The Japanese government and private organizations are undertaking efforts to hinder the rise of domestic violence and child abuse, launching counseling services to deal with such issues as people spend more time at home -- out of sight of the outside world -- amid the coronavirus spread.
With school closures and more employees working remotely from home, there are concerns about an increase in child abuse and domestic violence due to increased stress and anxieties about life.
Due to the nationwide school closures in March, the Center for Child Abuse Prevention, based in Tokyo, has undergone an increasing number of consultations with mothers, saying such things as, "I wound up hitting my child who wouldn't stop crying," and "Because [my child's] school is closed, there is no school lunch. But my family budget is so tight that I can't prepare lunch for my kids."
"Because there's no one to confide in at home, the number of parents who are continuing to accumulate stress is increasing," said an official of the social welfare corporation.
According to the Sapporo child consultation center, about 150 child abuse cases were reported to the center in March, up 1.5 times from the same period last year.
In many cases, children who are absent from school become so hooked on TV games that parents quarrel with their child, and nearby residents report that they hear a child crying. The center said it also received a report of a father beating his wife in front of their children. There also were cases in which the police decided to temporarily protect children.
On April 10, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry requested that child guidance centers and boards of education collaborate with each other to share information on children at risk of abuse -- such as the condition of a child being ascertained by a teacher. "As it has become difficult to know what's happening to children by checking them at school, we'd like to make more efforts when visiting their homes," said Mika Tachi, head of Shinagawa Child Guidance Office in Tokyo.
There also are concerns about an increase in the number of victims of domestic violence.
When a 59-year-old husband and his 57-year-old wife had a drink together at home in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, they started quarreling over the possibility of their income decreasing due to the coronavirus, resulting in the man slapping his wife on the night of April 5. Police arrested the husband on suspicion of inflicting injuries on his wife -- who died the following day at the hospital she was taken to.
"I got mad when she said, 'You don't make much money,'" the police quoted him as saying.
In France, the number of domestic violence cases is said to have risen 30% after the curfew was introduced.
Refraining from leaving the home has also had an impact on helping domestic violence victims. According to a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, All Japan Women's Shelter Network, it has become difficult to contact people who have been receiving counseling for domestic violence on a regular basis, and there have been a series of sudden cancellations of interviews.
"The introduction of telecommuting means more time for husbands to be home, making it difficult for victims to make phone calls for advice or come for interviews," the shelter's cohead Chisato Kitanaka said.
This has led to an increase in the number of consultation services available not only over the phone but also via email and social media. The Cabinet Office launched a consultation service, DV consultation +, that accepts consultation requests by telephone, e-mail and chat which is also available at night and during holidays -- when local government offices are closed. A support group of lawyers from Tachikawa, Tokyo, started accepting requests for consultation on domestic violence and abuse through its free communication application LINE at the end of March.
A research group led by Tokyo Medical and Dental University Prof. Takeo Fujiwara, an expert on child abuse and domestic violence, launched an Instagram (@kazoku_tokidoki_watashi) to provide tips on how to deal with children and partners.
For example, when a child says, "I want to see my grandmother during the long weekend," the group proposes a parent to accept the child's feelings instead of immediately denying the request, and goes on to suggest making a video call. It also put a checklist to identify domestic violence and places to go for advice,
"It's normal [for people] to get frustrated if they continue to refrain from leaving their homes in the face of such uncertainty. It's important for adults to take a break, too, and we want this to be a reference for how to spend their days," Fujiwara said.
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