June 21, 15:09 I couldn't say because I was too young
"I couldn't go against it. It's irreversible. My life never comes back." It
's an urgent complaint from a woman who has been repeatedly sexually assaulted by her real father.
Sexual violence, also known as "soul murder."
Last month, a study group of the Ministry of Justice compiled a report.
In this, if the victim is a child, we are requesting that we consider delaying the statute of limitations.
In the background, there is a problem unique to sexual violence, such as "it is difficult to recognize the damage" when you are a child.
(Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter Ayaka Moroda / Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Chief Producer Kaori Yamada)
* This content will be announced in detail at 7 o'clock on June 27, "Good Morning Japan".
Sexual violence from a real father
A woman in her 40s living in Hiroshima Prefecture has been repeatedly sexually acted by her father.
I vaguely remember when I was in a nursery school.
I was being touched by an adult video on my father's lap.
His father's actions gradually escalated, and by the time he was in the fourth grade of elementary school, he was forced to have sexual activity.
He said that his father said, "I'll do it because I like it, don't tell anyone."
The woman felt uncomfortable and disgusted, but could not understand the meaning of what she was doing.
Woman
"Doing so with my father, it's normal to do that. I know something is wrong, but I couldn't think of it as young as that."
The mother was ill and couldn't rely on her, and she couldn't complain about the damage.
Women finally refused their father in the second year of junior high school.
After that, he recalls that the fear that "if you confess to your family, your family will collapse" and the feeling of "embarrassment" suppressed the woman.
Too young to recognize the damage
In fact, there are many cases in which women, like women, suffer from sexual violence at an early age and cannot recognize the damage itself.
According to a survey by an organization that supports victims, one in three people was 12 years old or younger when they were affected.
Nearly 40% of the respondents took more than 11 years to recognize the damage.
However, under the current criminal law, the statute of limitations for sexual assault is 10 years.
It has been pointed out that there are many cases in which the statute of limitations is reached when an adult becomes aware of the damage and is not guilty.
"Trauma" that afflicts victims
A woman who has been suffering from her real father.
The wound will not heal after more than 30 years.
It is said that marriage and childbirth were unthinkable due to distrust of men.
When I was in my 40s, my memory of the damage flashed back, and it started to hinder my life and work.
The trigger was the loss of my grandparents, which I had relied on one after another.
It is said that the painful memories that he had not thought about until then and the anger toward his father overflowed and he could not control his emotions.
Woman
"I can't keep still with the regret and anger of having sexual intercourse. I always think of it, and I don't like it anymore, so I want to scream and shake it off, but this pain is I can't stand it and I can't live like this anymore. "
The support window that arrived
Three years ago, the "Sexual Victim One-Stop Center" was a place where a cornered woman accidentally found herself on the Internet and consulted with her.
It is a window that accepts consultations on sexual damage 24 hours a day and supports victims.
We accept consultations immediately after damage such as rape, as well as consultations on damage many years ago, and connect to specialized medical institutions and judicial institutions as necessary.
It is said that the woman was able to reveal the painful chest that could not be helped for the first time there.
Woman
"Because it was the first time for an adult to listen to me properly. I just listened to him all the time and I believe there is no evidence."
A one-stop center set up in all prefectures.
At the center in Hiroshima, support staff are stationed during the day, and the telephone is connected 24 hours a day even at night.
The woman had many interviews and confessed the damage from an early age over a long period of time.
The center recommended counseling and treatment to relieve mental distress, as well as consulting a lawyer for legal measures.
The woman first went to a psychiatrist with a supporter and was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) due to sexual violence from her father.
With the support of the center, women have gradually become able to objectively understand the damage they have suffered.
It is said that the existence of a center that accepts the damage when it becomes painful and the feelings are about to explode is supporting the heart.
I don't want to cry and fall asleep to move forward
And last summer.
The woman filed a civil suit against her father seeking damages.
I thought it would be difficult to make a criminal case because of the "prescription wall".
At the trial, the father admitted some of the actions he had taken against the woman.
However, he argues that "there is no forced fact."
Through the trial, women want to ask their fathers for their sincere remorse and appeal to society for their suffering.
Woman
"It was decades ago, but I can't forget it, and it's getting bigger and bigger in me. I thought I'd go to trial to move forward, and I did the same thing (damage). There are a lot of people who can't speak up, so I have to change that. "
To consider whether to amend the law
How does the country accept the voices of these victims?
Consideration by the Ministry of Justice to discuss appropriate punishment for sex crimes in light of the fact that only some of the victims of sex crimes can be reported to the police and that the victims have been suffering for a long time. The meeting started in April last year.
The report compiled last month calls for consideration of delaying the statute of limitations if the victim is a child.
Delaying the statute of limitations makes it possible to hold the perpetrators criminally liable, but there are also issues such as memory changes and how to secure evidence.
The Ministry of Justice says, "I would like to consider whether or not to amend the law in the future," and the specific discussion is left to the future.
Will the victim's voice reach you?
And a one-stop center that accepts consultations on sexual violence.
It was installed in all prefectures.
However, there are still challenges.
Associate Professor Kitanaka
"One of the challenges of supporting victims is that we need a lot of specialists. We also need the cooperation of specialists such as gynecologists of the body, and we also need specialists in psychiatry. You also need a legal expert. It's not enough just to start. The other is a general counselor and supporter, but I haven't raised such a person in society so far, so for now , We are gathering people who have experience in consultation and support in other fields. "
The operation of the center requires the involvement of many professionals.
The national and prefectural governments pay operating expenses such as personnel expenses, but the reality is that support varies from region to region, with only a limited number of centers accepting consultations 24 hours a day.
A woman who has been repeatedly sexually assaulted by her real father, who is most familiar and should protect herself.
The feeling of despair when I learned the meaning of the act, which started when I was unconscious, and the suffering I had for a long time were unimaginable.
How should we convey the words that women speak?
Interviewing may awaken painful memories and hurt women.
We also interviewed while struggling.
It was this word from a woman that pushed her back at that time.
"People who have their own kind of experience, just not out in the table, even now, I want you to think that might be there right next to the room"
Works of justice to respond to the voice of the victim, and damage Is it possible to create a society that supports people?
I will continue to cover it.
One-stop center nationwide abbreviated number
# 8891
Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter
Ayaka
Moroda Joined in 2020
Coverage on the theme of new corona and sexual damage issues
Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Chief Producer
Kaori Yamada
Joined in 2002
Produced programs on children, women, disparity issues, etc.