Japan child abuse cases soar during past year, government says

November 2, 2000
Web posted at: 9:10 AM HKT (0110 GMT)

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Reported cases of child abuse in Japan soared to a record level in the 12 months to March 31, topping 10,000 -- a 10-fold increase from a decade ago, the Health and Welfare Ministry said on Thursday.

The number of cases reported to counselling centres nationwide jumped 70 percent from the previous year to 11,631, with nearly half the incidents involving pre-school age children. The data covered cases involving abuse by primary care-takers but not those involving abuse outside the home.

Slightly more than half the cases involved physical abuse, while about 30 percent involved neglect.

There were 590 cases involving sexual abuse.

Increasing public awareness of the issue was partly behind the rise, a ministry official said.

"Social awareness has increased, partly because of media attention and also activities by local governments," he said.

Parliament last May enacted legislation requiring those who find evidencce of child abuse to report it to authorities. The law takes effect later this month.

Higher stress levels among parents, especially mothers, who accounted for more than 60 percent of the abuse cases, also appeared to be a key factor, he said.

"It's hard to pin down, but often mothers are alone with their children as there is a decrease in neighbourhood ties and the like," he said.

The government hopes to increase the staff at counselling centres and to give more training to counsellors so they can help potential child abusers cope with their stress, he added.

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