British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli is credited with saying, “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Having studied economics in college, I am aware of this - but absent figures, nothing makes sense.
Kumanichi reports that the number of child abuse consultations at consultation centers in Kumamoto in 2018 has reached an historic peak at 1,532 cases, of which consultation with police was 43.5%, followed by neighbors and acquaintances (13.5%) and schools (8.2%). How the data was acquired and its accuracy is not stated. Abuse types were divided into three: psychological abuse of spouses in front of children, which accounted for about half at 48.5%; physical abuse (28.6%), neglect (21.1%), and sexual abuse (1.8%). Abusers were somewhat evenly divided: 43.4% fathers, 41.1% mothers; child ages were reported as predominantly primary school children.
Much of this rise, I suspect, is not an increase in child abuse but an increase int the willingness to report and a growing awareness of what abuse is. My wife’s childhood was perhaps normal at the time, but her father’s behavior would be considered abusive today. And that’s a sign of progress, as sad as it is. - William
