Tsubomi Cafe: the pink bus protecting vulnerable girls from sexual exploitation

Stay-at-home orders have been the default public health and safety measures undertaken by most countries during this coronavirus outbreak. However, this has led to differing impacts on many demographic groups, including young people. Among the most affected are teenage girls from troubled homes, who are hesitant to stay at their home due to family problems such as abuse and neglect. Spending even 24 hours in such an environment can put them at significant risk.

Faced with such dangers, some of these girls try to stay away from their homes as much as possible, searching the streets at night for alternative accommodation. Without a safe place to shelter, they are often approached on the street by random men offering money and shelter in exchange for sex. Moreover, they can become easy targets for sex-work recruiters who aim to lure them into selling their bodies for money.

Yumeno Nito was a teenage victim of family abuse and was frequently forced to spend nights roaming the streets. These experiences drove Nito to start the nonprofit organization Colabo. Its pink bus mobile lounge called Tsubomi Café serves as a sanctuary for teenage girls fleeing abusive households. This mobile space can be found either in Shibuya or Shinjuku once every other week between 6pm and 10pm. Here, girls can chat freely with one another or the staff, have some meals and charge their smartphones. Other essential items such as sanitary napkins and facial masks are also supplied for free.

Invisible girls who have been neglected at home and by society need Colabo’s support more than ever

Colabo originally suspended Tsubomi Café in accordance with the stay-at-home order. However, Nito decided to resume the initiative to protect young girls who she believes are even more at risk of attracting unwanted attention from sex-work scouts.

She says that her organization saw an increase in messages from young girls during this stay-at-home period. According to Nito, these messages generally come from girls in two categories: 1) those who have fled abusive households since the stay-at-home order but have nowhere to go, and 2) those whose alternative accommodation, such as internet cafés or friends’ homes, have become unsustainable during the stay-at-home period.

Nito says that these marginalized teens are often described as “runaway girls,” a phrase that obscures the abuse they are escaping. Instead of blaming these victims who are often ignored by broader Japanese society, Tsubomi Café aims to create a space that girls can turn to and trust.

The organization offers short-term shelter to these girls and is currently planning to expand accommodation options in collaboration with hotels. Tsubomi Café is scheduled for May 27, June 10 and June 24 near Shinjuku City Office Main Building, all between 6pm and 10pm.

Colabo is an independent organization supported by donations. You can show your support by becoming an annual member or shelter sponsor, or simply donate what you can through their website.