kyig6809@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ken Ilio) (11/07/90)
Recently reported statistics show an alarming number of mental health problems among entertainers in Japan, mostly women, who are commonly called "japayukis". Official statistics show that mental cases comprise eight per cent of the total number of complaints reported to the Philippine embassy in Japan. But labor officials believe that the actual number of cases could be three times higher because these cases are significantly underreported. The embassy receives 15 to 20 complaints a day, 70 percent of which come from Filipinos working illegally as entertainers in Japan. Among the most common complaints are sexual harassment, drug abuse and maltreatment. On the other hand, records show that 95 percent of those who succumb to mental illness worked in the entertainment industry. Nearly all of these workers are women. For 1989 up to May 1990, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration reported a total of 44 Filipinos suffering from mental ailments. Four led to successful suicides; there were 7 attempted suicides, 18 cases involved hallucinations aggravated by drug use, 11 were irrational and incoherent, six manifested violent behaviours and 26 suffered from depression, delusions, persecution complexes and uncontrolled emotional outbursts. The Welfare Administration blamed the new immigration laws as one of the factors that aggravate the increase in mental health problems among Japayukis. Increases in taxes for Japanese promoters and stiffer penalties for both workers and employees caught violating the laws has caused an increased in exploitative practices of employers as well as greater fear and isolation among Filipino women entertainment workers. (Source: Healt Alert 107)