About us
JOICFP (Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning) is a Japan-based NGO working to ensure that all women and girls—wherever they live—can live healthy, safe, and empowered lives.
Since 1968, we have been promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) through partnerships with local and global communities.
Japan: Breaking the Silence, Building Prevention
In Japan, sexual violence often remains hidden—not because it is rare, but because it occurs within everyday relationships and familiar spaces.
It often happens within close, familiar relationships. Behind closed doors. In places that are supposed to feel safe.
Social silence, limited prevention education, and unequal access to support services have left many survivors isolated and unheard.
Too many are told—directly or indirectly—to stay quiet. Too many carry shame that is not theirs to bear.
JOICFP works with local governments, educators, and community leaders to advance universal access to comprehensive sexuality education—ensuring that accurate knowledge, prevention, and protection reach every person, without exception.
Because prevention begins with knowledge. With open conversation. With the courage to challenge harmful norms before harm occurs.
We envision a world where dignity is protected,
where survivors are believed and supported,
where silence is replaced with understanding,
and where violence is never accepted.
A Shared Global Responsibility
Across the world, systems that protect human dignity, health, and equality are under growing strain.Hard-won progress is being tested.
In many regions, support structures for women and vulnerable communities are weakening—creating gaps where protection should exist.
And when protection weakens, the consequences are immediate and personal.
These gaps are not abstract. They translate into missed medical care, lost protection, broken support networks, and lives left unprotected. They mean a girl unable to access contraception. A survivor turned away. A mother giving birth without safe care.
In Zambia, reductions in international support have placed essential services for women and girls under severe pressure.
Survivors of sexual and gender-based violence face increasing barriers to accessing healthcare, psychosocial support, and justice. Maternal and reproductive health services are struggling to remain accessible to those who need them most. For many, help is becoming harder to reach at the very moment it is most needed.
When systems weaken, violence does not disappear—vulnerability increases.
Silence deepens. Inequality widens.
For decades, JOICFP has worked alongside communities to strengthen women’s health and rights.
Today, this work continues across borders, guided by a shared commitment to human dignity, equality, and prevention.
Because dignity is not negotiable—and prevention is possible.
How your donations are used
Activities in Japan-Ending Sexual Violence
According to the 2023 Gender Equality White Paper issued by the Government of Japan:
・8.1% of women and 0.7% of men report having experienced non-consensual sexual acts
・More than 2,700 cases are reported annually, representing a 63.8% increase year-on-year
In addition to physical sexual violence, new forms of abuse are emerging online. These include AI-generated sexual deepfakes, where real individuals’ images are manipulated to create explicit content that is possessed, shared, or sold without their consent.
To ensure that no one unknowingly becomes either a perpetrator or a victim, both adults and younger generations must continuously strengthen their understanding of consent, digital ethics, and prevention.
To build a society free from sexual violence, JOICFP will implement the following initiatives in Japan:
・Nationwide collaboration with local governments and legislators to expand access to Comprehensive Sexuality Education in schools, through policy dialogue, study sessions, and coordinated actions
Through these efforts, we will strengthen community-based prevention systems and build environments where violence is neither normalized nor ignored.
Activities in Zambia-Ending Gender-Based Violence
In Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, many girls and women are growing up without the information, protection, and support they need. HPV infections, unintended teenage pregnancies, and domestic violence continue to shape daily life.
Research conducted by JOICFP found that nearly 90% of women surveyed had experienced psychological, physical, or economic violence. In many cases, the harm comes from someone close, often an intimate partner.
For a girl, this can mean leaving school early.
For a woman, it can mean living in fear inside her own home.
For a community, it can mean accepting violence as normal.
We believe that cycle can change.
To ensure that no one becomes either a victim or a perpetrator of sexual and gender-based violence, we will work directly with communities to:
・Support young people to become peer educators and prevention leaders
・Partner with schools to equip students with the knowledge and confidence to prevent sexual and gender-based violence and unintended pregnancies
・Create safer school environments by installing secure toilets for girls and expanding access to clean water through wells and water tanks
Because prevention is not only about responding to violence.
It is about building knowledge, safety, and opportunity, so girls can stay in school, young people can make informed choices, and communities can grow stronger together.
