Why was that child's life taken? -Risk of overlooked abuse-March 24, 17:04

A girl who liked strawberry.

I couldn't celebrate her 6th birthday with a smile.

She died this January after being repeatedly abused by her mother and her dating partner.

She stands in a pot on a chair for a long time.

She wraps her in a futon so that she loses consciousness.

Her abuse has been for over two years.

It's not that she wasn't aware of the incident.

The child guidance center was aware of her abuse and had interviewed her mother more than 20 times.

Among them, a number of abuse risks that were overlooked.

Why couldn't she save her young life?

Get to the bottom of it.

(Okayama Broadcasting Station Reporter, Misato Otomo / Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter, Daiki Makino, Director, Teppei Matsuoka)

Repeated abuse

Mao Nishida from Okayama City, who died in January this year.

Her mother, Aya Nishida (34) and her companion, Seiji Funabashi (38), were accused of repeatedly abusing her Maai and killing her in captivity.

Let it stand for a long time in a pot placed on a chair.

Wrap it around with a futon so that she loses consciousness.

She doesn't give enough food.

Some of these abuses were recorded on cameras installed in her home.

Overlooked Abuse Risk 1 “Dating Partner” That Could Not Be Stepped on

The incident started three years ago.

A person who knew Ms. Maai reported to the child guidance center in Okayama City that she might have been violent by her mother's dating partner.

Maai was the youngest of four siblings and was raised by her mother alone.

A child guidance center employee who visited his home found a bruise on his forehead that was about the size of a 10-yen coin.

However, the mother denied abuse to the investigation.

She explained that "there is no such person" about her dating partner who was reported to have committed violence.

The child guidance center continued to visit Maai's house on a regular basis, but for more than a year she was unable to identify her dating partner.

When the existence of Defendant Funabashi was revealed, when I asked her about her circumstances, I realized that she had a separate family and that she had a "relationship to meet two or three times a week" with Maai's mother.

The child guidance center survey is basically conducted by visiting your home.

No matter how much you visit your home, the investigation of a dating partner who does not live with you cannot proceed.

Koji Asada, who used to work at a child guidance center in Okayama City, points out that it is difficult to grasp the actual situation of abuse by a dating partner who does not live together.

Former Okayama City Child Guidance Center employee Koji Asada

"Even if you have a common-law relationship, you can meet in person if you live together, but if you don't, you can't make the decision to visit the family of the person you're dating. I think it's annoying because of the privacy issues of the other person's family. "

In the end, the child guidance center knew that the dating partner was involved in the abuse, but only three times before the incident, he was able to contact him.

Overlooked Abuse Risk 2 Unchanged “Mild” Judgment

Behind the oversight of the risk was the judgment of the child guidance center, which considered the degree of abuse to be "mild" and did not change it.

Okayama City divides the degree of abuse into four stages with reference to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Comprehensive judgment based on the presence or absence of continuity and how much treatment is required.

Depending on this, the response such as the frequency of visits will change.

Initially, Ms. Maai's bruise was about the size of a 10-yen coin, and it was judged that the abuse was not continuous, so it became "mild".

Under such circumstances, a certain trouble occurred that triggered the child guidance center to think about how to deal with it.

Otoshi September.

It was witnessed that Ms. Maai, who was blindfolded naked at midnight in a graveyard in the city, was scolded by her mother's dating partner.

The child guidance center will be notified by the police and will temporarily protect Ms. Maai.

Temporary protection can be "severe" of the four levels of abuse.

However, the judgment of the child guidance center remains "mild".

He explained that the reason was that he could not confirm any injuries or mental damages that required major treatment, and as a result of hearing from his siblings, no daily violence was observed.

Temporary protection will be lifted in 2 weeks.

Subsequent visits did not change much, about once a month.

Regarding the response of a series of child guidance centers Tetsuro Tsuzaki, a former director of the child guidance center and the chairman of the NPO "Child Abuse Prevention Association", points out that the response capability of the child guidance center is declining.

Tetsuro Tsuzaki, Chairman of the NPO "Child Abuse Prevention Association" "

The response to the increase in the number of abuses has not kept pace. Although the number of child ministers has increased due to national policy, many of them have little experience and" family pathology " It's hard to see through. The shape of the family has changed, and it's not always the family who live together.

This time, I don't see the partner as a party to the family. Instead, he should have looked at psychological abuse and immediately investigated his companion. "

Overlooked Abuse Risk 3 Lost “Regional Eyes”

Abuse of Ms. Maai for a long time.

In fact, the local residents were aware of the incident.

"I was making bruises on my arms and calves."

"I was always hungry, so I was giving sweets."

I was able to hear these testimonies from multiple people.

The eyes of the community were focused on parents and children.

However, in December, three months after the incident was confirmed in the graveyard.

The family suddenly moves to a place about 8 kilometers away.

Furthermore, the spread of the new corona infection made it difficult to see the situation in the home.

At the daycare facility where Ms. Maai started going to her new location, she was called for childcare at home in September following the summer vacation in August, and she could hardly grasp the situation for two months.

Meanwhile, the abuse continued to escalate.

And last September 25th.

Mao lost her consciousness when she was wrapped in a futon at her home.

She had difficulty breathing and she is believed to have choked.

Maai-san, whose 6th birthday was the day before her.

She was brain dead and she died this January.

A woman who lives in the area where she lived before she moved.

It is said that she often gave sweets and fruits to Ms. Maai who was hungry.

A woman who is now decorating her home with a photo and offering a memorial service to Ms. Maai.

Maybe she could do something for herself.

She says she regrets every day.

A woman in the neighborhood

"I couldn't meet when I moved. When I grew up, I would go to see you, so do you know the way? When I came," I understand "was the last conversation."

Protecting children with the "mesh" of the area

The case in Okayama City where the child guidance center and the community were aware of the incident but could not save their young lives.

As child abuse continues to increase across the country, what can we do to prevent it from happening again?

I went to Osaka to find the hint.

Nishinari Ward, Osaka City.

There are many people who are financially distressed, and about one in four people receive welfare protection.

Many families in the child-rearing generation also have various “sadness”, and therefore, grassroots activities to support children and their parents in the community have been actively carried out.

One of them is "Nishinari ☆ Children's Cafeteria" which was opened 10 years ago.

Until now, children's cafeterias have spread all over the country, but this is the beginning of that.

At 5:30 in the evening, many children, mainly elementary school students, gather in one room of the municipal housing.

The staff welcomes each person by calling out "Welcome back".

In addition to freshly cooked rice, homemade dishes such as sashimi, salads, and simmered dishes are lined up to start a lively meal.

It is said that 30 to 40 children gather in a day.

The primary purpose of the children's cafeteria is to provide children with hot meals and a place where they can spend their time with peace of mind.

At the same time, it is said that it is important to carefully feel whether there are any changes in the family through the appearance of the children.

Nishinari ☆ Children's cafeteria representative Yasuko Kawabe

"I'm paying attention to the facial expressions of the child when I say welcome back. Especially on Mondays, Saturdays and Sundays, I've been at home all the time, and I've been putting up with various things, but I came to the cafeteria. If you diverge, or if you say something like killing someone in a conversation with a friend, you'll be a little worried, so I'll listen to you. "

If you feel something is wrong with your child's words or appearance and it is serious and requires some action, that information will be shared with the child guidance center, school, hospital and other relevant agencies.

The network is called "Cooperation Required = Area Council for Measures for Children Requiring Protection".

Correspondence that involves the private sector and "steps in"

When the Child Welfare Act was amended in 2004, local governments nationwide were required to install it, and more than 90% of municipalities now have a system that requires cooperation.

It is a network of related organizations that share information on families with children who have problems, including children who are actually abused, and use them for countermeasures.

In many cases, the members are mainly public institutions, but Nishinari Ward is characterized by the participation of many private support groups such as the children's cafeteria.

Furthermore, it is said that the "fineness of the mesh" is also different from the others.

Generally, one co-op is required for each municipality, but in Nishinari Ward, one co-op is set up for each of the six junior high school districts.

Then, once a month, each person brings information about the target children and holds discussions.

Child guidance centers and private organizations may work together on a daily basis to take more in-depth responses.

Kodomonosato is an NPO that has been providing a place for children for over 40 years.

Children of all ages, from infants to high school students, are coming.

Most of them are used as "school childcare" to spend time after school or nursery school until they return home.

However, some children (and their parents in some cases) have a place to sleep in case it may be considered dangerous to go home due to family circumstances.

This can be an emergency refuge to prevent abuse.

Children who normally use Kodomonosato are not the only ones who evacuate.

Occasionally, the child guidance center will take care of the child and his / her parents temporarily.

Kodomonosato Tomoko Uetsuki

"Now, the administration is full, and the number of cases that the child guidance center workers have is very large, and even if you want to come immediately, you often do not come. If there is an urgent need for protection and the childhood is full, I may go to see my life here and look for the next safe place. "

It has been pointed out that the active involvement of local private organizations leads to the prevention of abuse.

Looking at the changes in the number of abuse consultations with child guidance centers in Osaka City, we can see that the number of cases has increased sharply in recent years.

However, it hasn't changed much in Nishinari Ward.

Regarding this reason, the person in charge of Nishinari Ward said, "By watching over children in the entire area, the number of cases handled by the child guidance center can be reduced, and in the long run, it will be greatly involved in the prevention of child abuse. I am. "

Is such an initiative possible in other regions?

Also, how can I do it?

Tetsuro Tsuzaki, the former director of the Child Guidance Center and the chairman of the NPO "Child Abuse Prevention Association," points out that the "buds" of various regions that support people with "shindosa" should be involved.

Tetsuro Tsuzaki, Chairman of the NPO "Child Abuse Prevention Association"

"Now, various buds such as children's cafeterias, learning support, food banks, etc. are growing in various places. It is necessary to support families with problems by making the details smaller. The government is also required to take the attitude of involving the private sector rather than shutting it out based on personal information. "

Whenever an abuse case occurs, the focus is almost always on the child guidance center's response.

Even in this interview, it was not uncommon for me to be angry about how to respond.

On the other hand, as the number of abuses increases rapidly, it is clear that even if the number of staff at the child guidance center is increased, the quantity and quality are not catching up, and the reality is that there is a limit to how much the child guidance center can handle alone. ..

Some local governments have introduced AI = artificial intelligence and have begun attempts to determine the degree of risk based on past abuse cases.

I strongly felt that creating a mesh that matches the actual conditions of the region will help protect important lives.

Okayama Broadcasting Station Reporter

Misato Otomo In

charge of coverage of the

2014 admission case Currently prefectural police cap

Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Reporter

Daiki Makino

Joined in 2013　 After working at Maebashi Station and Aomori Station, Hiroshima Station has been

in charge of police and judiciary

since 2020 .

After working at the Hiroshima Broadcasting Station Director

Teppei Matsuoka

Fukuoka Station, the News Bureau Social Program Department, and the Okinawa Station, he is

currently in charge of news programs at the Hiroshima Broadcasting Station.