DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CONCERNS: By Takefumi Miyoshi

QUESTION 1:

I came to Japan three years ago after I married a Japanese guy. However, I have experienced severe domestic violence almost every day after four months had passed since I came here. He did not just only said foul words like “Foolish”, “Bastard” etc. but also he would carry me out, knocking and kicking me every day. At first, I also protested or tried resisting but if I act such, it would increasingly become more violent. I just remained silent. How can I get out from this agony? Please let me know. (Anonymous)

QUESTION 2:

I am now living at my friend’s house temporarily after I escaped from my Japanese husband because of domestic violence. He always threatens me saying, “if you will divorce me, I will notify it to the Immigration Bureau and repatriate you to the Philippines by force”. Therefore, I cannot divorce and work by myself either. It seems that I am in the hell. Please help me.  (Anonymous)

QUESTION 3:

My Japanese husband abuses me sexually. He is enjoying putting a beer bottle or insert tobacco into my sexual organs. He often used to carry out DV if I refused to do it. I just endured the wrong ways in order to support my family in the Philippines but I do want to slip out of such life. Please let me know what to do. (Anonymous)

QUESTION 4:

My Filipino husband always knocks and kicks a child of my former marriage (3 years old) who is not his child. I am very uneasy and so afraid of that he will kill my son someday. Please help me. (Anonymous)

ANSWER:

I think that each of your case corresponds to domestic violence (DV).

According to the conclusion of the National Police Agency (NPA), DV cases increase 20.2% compared with last year. The number of cases known of DV in 2010 amounts to 33,852 cases is the most numerous in and after 2002 year which began to take datum.

As all readers know very well, the domestic violence is an act of violence which happens in a family. There are various patterns (mode) such as the violence by a spouse (to a wife from a husband or to a husband from a wife), to a child by parents (child abuse) and to parents from a child etc. These are always carried out in the closed human relations of the inside of a family. Therefore, it is not visible easily from the outside and it is furthermore not easily revealed as a crime in many cases.

You can find out best solution by the following way.
1) Consultation to the assistance or aid facilities

There is “Spousal Violence Consultation Assistance Center” in offices of all prefectures and cities, wards, towns, and villages. Then, you must visit this center and reveal all of your problems or what you are now suffering. For example, go to city office and explain about your DV.

The clerk immediately escorts you to the Center. Then, try to speak out, explain and consult with the staff member at this Center about everything what you have without fearing anything. Since your privacy which you would consult with the staff in the Center is surely supposed to be kept confidentially. Moreover, do not worry about the staff of this Center as they are always so kind and respond to a client all matters about DV.

In the case of which your case is critical or is to require emergency assistance, the Center will take care of you and support temporarily. Then, the Center will offer independence assistance and other way if your mind and body settle down after that. That is, the Center is supposed to find out the place in which you can live and work.

However, please do understand that this Center, although it seems to be the name of the Facility apparently is not the name of Facility but a name of Capability. Then, you should go to the window of office of the prefecture or city/ward/town/villages specifically and explain that “I need the help of public office as I am now encountered a domestic violence”.
When your appeal or request will be received, these public office such as “Women’s Guidance Office” in the community and municipal office will introduce you to the Facilities which these public offices itself install independently. The facilities of which the public office introduced to you are called “Spousal Violence Consultation Assistance Center.”

In addition to this, there is a private facility called “National Female Shelter Net” in connection with assistance of parties with DV cases. And since it is working and running as “Shelter Networking to the violence against a female”, please consult with them.

Unfortunately, when you are having difficulty of finding this Facility nearby your address, please go and consult with the nearby Legislative (Civil Affairs) Bureau of the Ministry of Justice or you may go to the police directly and consult if you could not find out these Facilities. They also can help you.

2) Solution

Please do not worry about the money of daily living, child and Immigration matters etc. because these matters is to take care of and carried out by a staff of Center or Facilities. It means that the best solution is to be found out if you can reveal everything which you are troubled with. Of course, they will contact and scramble with the Immigration Bureau, a police and court after the consultation and also make it not be in illegal situation.

For your information, in spite of not being DV, those who pretended that it was DV are to be punished as a criminal case.