Approximately 95% of sexual crime victims and their families haven’t received compensation from their assailants or public financial assistance due to lack of awareness on the consultation services available.
The National Police Agency analyzed and processed 917 respondents who said they were victims in an online survey conducted between January 19 through 28 that focused on both men and women who were 20 or older.
The survey was conducted with the aim of following up with past victims covering seven types of crimes, namely: murder, sexual harassment and assault, traffic accidents, domestic violence, stalking and child abuse.
According to the data, the proportion of victims who didn’t receive compensation or financial aid stood at 94.2% in cases of child abuse. Sexual crimes followed in second place at 92.9% and domestic violence at 3 rd place at 91.1% and lastly, stalking at 90.2%.
Japan provides cash benefits for suffering families of victims or those who were seriously injured or disabled in criminal cases.
An NPA official believes a lot of victims are froced to suffer in silence and go unnoticed because of fear of victim blaming and family shame. Many respondents also said they did not report their cases to the police.
As for traffic accidents, only 35.4% of the respondents said they didn’t receive compensation, preferring the use of private insurance. However, for murder and rape, the statistics stood at 78.7%.
The survey revealed that only a small proportion of all victims used support programs such as police counseling and phone consultation services provided by private support organizations.In fact, only 7% said they were aware of support services before they were victimized.
Although awareness of such services remains low, availability is quickly spreading. The NPA hopes to raise future awareness of victim support programs in the near and far future.
Reference: Over 90% of Japan’s child abuse and sexual crime victims didn’t receive compensation: survey
