Child abuse cases hit record 300 in '07, NPA says

The Japan Times
Friday, Feb. 22, 2008
Source: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080222b5.html

Kyodo News--The number of child abuse cases in Japan totaled 300 in 2007, up by three from the previous year, marking the highest figure since the first tally was conducted in 1999, while the number of abuse victims fell by one to 315, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

The number of people arrested or those who had their cases sent to prosecutors in child abuse cases came to 323, down 1.8 percent, according to the police tally, which covered the abuse cases of people under the age of 18.

The figures indicate that child abuse remained at a high level in 2007 following 2006, the year in which both the numbers of cases and victims were at a record high, according to the agency.

The number of children who died from abuse in 2007, however, dropped to 37 from 59.

An agency official attributed the decline to a growing number of reports to police about potential child abuse cases from neighbors on the back of increased awareness in society about the issue.

According to the agency, 211 of the total were physical abuse cases, up from 199 in 2006, and 69 were sexual abuse cases, down from 75. Child neglect accounted for 20 of the cases, down from 23.

By age, those under 1 year old accounted for 47 of the total abuse victims, followed by those aged 5 and those aged 14, each numbering 25 victims.

Apart from child abuse cases, 43 children died in murder-suicides carried out by family members in 2007, and 10 infants were killed immediately after birth during the year, the NPA said.

The Japan Times
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Juvenile abuse, kiddy porn victims hit record highs

The Mainichi Shimbun
February 21, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080221p2a00m0na028000c.html

Arrests for child abuse cases last year rose marginally to be the highest ever on record, the National Police Agency said.

And although arrests for incidents related to child pornography and juvenile prostitution declined in 2007, the number of child victims of pornography increased by 20.2 percent to 304.

Better news for crimefighters came in the form of the number of children who died as a result of abuse last year, falling by 37.3 percent to 37.

"While society has developed a greater awareness of the existence of child abuse and this has led to more reports about cases, we strengthened the support network with places like child consultation centers and acted quickly," an NPA spokesman said.

Police said there were 300 cases in 2007 where there were either arrests made or offenders were sent to prosecutors for child abuse, an increase of 1 percent over the previous year and the highest ever figure since records began in 1999. The number of reported child victims was 315, a 0.3 percent fall from 2006.

Last year also witnessed 1,914 cases of violation of the law banning child prostitution and child pornography, which was a 14.1 percent decline from 2006.

NPA officials said that of the 315 child abuse victims, 224 had been assaulted or battered, 69 subjected to sexual abuse and 22 neglected. Of the victims, 47 were aged under 1, 25 were aged 5 and 24 were 3 years old.

Mothers were the most frequent child abusers, with 97 arrested for harming their children, followed by 91 fathers, 55 step-parents and 46 common-law fathers.

Of the 1,347 people police arrested in child abuse cases, 984 were sent to prosecutors. Of 567 child pornography arrests, 377 were sent to prosecutors.

There were 1,160 children who fell victim in child prostitution, and 304 victimized by child pornography.

Juvenile crimes, meanwhile, fell, with 103,224 people picked up for breaking the Criminal Code, a decline of 8.5 percent and the fourth year in a row that the figure has fallen.

（Mainichi Japan） February 21, 2008

300 child abuse cases reported in 2007

The Yomiuri Shimbun
February 22, 2008
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080222TDY02307.htm

The number of child abuse cases investigated by police hit 300 in 2007, a record high since the National Police Agency began compiling the data in 1999, according to the NPA.

Mothers were the most common abusers, being implicated in 97 cases, followed by fathers, adoptive fathers and common-law husbands, who were named in 91, 55 and 46 cases, respectively.

Thirty-seven children lost their lives in 2007 due to abuse, down 22 from the previous year.

Among the cases, 211 involved physical abuse such as punching and kicking. There were 69 sexual abuse cases and 20 cases of child neglect.

Although they are not included in the 300 cases this time, the police discovered 10 cases in which babies were found dead in situations such as being abandoned immediately after delivery.

The revised Child Abuse Prevention Law will enter into force in April, giving representatives from child consultation centers the right to forcibly enter homes where child abuse is suspected.

Child prostitution goes online

Meanwhile, the number of cases involving violation of the law regulating Internet dating services, such as posting messages offering child prostitution, hit 122 in 2007, up 75 from the previous year and a record high.

In 61 of these cases, the children themselves took the initiative to post messages offering sexual services--an increase of 43 on the previous year. The number shows the seriousness of the problem with online dating sites, which children can access easily through cell phones. The ease of use of such sites may also prompt minors to post messages without thinking about what they are doing, starting them down a slope that eventually leads to prostitution.

(Feb. 22, 2008)