Recently, netizens in Japan have discovered a petition
addressed to the House of
Representatives requesting to strengthen policies that
incorporate victims' voices and further revise relevant laws to eradicate
sexual abuse and exploitation of children . The petition highlights
worrying statistics and criticism of current legislation.
According to the document, the petition
substantiates its request by pointing out that, despite the revision of
the Law on the Prohibition of Prostitution and Child Pornography , the
number of arrests for child pornography crimes has not improved significantly.
In 2022, 86% of child pornography victims were girls and 14% were boys ,
showing an upward trend. Even when the victim could be identified, this is
the second highest number in history , surpassed only by the
worst time just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, if one considers
cases where the victim could not be identified and the crime was prosecuted based
on age determination by a doctor or other person, the actual number of victims
would be even higher.
The petition also notes that child
prostitution has been on the rise again since 2015 , and that the
current definitions of child prostitution and child pornography, the Child
Welfare Act and the Child Abuse Prevention Act cannot protect children from
sexual exploitation. in businesses such as “JK (high school girls) business”,
“JC (high school girls) business” and “JS (primary school girls) business”. Ignoring
the sexual commercialization of images of minors extends the value of sexual
exploitation in society and seriously violates the right of children to
live and grow in a safe and protected manner .
A UN Special Rapporteur who visited Japan in
2015 criticized the situation in Japanese society regarding child
sexual exploitation, and in 2019, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
issued recommendations to the Japanese government, strongly urging
implementation of measures based on the Optional Protocol to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child . These measures include the criminalization
of the production, distribution, offer, sale, access, display and possession of
images or representations of children in explicit sexual activities, or representations
of the sexual parts of a child for sexual purposes.
It has been 25 years since the Prostitution
and Child Pornography Prohibition Act was enacted , and 10 years since
its second amendment. The petition urges consideration of the UN
recommendations, along with the joint declaration of the 2023 G7 Summit, to
establish and strengthen an effective law enforcement system. This would
include further reviewing relevant laws such as the Prohibition of Prostitution
and Child Pornography Act, the Penal Code, the Child Welfare Act and the Child
Abuse Prevention Act, incorporating the voices and suggestions of survivors of
abuse and exploitation. sexual.
This movement has worried consumers of loli
and shota content , which feature anime characters who appear to be
minors. This is not the first time that attempts have been made to
regulate this type of content without reaching a definitive
conclusion. The controversy lies in the balance between freedom of
artistic expression and the protection of children's rights , an issue
that continues to be intensely debated in Japanese society.
Source: Yaraon!
