Gabriela in Japan to probe alleged rape of Filipina

By Abigail Kwok

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines -- Gabriela party-list Representative Liza Maza flew to Japan Wednesday to pursue a “quest for justice” for a Filipina migrant worker allegedly raped by a US soldier in southern Okinawa.

Maza, who leads a mission team from the women party-list group, left at 7 a.m. with the mother of the 22-year-old Filipina, identified only as Hazel.

“We are sending the team off with a message to Hazel that Filipinos are behind her in her fight for justice,” Gabriela spokesperson Joms Salvador said shortly after the plane carrying the team left.

“We want Hazel to know that Filipinos will not tolerate the abuse of Filipinas by US soldiers notwithstanding the Philippine government's seeming connivance with the US military to write off this travesty,” she said.

Hazel reported to police in February that she was raped by a member of the US Army in Okinawa. She received medical treatment for injuries at a hospital after the alleged attack at a hotel in Okinawa on February 18, police said.

But Japanese prosecutors dropped charges against the soldier in May, saying they “did not have sufficient evidence."

The Gabriela mission team will visit Hazel and gather more information on the alleged rape, Salvador said.

The team will also meet with the Hazel's legal counsel, the Filipino community in Japan, and concerned Japanese and Philippines government agencies to gather support for her.

“Finally, I will get to see my daughter again,” Hazel’s mother said. “I am excited to see her and to find out if she is okay.”

The alleged rape took place only days after a 14-year-old Japanese girl complained that she was sexually abused by a US Marine.

The alleged rape sparked mass protests in southern Okinawa, home to half of the more than 40,000 US troops in Japan. Outraged Japanese leaders called for stricter disciplinary measures for US forces.

In contrast to the high-profile case of the Japanese girl, which led to an apology from US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the alleged rape of the Filipina has drawn less attention. With Agence France-Presse