Sexual Assault by Trusted Caregivers in Japan Rising

Man arrested
Sexual abuse by teachers and caregivers in Japan appears to be rising. Advocates say one reason is a major systemic flaw in Japan's social support system.

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Many in Japan were shocked at the arrests over the past year of two users of the babysitting matching app Kid’s Line. The sitters stand accused of sexually abusing the children entrusted to their care. Sadly, this was only the tip of the iceberg. Sexual abuse by trusted individuals, such as teachers, is on the rise in the country. And advocates say one reason for the abuse is a major systemic flaw in Japan’s social support system.

Teacher Sexual Assault Spiked in 2018

With no government structure in place, employers can’t identify sex offenders. If Japan introduces its own DBS, it can at the very least prevent re-offense.

While the Kid’s Line incident is disturbing, it is, unfortunately, part of a larger trend. Earlier this year, Mainichi Shinbun reported on numbers from Japan’s government ministry MEXT. The figures show a dramatic spike in teachers disciplined for sexual assault. The year 2018 saw a total of 282 cases – an increase of 62 from the previous year.

教員わいせつ、再犯防げず 18年度最多282人 処分歴の共有に「穴」 | 毎日新聞

文部科学省によると、2018年度に児童・生徒へのわいせつ行為などを理由に処分を受けた公立小中学校・高校などの教員は計282人で過去最多となった。一方で処分に関する情報の公開や共有は十分とは言えず、過去の処分歴を隠して再任用され再び性犯罪を起こすケースも出ている。子どもたちを守るにはどうすればいいの

The situation at Japan’s foster homes is more opaque but also troubling. Officially, in 2016, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW), there reported 99 confirmed cases of “abuse” (虐待; gyakutai) out of a total of 277 reported cases. of those, 23 were cases of sexual abuse.

However, according to the Japanese NPO Bridge for Smiles, the number of consultations regarding abuse at foster homes increased by 53 times between 1990 and 2013. Of those, 2% in 2012 related to sexual assault – or around 1,300 cases. In other words, many cases of sexual abuse go unreported.

A Major Systemic Gap: No National Reporting Database

The man lost his job at a public high school in 2018 for molesting five students. But police had previously arrested the man in 2013 for possessing child pornography.

Why does sexual abuse among trusted caregivers continue to grow?

One reason is that people convicted of abuse can simply rewrite their histories and find employment elsewhere. The Mainichi article above highlights the case of a teacher in Aichi Prefecture. The man lost his job at a public high school in 2018 for molesting five students. Police in Saitama, however, had already arrested the man in 2013 for possessing child pornography. He lost his job at an elementary school there as a result. But that didn’t stop him from working with kids. He simply changed his last name, concealed his conviction history, and secured a job in a different prefecture.

Related: “Rape Paradise”: Father’s Absolution in Rape of 12-yo Daughter Sparks Outcry

Proponents of reform say that this ability to hide one’s past points to a major gap in Japan’s system. At a press conference on the Kid’s Line app, Komazaki Hiroki of the NPO Florence said that Japan lacks a centralized database on sex offenders. What the country needs, he pressed, was an equivalent of the United Kingdom’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). DBS enables employers to run a criminal background check on people applying for positions involving kids or older adults.

Currently in Japan, even if a teacher loses their license, they can apply for reinstatement within three years. Child care workers can apply for reinstatement within a mere two years. Says Komazaki:

行政の仕組みなしに、事業者は性犯罪者を判別することができない。。。。日本版DBSを導入すれば、少なくとも再犯を防ぐことが可能になる。

With no government structure in place, employers can’t identify sex offenders. If Japan introduces its own DBS, it can at the very least prevent re-offense.

“I Don’t Want Him Teaching Anywhere Else”

One of the attendees at the Florence press conference was a mother of a five-year-old who’s one of the Kid’s Line victims. Before the press conference, Kid’s Line had said that is would suspend listings of male child care workers. That, the mother said, was a mistake:

(そういう対応は)望んでいなかった。男性保育士の育児本に助けられたこともある。男性保育士の活躍の場を奪うことになったのは残念

I don’t want that. I’ve been saved before by child-rearing books by male child care workers. It would be regrettable if male child care workers were robbed of places to work.

Another mother, whose daughter was molested by a teacher, recalls how the Principal kept the teacher in his position due to his “leadership skills.” The mom said her daughter reported other kids had been molested too. But they were too afraid to speak out.

“I don’t want this former teacher to be involved in any educational and childcare settings again,” she told reporters.

Mainichi notes that a Japan DBS would involve cooperation and the handling of sensitive personal information across multiple government ministries. As a result, discussions at the legislative level has failed to advance.

Related: Japan’s Flower Demos: A Report from the Scene

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