" 「取引先から繰り返された性暴力、逃げられないわけは　「無心でいるように努力」フリーランス女性が振り返る", 1 Oct 2020

[Excerpt translation from Japanese to English provided by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.]

Freelance writer, Ms. A, also experienced repeated sexual abuse at the hands of her client…Ms. A filed a lawsuit against her client, a spa company, and its president, seeking approximately 5.8 million yen for unpaid wages and damages…

Ms. A signed a freelance contract with the president of the spa company, who repeatedly touched her body…

In March 2019, the president of the company asked her to use its spa and provide comments on her experience. As part of that job, he asked her to get naked and touched her lower body. Ms.A, who was confused by what was happening, fought back, telling him to stop. At that point, the president left her alone.

Even after that experience, the president continued to harass her, touching her over her clothes and asking obscene questions. Ms. A continued to write columns as part of this job despite the harassment….

Ms. A would often tell her client that his comments were sexual harassment. However, he replied, “Whether you’re a freelance writer or a business owner, it’s an important skill to be a woman who can dismiss sexual harassment as a joke or whatever”…