Combating child abuse

Raise your voice, you are not alone

Peace Seeds has covered a wide range of issues in connection with children's lives. The state of peace, though, is not simply having sufficient food, clothing, and a safe shelter without war.

For this reason, we chose "child abuse" for this issue's topic. There are many children whose minds and bodies are hurt by their parents or other adults in their lives when these people should be the ones children can depend on most. In Japan, as many as 437 children lost their lives due to abuse from July of 2003 to March of 2008.

What we discovered through interviews of victims of abuse and parents is that they both feel a deep sense of isolation.

Through our coverage of this issue, we have uncovered a variety of measures that can help combat child abuse.

Telephone counseling Addressing the isolation of mothers

The Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, a non-profit organization, supports parents who are worried about raising children through three main three activities: a network of mothers, telephone counseling, and parental training.

In cooperation with public health centers in Osaka, the association launched "mothers' groups" in the year 2000 where mothers can meet to share their worries. One group consists of 5-10 sets of mothers and their children. At each meeting, members of the NPO provide counseling to the mothers and take care of the children while the mothers talk.

The telephone counseling service started in 1990, the year the association was founded. During weekdays, mothers can call in to speak with association members about their concerns. With other organizations now providing similar support, the number of calls has decreased to about 2,000 a year. At the same time, a large number of these parents feel very isolated and are unable to take part in mothers' groups or communicate with other mothers for support. For such mothers, the abuse sometimes turns more serious.

Since October 2006, telephone counseling has also been made available for children on the first and third Saturday of each month.

Association members include experts on children welfare, such as public health nurses and officials of child welfare organizations. The association also dispatches these experts for sessions in which adults receive parental training.

Both parents who abuse their children and the children that suffer this abuse are troubled by a sense of isolation. Noriko Kawamoto, 49, the director of the association, said, "Mothers feel distress about raising their children by themselves without anyone to talk to. And children are unable to ask for help. Our mission is to create an opportunity for these mothers to speak honestly about their feelings."

The number for telephone counseling for adults is 06-6762-0088. The number for children is 0120-786-810.

(Shotaro Takata, 15)

Skits and discussions Proposing ways to prevent violence

Child Assault Prevention Hiroshima (CAP Hiroshima), another NPO, is involved in producing programs to help children avoid violence. Through workshops that include skits and discussion, they seek to prevent children from becoming victims of abuse.

Members of CAP Hiroshima Members present a skit showing children how to stay safe. (Courtesy of CAP Hiroshima)

In a workshop, members of the group first explain the three rights of every child. The first right is the right to live in peace; the second is the right to self-confidence; and the third is the right to act freely. For elementary school students, they present three short skits dealing with bullying, sexual abuse, and kidnapping. For junior high school students, two additional skits involve sexual abuse and physical punishment.

When presenting the skits, the CAP members have students consider how the problems could be resolved. If necessary, they suggest solutions such as "Say no" or "Go to someone for help."

A skit about sexual abuse shows a student being kissed forcefully by a relative who is a university student. Another skit with the theme of physical punishment shows a child whose father compels him to play soccer and when the boy protests, the father strikes him.

Students take part in the skits, too. I tried participating myself, using the CAP performers as a model, but I found it difficult to play the role in my own words.

After a skit, the CAP members and students talk individually about their impressions and views. In one case, a girl revealed that she had been abused by her uncle.

A representative of CAP, Harumi Okamoto, 38, says, "If you don't like something, say 'No.' If you can't do that, run away from the scene and go get help. I hope our workshops stimulate children to take action." (Mako Sakamoto, 12)

Judges for juvenile courts Courts working in cooperation with agencies

In France, there are special judges and prosecutors involved in children's issues, such as child abuse. We asked Midori Kikuchi about this. Ms. Kikuchi, 71, is the director of the "Society for Study of Adoption and Foster Placement of Children," a group engaged in research on child welfare.

The system of judges for children's issues was launched in 1995. These judges are adults and they serve in juvenile courts. To become such a judge, specialized study is needed for several years after obtaining a judge's certification. If public prosecutors for issues involving minors receive information about possible child abuse, they can order the police to investigate. Even when parents are opposed, they have the authority to direct this police investigation.

If, at trial, the judge rules that an abused child be removed from the home, a decision must also be made on how to provide support to the child. The child might be sent to a special facility or found foster parents, for example.

Ms. Kikuchi points out that, "In France, many entities, including courts and administrative agencies, are engaged in resolving child abuse. But in Japan, only the child welfare office is involved." She argues that Japanese courts should help with cases of child abuse, too. (Yuka Iguchi, 14)

Foster parents A child's distrust is met with love

Foster parents are people who take care of children who can no longer live with their parents due to a variety of reasons. Ritsuko Inagaki, 58, lives in the city of Kure and she has looked after five children who have been abused or faced other difficulties within their families.

Mrs. Inagaki says that something abused children have in common is their strong distrust of other people. One of her foster children told her, "I was abandoned by my own parents so I can't trust anyone."

But children can come to feel safe and loved within foster care, says Mrs. Inagaki. In addition, they can grow in perspective from being a child to being a parent by seeing the real life of a married couple.

Mrs. Inagaki is now preparing to set up the first "family home" in Hiroshima where five or six foster children will live together. She told us that living in a group would provide the positive experience of having siblings, along with the relationship of parent and child. (Akane Murashige, 16, and Yuumi Kimira, 12)

Yoshito Tanaka, Hiroshima University professor:

Society should support child rearing

We interviewed Yoshito Tanaka, 60, a professor at Hiroshima University and the chair of a special committee seeking measures to prevent child abuse, a body formed by the Hiroshima Medical Association and Hiroshima University.

Junior writers interview Professor Tanaka (left) about child abuse. (Photo by Mako Sakamoto)

Mr. Tanaka told us that "child abuse" involves abuse by a caregiver against a child under the age of 18. Child abuse includes four types: physical, sexual, mental, and neglect or abandonment.

Physical abuse involves violence, such as beating or kicking. For example, throwing down a crying baby might result in brain damage to the child. Neglect occurs when things necessary for a child's healthy development are not attended to, like providing food or giving baths. In most cases, more than one form of abuse is involved, such as beatings accompanied by harsh words.

In its broader sense, parents who force their dreams on children could be accused of abuse, since this deprives children of the freedom to make their own choices.

According to the Minister of Labor and Welfare, in 2007, child welfare offices in Japan recorded about 40,000 cases of child abuse. About 80% of the abused children are younger than junior high school age. The other 20% are junior high and high school students. Over the period of July 2003 to March 2008, 437 children died as a result of abuse.

Professor Tanaka says that "Society should be responsible for caring for its children." He points out that the causes of child abuse are worries about money and the stress arising from feelings of isolation. He believes that society as a whole must have mechanisms in place to support parents in child rearing. (Akane Murashige, 16)