Disabled student filmed in school toilet, serious bullying incident in Mie

From NHK 

January 31 2025

Mie Pref – It has been revealed that in October last year, a male student with a disability attending a special needs school in Mie Prefecture was filmed in a school toilet by two high school students and posted on social media, causing him to miss school for an extended period of time, and the school has determined that this constitutes a serious case of bullying.

According to the Mie Prefectural Board of Education, in October last year, a male student with an intellectual disability (then 17) attending a special needs school, which is attached to a prefectural high school in the prefecture, was filmed in a shared toilet stall by two male high school students and posted on the social media site Instagram.

The student at the special needs school subsequently missed school for an extended period of time.

The incident came to light when a student at the special needs school who saw the posted video reported it to teachers and staff, and in January the special needs school determined that this constituted a serious case of bullying.

An investigative committee made up of lawyers and others will analyze the cause and propose measures to prevent recurrence.

The mother of the victim commented to NHK, “I don’t think this is just a problem for my child. I want school to be a safe place for children to go to. I want the school to come up with concrete measures to prevent recurrence, taking into account the opinions of parents, so that something similar doesn’t happen in the future.”