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Violence against women
Rape and indecent assault
- A look at the number of cases reported and the number of arrests involving rape and indecent assault in the last 20 years reveals that although these numbers are slowly decreasing for rape, in the case of indecent assault they have been increasing steadily since 1990.
- Of the 1,453 cases arrest involving rape in 1997, 1,194 or 82.2% were one-person crimes, while 3,649 or 97.6% of arrests involving indecent assault were one-person crimes (Figure 17).
Figure 17: Number of arrests and ratio for one-person cases of rape and indecent assault
Source:
Compiled from Criminal Statistics, National Police Agency
Relationship between the victim of a sexual crime and the suspect
- Over the nine years beginning with 1989, among the number of overall cases of rape and indecent assault which involved arrest, the percentage where the perpetrator was an acquaintance of the victim was approximately 25% for rape and 10% for indecent assault.
Figure 18: Number of cases of rape and indecent assault by acquaintances
Source:
Compiled from Criminal Statistics, National Police Agency
How Reporting of Cases of Rape and Indecent Assault are Initiated
In cases of rape and indecent assault by one person which did not result in injury or death, it is necessary to bring charges (Note 1) against the suspect in order to demand punishment. The bringing of charges is very significant. The way that the reporting of rape and indecent assault cases (Note 2) is most frequently initiated is by the filing of a report by the victim or an acquaintance of the victim. Next is by the bringing of charges (Figure 19).
Notes:
- The "bringing of charges" means that the victim reports the facts of the crime to an investigating agency and indicates her intention to request punishment of the suspect. This differs from mere "notice" of the facts of the crime.
- Categories of initiation of report are based on the classification at the stage at which the police draw up the original statistical forms involving the report of the case in question. Some cases filed under "reported by victim or acquaintance of victim," also include the bringing of charges.
Figure 19: Initiation of report of rape and indecent assault cases
Source:
Complied from Criminal Statistics, National Police Agency
Ways to handle child prostitution
- In recent years, from 4,000 to 5,000 underage girls have been held by the police in protective custody due to deviant sexual behavior. Among these, the number of girls whose motive was to make money for their own personal recreational use is increasingly markedly.
- Regarding how to handle child prostitution and other kinds of sexual delinquency involving juveniles, the most popular response among underage (under 20 years of age) respondents was "Severely punish adults who engage in child prostitution and other kinds of sexual delinquency involving juveniles" (Figure 20). Among respondents of 20 years of age and over, the most popular response from women was "Parents should thoroughly educate their children about sex," while the most frequent response by men was "Severely punish adults who engage in child prostitution and other kinds of sexual delinquency involving juveniles."
- Each of the age and gender groups registered a high percentage of the response, "Severely punish adults who engage in child prostitution and other kinds of sexual delinquency involving juveniles." This result reveals the existence of strong feelings supporting the need for punishment of one of the parties involved in child prostitution-the adult.
Figure 20: Measures to combat child prostitution and other kinds of sexual delinquency (Multiple responses accepted)
Source:
Compiled from Public Opinion Survey on Juvenile Delinquency, Prime Minister's Office, April 1998
One in three women has sustained some form of physical violence
- The response of highest incidence regarding sustaining of violence used by a husband or partner, for the sum of responses of "many times" and "once or twice," was "Never listens to anything I say," under the category of emotional violence, with nearly half of the women surveyed so responding (Figure 21).
- The incidence of "Pushes, grabs, pinches or pokes me," "hits me readily" and other responses indicating physical violence reveal that one in three women has sustained physical violence.
Figure 21: Incidence of sustaining of violence used by a husband or partner
Notes:
- The respondents to this survey were 1,183 women with husbands or partners.
- Responses of "Never" and "No answer" are not indicated in the figure.
- Figures in parentheses represent the sum of the responses "many times" and "once or twice." (Since breakdown figures were rounded off, in some cases the sum of the indicated breakdown figures does not match the indicated sum.)
Source:
Compiled from the Report on the Survey of Violence Against Women, Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, March 1998
Forty percent of women did not consider seeking counseling regarding violence
- Regarding the sustaining of violence used by a husband or partner, 40% of women surveyed "Did not consider seeking counseling." Of these, the most popular "Reason for not seeking counseling" given was "I didn't think the matter was serious enough to warrant counseling" (65.5%), followed by "I thought some of the blame rested on me" (35.1%) and "Counseling wouldn't help anyway" (16.8%) (Figure 22).
Figure 22: Reasons for not seeking counseling regarding violence used by husband or partner (Multiple responses accepted)
Notes:
The respondents to this survey were 339 women among those who have sustained violence used by a husband or partner, who did not seek counseling.
Source:
Compiled from the Report on the Survey of Violence Against Women, Bureau of Citizens and Cultural Affairs, March 1998