Rape
Japan Gets How-To List in Handling Sex Assault
By Catherine Makino
WeNews correspondent
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
An 11-point list for reforming Japan's legal response to sex-assault victims emerged from a weekend meeting of international advocates at a research institute in Tokyo. Barring police from questioning a victim's sexual history was among them.
TOKYO (WOMENSENEWS)--Noriko Moriya, a lawyer and victim's advocate, organized a symposium last weekend with the Tokiwa International Victimology Institute to produce a legal-reform agenda for helping Japanese victims of sexual assault.
An Australian woman who calls herself Jane spoke during meeting saying she was going public with her account on behalf of other victims.
She said she was raped in 2002 by a U.S. soldier of the USS Kitty Hawk in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. After reporting the crime she said she suffered severe secondary victimization at the police station where she sought help and was asked to re-enact parts of the crime. Some in the audience were openly crying as she told her story.
Five women in the audience approached her after she spoke to tell her they had been raped and that her speaking out gave them the courage to keep fighting for justice.
The 11 recommendations that emerged from the two-day gathering included the prevention of police from questioning a victim about her sexual history and providing victims more latitude and control over legal recourse.
"My first purpose is for victims to start speaking out, so we can create a good movement," the organizer Moriya said. "Their voices need to be heard and this symposium is a way forward."
In 2006, Japan's Gender Equality Bureau found that only 7 percent of 1,578 female respondents said they had been raped at least once. Only about 5 percent of those victims--6 out of 114--reported the crime to the police. Of those who remained silent, nearly 40 percent said they were "embarrassed."
Moriya said as a result of the symposium, Takeshi Shina, a member of the country's national legislature and a guest speaker, will submit a draft version of the initiatives to Japan's national parliament, called The Diet, and its Committee for Revision of the Basic Plan for Crime Victims.
Shina worked with Moriya on the Committee for Victims of Crime at the Japan Bar Association several years ago.
NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, will soon publicize the recommendations and deal with them on a special program, Moriya said.
Moriya said she hopes this will be the beginning for victims to wake up, speak out and demand change.
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Submitted by Janet (1 year ago)
I have a question about one of the recommendations;
"For victims who are children, begin the statute of limitations for
prosecuting an offender at the age of adulthood".
If a statute of limitations exists, does not this make it more difficult for a person to bring charges, after a long time during which she has forgotten, that is, hidden from her memory, or tried to not admit to the event having taken place? Another situation is that in which she is being reharmed in later life for not having prosecuted earlier, especially after the date of the statute of limitations has passed. Do I misunderstand what is meant here by a statute of limitations for child victims?