Child abuse and neglect in Japan: coin-operated-locker babies

The Prevalence and Characteristics of Intrafamilial Child and Adolescent Homicides in Greece over 11 Years (2010-2020)

Intrafamilial child/adolescent homicide is the murder of a child/adolescent by one or more family members. This study delves into the medical and sociological consequences of child homicide, shedding light on the broader impact beyond individual families, which extends into the local community. Two Internet search engines and the search engines of major national news websites were surveyed to identify the number of intrafamilial child/adolescent homicide cases that occurred in Greece from January 2010 to December 2020. Over the study period, 34 victims of intrafamilial child/adolescent homicides were identified. The above deaths reflect an intrafamilial child/adolescent homicide rate of 0.15 homicides per year per 100,000 inhabitants. Most of the perpetrators (51.4%) were male, and the victims were equally divided into males and females. The ages of the perpetrators ranged from 13 to 61 years, and the ages of the victims ranged between 0 and 17 years. Most perpetrators (54.5%) had a previous psychiatric history and in many cases, they committed (33.3%) or attempted (15.2%) suicide after the homicide. The most common method of homicide was strangulation (usually combined with suffocation) (25%), followed by abandonment (15.6%). The most commonly reported motives were spousal revenge (26.5%) and psychotic disorders (26.5%). Raising awareness for intrafamilial child and adolescent homicide is of the utmost importance for the prevention of this dreadful phenomenon.

Neonaticide rate unchanged in Japan despite a decrease in the birth rate

BACKGROUND

Neonaticide is the murder of a newborn baby within 24 hours of birth. It has been reported in various countries, but there has been little recent research on the current state of neonaticide in Japan.

AIM

To elucidate the epidemiological features of neonaticide in Japan using public long-term, population-based data collected over 14 years and 9 months from July 2003 to March 2018.

METHODS

A descriptive analysis of public data from 2003 to the present was conducted related to deaths which had been retrospectively investigated and deemed by the authorities to be caused by child abuse or neglect.

RESULTS

Between July 2003 and March 2018, there were 149 cases of 'known' neonaticide in Japan and the incidence was 0.96/100,000 live births. The majority of perpetrators were mothers, accounting for 135 (91%) of cases, and in 70 (48%) cases they were young mothers under the age of 25. None of the infants was delivered in a medical facility. Nine (6%) murders were committed by both parents together and only one (1%) by the father alone.

CONCLUSION

The number of births in Japan has been declining gradually but the rate of neonaticide is the same.

Silent Voices: Mothers who Kill their Children and the Women's Liberation Movement in 1970s Japan

In the early 1970s Japan witnessed the emergence of a new women's liberation movement that put forward an unprecedented gendered critique of Japanese post-war society. Known as ūman ribu (woman lib) or simply ribu (lib), this movement appeared at a historical time when the numerical increase in cases of mothers who killed their own children prompted the news media to describe maternal filicide as a dramatic social phenomenon. This article explores ribu's engagement with the increased public visibility of mothers who kill. It contends that the solidarity and support the movement demonstrated for these criminalised mothers radically challenged idealised notions of motherhood, maternal love and the sanctity of the mother—child bond, and deeply questioned the post-war nuclear family as the cornerstone of society. The article investigates the revolutionary potential of ribu's preoccupation with murderous mothers by framing it in the context of the movement's call for consciousness transformation and for the pursuance of a more genuine relationality, and it gestures towards an understanding of what might be at stake in reading maternal filicide through the interpretative grid of a revolutionary agenda.

Neonaticide: Phenomenology and considerations for prevention

This article explores the phenomenon of neonaticide, the murder of an infant during the first day of life. Characteristics of maternal neonaticide offenders in industrialized countries were identified based on a systematic literature review. Neonaticides were most often committed by poor, relatively young, single women who lacked prenatal care. Efforts to better prevent these tragedies should include improved sex education and contraceptive access. Two legal responses to the problem of neonaticide, Safe Haven laws utilized in the United States, and anonymous birth options in Europe are discussed.

Child abuse fatalities and cases of extreme concern: lessons from reviews

OBJECTIVE

The study was commissioned by the Welsh Office to pull together lessons from all reports on cases involving either a child abuse fatality or serious child protection concern ("Part 8 Reviews") since the introduction of the Children Act 1989.

METHOD

Twenty-one such reports were identified and subjected to a content analysis to extract practice issues.

RESULTS

From 19 reports (excluding Reviews concerning adult sexual abusers), the authors identify seven practice themes emerging from that analysis which are related to those identified in previous studies and to six previously undertaken British overviews of child abuse fatalities. The themes are assessment, interagency communications, responsibility, number of professionals involved, role of general practitioners, insufficient training for pediatricians/radiologists, and parental choice.

CONCLUSIONS

British child protection agencies are attempting to address apparently conflicting policy objectives. On the one hand they are required to ensure the protection of the most vulnerable children within the child protection system. At the same time they are also being encouraged to adopt a "lighter touch" in child protection work. The authors conclude that the seven themes may provide some indicators as to how these conflicting objectives may be reconciled.

Violence against children and adolescents. International perspectives

Selected topics of violence against children and adolescents that occur in countries outside of the United States are discussed. Focus is given to middle-income and low-income countries and emphasis is placed on the epidemiology of this pressing public health problem, particularly on conditions that are peculiar to children and adolescents in international settings, such as female genital mutilations, wars, displacements, and land mines. The discussion of child maltreatment is presented in the context of child rearing and discipline in different cultures. Recommendations for action and violence prevention are offered in the light of vast cultural differences.