Sharp rise in child abuse adds burdens to welfare workers

February 13, 2019

Tokyo--A sharp rise in child abuse has added burdens to welfare workers and other staff at child consultation centers across Japan, where a 10-year-old girl died in a high-profile case.

A child consultation center in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, is under fire for failing to save the girl, Mia Kurihara, though it recognized abuse risks. Her parents were arrested on suspicion of injuring her.

Child consultation centers in Japan handled 133,800 possible abuse cases in fiscal 2017, according to welfare ministry data. The figure was twice the fiscal 2012 level, with more reports coming from the police reflecting the heightened public awareness of child abuse.

Meanwhile, the number of child welfare workers at such centers increased only about 20 pct over the same period.

"Burdens on center staff are heavier than ever," an expert said.

Some staff have quit due to violence by parents of abused children, according to informed sources.

"Some people left as they were unable to endure the stress," said a senior official of a child consultation center in western Japan.

It is not unusual that staff are shouted at or suffer violence by parents, the official said.

A lack of experienced staff is also seen contributing to the heavy burdens.

The welfare ministry says the share of staff with at least 10 years of experience at child consultation centers stands at 16 pct.

"Child welfare workers are local government employees. They are transferred to other departments quickly," said Yumi Hatakeyama, head of Daijobu, a nonprofit organization tackling child abuse issues in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, eastern Japan. "Expertise accumulation and succession are difficult," she said.

The central government plans to increase the number of such workers by 60 pct by fiscal 2022. But it is not clear how effective this would be in stopping child abuse.

Hatakeyama said the causes of child abuse are almost always complex.

"There are limits to what a single organization can do," she said. "Schools, police and other organizations need to cooperate in various ways to protect children." Jiji Press