Suspected child abuse victims top 65,000 in 2017

March 8, 2018

Tokyo- The number of children suspected to have been abused in Japan in 2017 topped 65,000 in 2017, hitting another record high, police data showed Thursday.

Police referred 65,431 suspected abuse victims under 18 to child consultation centers, up some 20 pct from the previous year. The total rose for the 13th straight year since the statistics began in 2004, according to the National Policy Agency data.

"The growing public awareness of child abuse apparently led to an increase in reports from local communities," an NPA official said.

The number of children believed to have suffered psychological abuse, including verbal assaults, stood at 46,439, about 70 percent of the total. More than 60 percent of them were exposed to violence, mainly between their parents.

Physical abuse was suspected for 12,343 children, while 6,398 appeared to have incurred negligence or neglect, and 251 seemed to have been sexually abused.

The number of children taken into protective custody temporarily by police in emergency cases, including life-threatening situations, rose to a record 3,838.

Police took action on 1,138 child abuse cases, up by 57. Physical abuse cases, such as injuries and murders, accounted for some 80 percent.

The number of sexual abuse cases came to 169, and neglect cases stood at 21. Forty-four cases were psychological abuse, including murder threats made with a knife.

The total number of children victimized in all cases on which police took action rose 60 to 1,168, rewriting the record high marked in 2016. Of the victims, 58 died.

Of the 1,176 assailants in all cases, 488, the largest portion, were the victims' biological fathers. Other assailants included the victims' real mothers, foster fathers and stepfathers. Jiji Press