Support Women in Japan Experiencing Domestic Abuse

Dear Friend,

Many people in Japan and around the world are victims of abuse at the hands of their intimate partners. Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic, with its lockdowns, has increased the stressors people face, increasing intimate-partner violence and child abuse. In Japan, the total number of consultations on domestic violence in 2020 reached 132,355, the highest number ever.

According to police records, 2,172 youths were subjected to abuse last year, with 106,991 cases of suspected abuse reported to the child guidance centers. This figure surpassed 100,000 for the first time since records began in 2004, up 8,769 from the previous year. The period of March-May, when many schools were closed, saw the most significant increase in reports to welfare centers. Additionally, 295 sexual abuse cases were reported to the child consultation centers, the highest on record and up 11.7% from last year. Other organizations received 518 requests for pregnancy support from youths under 18 during March-May stating unwanted sexual intercourse as the reason for termination and support. About 50 children, roughly one per week, die from abuse each year. 

Recent figures show an alarming increase in suicides among women in Japan. This May, 603 women took their own lives, up 21% from the same month last year. The year-on-year figure has now risen for 12 consecutive months, a troubling trend that reflects the economic despair wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.

The TELL team continues working hard every day to ensure the Lifeline is up and running and share needed resources with the community. This year, our Outreach team has delivered a range of workshops to the community about building healthy relationships, exploring sex education and healthy discussions with parents, and supporting survivors of sexual and intimate partner violence in Japan. Additionally, 29 new volunteers were accepted into the Lifeline Support worker training program in October, and we increased our volunteer numbers from 110 last year to over 130.  This has allowed us to offer around 20 additional shifts per month since August and have more than one support worker on many of the shifts. 

As we head towards the end of the year, the holidays, especially ones with many relationships strained and fragile from the last two years of COVID, will be a challenge for many women and children. While we all feel the optimism that the coming year brings, our mission is to be there, NOW, for every individual who needs someone to listen, someone to care. We ask for your continued support as we work to bring the Lifeline and Chat to all those in abusive relationships who need it now more than ever. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to the mission and vision of TELL and for being a part of making this project a success.

Many thanks for your support,

Vickie Skorji

Lifeline Services Director

Links:

• http://www.telljp.com

Dear Friend,

The number of domestic violence consultations in Japan grew to a record 190,030 in the fiscal year through March, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to place added stress on couples and families. By month, March saw the highest number of consultations at 17,320 in fiscal 2020, followed by 17,248 and 17,063 in June and May, respectively.

These are some of the raw voices of survivors of domestic violence in Japan collected by the All Japan Women’s Shelter Network. 

“My husband became a home-based worker, and my children were out of school, so my husband became stressed and began to physically assault the children and me,” shares an anonymous woman regarding her current situation due to coronavirus.

“I had been preparing to leave home with my child due to domestic violence for a long time, but now that my self-employed husband is out of work and has to stay at home all the time to monitor the family, it has become difficult to evacuate, and I am in despair,” shares another woman.  - 

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the whole world. While the world is still struggling to contain the virus and vaccinate everyone, it has become apparent that further issues lurk behind closed doors for victims of domestic violence. The UN has referred to this as a “Shadow Pandemic” (Mlambo-Ngcuka, 2020)

Here in Japan, domestic violence is often seen as a private matter. A survey in 2018 found only 2.2% of the victims of spousal abuse actually contacted the police. In one survey, 58.2% of the survivors injured did not feel their problem warranted police help.   Another 34.3% did not seek police intervention because they believed themselves partly at fault, while 22.3% felt police intervention would be pointless.  Many did not recognize that they had been victimized.

The government announced the fifth state of emergency in July 2021, mainly affecting the Tokyo metropolitan area and the Kansai region, and operators of domestic violence hotlines such as TELL expect consultations will continue to increase.

The TELL team continues working hard every day to ensure the Lifeline is up and running and that we can share needed resources with the community. In March, 40 new volunteers were accepted into the Lifeline Support worker training program, and 35 have graduated to solo chat and phone shifts. Additionally, we have increased the number of shifts offered each month and increased the number of volunteers available to support users in need at crucial times. 

It is crucial that individuals know they can reach out to TELL and that there will be someone to listen, help them access shelters and develop safety plans if necessary. Studies have shown that suicide can be prevented when a person has someone who will listen to them. 

In response to the inordinate impact women have faced during this time, Supporting the Lifeline directly helps the many women who need it now. 

Many thanks for your support, 

Vickie