What I think about "custody".

AOI is a Japanese high school student who attends a high school in the U.S. She shared with us her reasons for being active in PCB, her thoughts on the realization of a society with joint parental rights and joint fostering, and what she would like to tell adults of the parental generation from the perspective of a minor.

16-year-old Japanese high school girl attending an American high school｜AOI

Hello everyone, I am a 16 year old Japanese high school girl.

I was born and raised in Tokyo. My father is Japanese-American, so I grew up with an interest in international affairs from an early age. Last year,Decided to study in the U.S.I did, and now I am in a high school dormitory in Cal.

Although my life in the U.S. has been stimulating and full of learning every day, I often have too much time on my hands in the dormitory life, and I thought that I shouldn't end up doing nothing in high school,I want to start something I'm passionate about.I thought it was a good idea.

And when I was wondering what I, as a high school student, could do to help, I remembered my brother volunteering in high school.I want to do something meaningful for others.So I decided to volunteer, although it was a new challenge.

My friend was taken away to Japan one day...

When I saw the article about PCB on a volunteer recruitment website, I was reminded of a friend of mine. She was born after her parents' international marriage. When she was a little girl, she lived in the U.S., her father's hometown, but her parents' relationship gradually deteriorated, and one day, she suddenly found herself in her mother's hometown,A Japanese mother took the child out to Japan.The first is the "I" in "I". Then,The child's father made numerous attempts to contact the friend, but never got to meet him.. When I heard that, I was very strongly shocked that such stories really exist.

Also, parent-child issues are universal. I live in a high school dormitory in the U.S., and I am surrounded by people who are actuallyChildren who had problems with their parents or parent-child relationships and had to come to the dormitory for such reasons.There are also many people who have been through this. Whenever I heard such stories, my heart ached, but I gave up, wondering if there was anything I could do. Under such circumstances, PCB is not only in Japan, but also in other countries,An organization that is also trying to work on "reunion and exchange" between parents and children who have been torn apart internationally.I was very interested in contributing to this project, so I decided to apply.

Mother also supports activities

Of course there was. But when I met with the person in charge on the web, the PCBThe philosophy is to "earn the public's trust."I gradually became less anxious, as I could see that the company was sincere and enthusiastic about this issue and that they were working on it with sincerity and enthusiasm.

In addition, parental consent is required for minors to work in PCB. When I told them that I wanted to create interview videos and blog posts in Japan and the U.S. because of some media exposure, the person in charge suggested a meeting with my mother and the three of us, my mother and I, talked,My mother and PCB work together to support my activitiesI am very happy to be able to work in such a PCB. So I am very happy to be able to work with PCB. I am currently back home for summer vacation, but I would like to continue to be active on the Web even after I return to the US.

Parents support for the benefit of their children

Interpreting custody as it is, it sounds like it is a parental right, and many people may think of it as a right that allows parents to manipulate their children as they see fit. However, now that the joint custody bill has been passed, I think we need to think about custody one more time. I know that a lot of things happened before the bill was passed, but I think the most important thing that needs to be emphasized is the fact that it is a law thatFor the "benefit of the child."This means that it was made inCustody is a system in which the first priority is the healthy growth of the child and the parents support that process.I think it is. In fact, I am still in high school and have never directly addressed the issue of custody. However, I am very saddened to know that there are divorced parents who make custody decisions based solely on their own personal feelings and not on the best interests of their children.

Custody is something that greatly affects the future of one's child, so parents must be able to,You should have custody only after carefully considering whether or not you are capable of serving in that role.I think it is. Naturally, there are many difficulties and frustrations that one only understands when one becomes a parent and has parental authority, and I understand that there are things that I cannot possibly understand at this time. However, this is what I honestly felt from my perspective as a high school student, and I hope that this article will reach as many people in the parental generation as possible, because the perspectives of people other than myself can encourage others to become aware.

Activities to raise awareness of the issue of parents and children being separated from each other.

The problem of parents and children being separated is not limited to Japanese marriages, but also occurs between internationally married couples. I think it is very important to make this situation known and understood by as many people as possible. Therefore, I use the advantage of being abroad to write a blog based on my experiences, and send the blog posts to PCB several times a month, and have them uploaded on our website, etc,Interviews with people from different countries in the schoolI am considering doing so and uploading that video or article.

And occasionally, when I am temporarily back in Japan, I would like to create videos and articles interviewing people from other organizations with which PCB is familiar.I'm a high school student and I get to spend time with a politician or a representative class of an organization.This would not normally be the case, but it is a meaningful experience that I am able to have because I am a PCB volunteer, and I could not be more honored.

Finally.

NPO Oyako no Kizuna for JAPAN has a variety of people from high school students to housewives working as volunteer staff. We are looking for people who are willing to work together with us. We would be very grateful if you could give us some consideration.

Please feel free to contact us using the inquiry form.