Japan’s Children and Families Agency has compiled draft guidelines for municipalities on operating shelters for young people who run away from home due to abuse or family issues, clarifying that those aged below 18 can use such shelters without parental consent.
In fiscal year 2023, the number of cases in which elderly individuals were abused by staff at care facilities increased by 31.2% compared to the previous year, reaching 1,123 cases, according to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare released on the 27th. This marks the third consecutive year of record-high figures and the first time the number has exceeded 1,000 since the survey began in fiscal year 2007.
Last year, 4,641 people with disabilities were abused by family members or staff at welfare facilities for the disabled, the highest number ever. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, last year, there were 3,477 cases of abuse of people with disabilities in local governments nationwide, and 4,641 people were abused, both of which are the highest numbers since statistics began being collected in 2012.
By Barrier Free Japan December 13 2024 SAPPORO -The city of Sapporo has taken administrative action to suspend the admissionContinue Reading
The city of Sapporo has taken administrative action to suspend the admission of new users to a disability support facility in Kiyota Ward for three months after two users were beaten and abused by staff at the facility. According to Sapporo City, on July 23rd of this year, a male staff member in his 40s at Sapporo Suginaen punched a male user in his 50s in the face and kicked another user in his 60s in the body. The social welfare corporation Hokushoukai commented, “We take this incident very seriously. We will work sincerely to prevent a recurrence.”
People with adverse childhood experiences (ACE), such as domestic violence and neglect, are up to 7.65 times more prone to verbally or physically abusing elderly people than those without such experiences are, Japanese researchers have found. The researchers, including Chie Koga, project assistant professor of the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, analyzed answers collected in September-October 2022 in an online survey that asked participants about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives and health. Compared with people without ACEs, the risk of abusing elderly people was 3.22 times higher for respondents who have had at least one type of such experience, such as parental divorce and physical and psychological abuse, and 7.65 times higher for those who have experienced two or more types.
A total of 38 cases suspected to be abuse were confirmed going back about 10 years, with 11 users abused and nine staff members abusing them, and the committee pointed out that “abuse had become the norm.” According to the report, the abuse continued from around 2014 until last year, and included the following acts: hitting users on the head and ankles with a mallet in what was called “Hammer Chance”; forcing users to drink large amounts of fluids in what was called the “Sakazuki Challenge”; and making users run down the hallways and do squats under the pretext of dieting and exercise.
A total of 38 cases suspected to be abuse were confirmed going back about 10 years, with 11 users abused and nine staff members abusing them, and the committee pointed out that “abuse had become the norm.” According to the report, the abuse continued from around 2014 until last year, and included the following acts: hitting users on the head and ankles with a mallet in what was called “Hammer Chance”; forcing users to drink large amounts of fluids in what was called the “Sakazuki Challenge”; and making users run down the hallways and do squats under the pretext of dieting and exercise.
A report published by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on the 4th, states that the number of workplaces where abuse was confirmed (including overlaps) increased by 4% from the previous year to 447, and the number of people with disabilities who were abused increased by 16% to 761.
The suspect had apparently been providing personal care for her 85-year-old husband Shori. She reportedly admitted to the charge by telling police, “There is no mistake (that I did it). I was tired of looking after him.”
Barrier Free Japan