Response to Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Japan

Abstract

Domestic violence (DV) incidents, triggered as a result of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) imposed lockdowns, are being increasingly reported worldwide. In April 2020, the Spousal Violence Counseling and Support Centers conducted 13,272 DV consultations, which was 1.3 times higher than the number in April 2019. The All Japan Women's Shelter Network, a group of private shelters, responded to the DV problems resulting from COVID-19 and submitted a petition to the Japanese government on March 30, 2020. This led to tremendous progress, including the opening of the public DV counseling offices for COVID-19 emergencies, DV Counseling Plus (expansion of services to include telephone, webbased, and social networking service-based counseling), the launch of counseling services for non-Japanese residents, protection of victims, additional support, alliance with private shelters, and individual receipts of $926 Special Cash Payment. The requests were granted as quickly as 1 month after submission. For Japan, this was unprecedented. Until recently, money did not come from the government, so it was not possible to talk to victims over the phone and provide subsequent support. Owing to the new support system for DV, 4,400 survivors used DV Counseling Plus (special DV consultation telephone services specifically relating to COVID-19) from April 20 to May 20, 2020.

The COVID‐19 Pandemic and Families in Japan

“…Stay‐at‐home measures have resulted in an increase in domestic violence both globally and in Japan (Suga, 2020). The United Nations has referred to domestic violence in the era of COVID‐19 as a ‘shadow pandemic’ (Mlambo‐Nguka, 2020).…”

“…In Japan, as the pandemic unfolded, there was an increase in the number of consultations for domestic violence. In Spring 2020, the All Japan Women’s Shelter Network, an umbrella organisation of domestic violence services, urged the government to increase support for victims of domestic violence (Suga, 2020). In response, in April 2020, the Japanese government set up a 24‐hour domestic violence hotline in 10 different languages (Cabinet Secretariat & Gender Equality Bureau Cabinet Office, 2020a).…”

Physical and verbal abuse amid COVID-19: a nationwide cross-sectional survey in Japan

“… 10 11 Financial hardships, increased threats to physical health coupled with their daily responsibilities have made people more violent and aggressive. 12 While hotlines have been receiving complaints of domestic violence, 13 14 multiple instances of abuse were also seen outside the closed room among general people. Some instances include abusing health workers for spreading COVID-19, 15 abusing people for not wearing masks, 16 17 for not being able to pay room rents, 18 etc.…”

Review of Journal of Japanese Studies: Exploring Multidisciplinarity January 2022, Volume 1, Number 1 (Inaugural Issue)

“…It has been revealed that the pandemic has significantly impacted Japanese people not only economically but also in many aspects of social life, particularly mental and physical health (Tanoue et al, 2020;Ueda et al, 2020;Nagasu et al, 2021;Makizako et al, 2021), human rights (Matsuda et al, 2021;MARTIN, 2021), domestic violence (Suga, 2021;Suga 2021a), economic insecurity and reduction of purchasing power (McIntyre & Lee, 2020;Kobayashi et al, 2021;Tsurugano et al, 2021;Yatsuya&Ishitake, 2021), education, leisure and recreation (Usami et al, 2021;Yamamura &Tsustsui, 2021;Tahara et al, 2021), suicide (Osaki et al, 2021;Nomura et al, 2021). However, seemingly minor academic works have been conducted to understand the length and breadth of the impact of Covid-19 in the social life of the Japanese people.…”