Aiming to address the problem of child support not being paid after a divorce, the government has included possible legal revisions in a set of new measures to support women.
A government paper titled the Intensive Policy to Accelerate the Empowerment of Women 2020 stipulates that the government is considering compulsory collection from parents who evade paying child support.
It also contains measures to deal with domestic violence and the concentration of household chores on a single family member amid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The paper will be formally adopted at a meeting of the Headquarters for Creating a Society in which All Women Shine, headed by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, to be held as early as Wednesday.
It stresses that it is "essential to provide support for non-regular workers and single-parent families who are facing severe economic conditions." As one measure, the paper stipulates that the government "is considering revising laws to review the child support system."
Concerning nonpayment of child support, the Justice Ministry and the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry have proposed requiring parents to determine before a divorce the amount of child support to be paid, as well as introducing a system to allow such measures as compulsory collection. The Civil Code would need to be revised to require the determination of child support prior to a divorce, and the Civil Execution Law for such steps as forcible collection.
According to the welfare ministry, only 24% of fatherless families receive child support from the divorced spouse, and non-payment is a major cause of single-parent poverty.
The paper encourages active debate on this issue through the "implementation of trial projects in cooperation with local governments" and "symposiums to hear a wide range of opinions from all walks of life."
During the first meeting of a committee to examine nonpayment of child support, held Monday at the Justice Ministry, Justice Minister Masako Mori said, "We seek your support in solving problems related to child rearing, which are also connected to children's future."
The paper also says that due to the spread of the coronavirus, "the idea that household chores and childcare are concentrated on women is becoming increasingly pronounced," and states that the government is considering providing companies with new financial support to encourage men to take child-care leave.
As for remote work, which has spread due to more of the public staying home, the paper says the government will promote its further introduction through such means as subsidizing the expenses of primarily small and midsize companies.
There are concerns that domestic violence will increase as people spend more time at home. The paper stipulates that the government will improve counseling support by maintaining a round-the-clock telephone consultation service for the time being.
-- Pandemic threatens women
The government's Intensive Policy to Accelerate the Empowerment of Women 2020 includes various measures amid concerns that the spread of the novel coronavirus could become a new obstacle to women's participation in society.
Many women are working in such industries as food and tourism, which have been hit hard by the outbreak, and mother-child households and non-regular workers in particular could struggle to make ends meet. Securing payment of child support is directly linked to alleviation of the poverty faced by fatherless families. It is urgent to take steps in this area.
On the other hand, the paper says the outbreak has spurred the introduction of remote work and notes that this work style has "brought new opportunities for women to play an active role."
The government needs to keep paying attention to the repercussions of the outbreak, such as increasing poverty and domestic violence, while devising effective measures to promote remote work to support diverse, flexible work styles for women.
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