For the first time in Japanese history, the number of reported child abuse cases has exceeded 40,000. During fiscal year 2008, a record number of 42,662 child abuse cases were reported at child consultation centers across Japan.
It isn’t the first rise indicated by these studies, either; since 1990, when the statistics were first recorded, the caseload has been rising for 18 years in a row.
This is following a revision to the country’s Child Abuse Prevention Law in 2008. Though the health and welfare ministry believes that this revision has increased child abuse awareness among people–as well as the alacrity to report such heinous crimes–it hasn’t reduced the actual number of incidences.
However, if this is true, perhaps the number of cases is not what’s rising; maybe it’s simply an increased number of people willing to serve as reporters of the abuse. While that would be good news, it still represents a concern that so many cases are occurring to begin with–and though awareness campaigns are strong, prevention measures have yet to be.
That said, there are some protections included in the law, such as permission for child consultation center workers to “forcibly enter” a residence to help protect children who are suspected of being victims of abuse–with, of course, police help and court permission. Workers, however, remain reluctant to use such force.
There is no indication that a reduction of incidents will occur anytime soon. As recently as today a man of Hiroshima Prefecture, Masashi Ota, 33, was arrested for beating his 5-month-old child until the baby’s skill cracked. Ota claimed he abused the child because he was “irritated that the baby wouldn’t stop crying.”