raped by your boss and then being made to have an abortion isn’t much evidence, is it?
David Brent
Yeah, dream on.
Ampas
'Alleged' rapes because a 23-year old Cambodian girl becoming impregnated by a 58-year old Japanese farmer is likely to be consensual? The logic-defying thought process of the police in recommending against charges is shocking.
owzer
Hopefully she gets all of it. She deserves it.
Aly Rustom
exactly
Abe234
oh I don’t know. We just read the other day, how some very young ex adult entertainer was accused of killing some very rich, old guy with drugs she searched online for, bought, and gave to him and she’s supposed to be innocent. The world is crazy at times. Let’s hope they both get justice.
Mocheake
It's not logic-defying at all really. He is Japanese and she is not. The police probably barely investigated it, if at all. Could you imagine the outrage, especially on this sit by the anti-American faction, had this been a young Japanese woman and a 58-year-old Cambodian man or if the guy had been affiliated with the U.S. military? Also, when you are a member of certain groups seen as very inferior, you have even less recourse and receive less help, sympathy, etc than others.
Hercolobus
The humanity.
GuruMick
happens in Australia too. The owner farmer thinks he owns the women travelling workers because he has power over their visas and whether they qualify for extensions.
Task force and hot lines have been set up.
Keepitreal
The farm owner is a free man sick just sick he needs to arrested if this were any other foreigner it would be totally different story…
リッチ
She will be lucky to get 800 yen as even the police are assisting the supposed rapist by not charging him. The foreign trainee program is just a cover for modern day slavery.
therougou
Wow, how nice of them.
Aoi Azuuri
Japan's "technical trainee system" by LDP regime between demand from economy groups who only want cheap labour and far-rights who hate foreign workers is hotbed of human rights violation, virtually modern version slaver that caused even death.
DanteKH
She will probably win the process, no doubt of it, however she will receive not 80 millions, but most likely 100 times less, arround 80,000. And the perpetrator will be required to do a very formal apology by bowing 75%, for 2 minutes.
That would be all. Another 100% conviction rate by the persecutors. Time to celebrate.