"I'll push you thoroughly!" - What will happen with the revision of the Mental DV Law? Jun 6 at 1:17

"When they said, 'That's DV,' I didn't understand it at first, because they didn't raise their hands. But the wounds in my heart are for life,"

said a woman who was recently divorced after receiving verbal abuse and threats from her ex-husband.

"Mental violence" due to such words and attitudes now accounts for more than 6% of domestic violence consultations. However, under the law so far, effective measures could not be taken without "physical violence" in principle. The revised law was enacted in May. A new path of salvation has opened up for those suffering from mental violence.
(Nagoya Broadcasting Station Director Yuko Murakami)

* For those who are suffering from DV Consultation information is provided at the end of the article.

"It was so hard that I wanted to die" The pain of mental violence

A woman in her 40s living in the Tokai region told me that she wanted many people to understand the fear and suffering of psychological violence.

The woman married her ex-husband in her early thirties.

Soon they had a child, but her ex-husband went to pachinko when he had time and did little housework or child-rearing.

A few years later, when he conceived his next child, he began to abuse women.

A woman in her 40s who had been subjected to psychological violence said,
"When I got the courage to tell her that I had a child, she said, 'I don't need a child because it costs money, and I can put it down until the next few weeks, so put it down.' They were very disrespected and even told to put down their children, and the wounds are deep. I will remember for the rest of my life what was said, word for word."

After that, the woman had a miscarriage.

Her ex-husband didn't say anything to her, "Are you okay?"

A few years later, the ex-husband repeatedly changes jobs, and life becomes unstable.

The woman decided that she could no longer live with her, so she divorced.

And the ex-husband is not going to respond, "Did you do it as a man?" or "Put up with the divorce for the sake of your children."

When the woman found a new place to live and prevented her ex-husband from entering, she began to abuse her by email and phone.

"Demon bastard!"
"This outer road!"
"I'm going to push you thoroughly,"

she said, sometimes sending more than 1 messages a day, and the woman lived in fear every day.

I also consulted with the police, but they told me that it was a marital problem and that I could only advise them to keep their distance as much as possible.

Woman
who was mentally assaulted: "There were times when it was so hard that I wanted to die. I had many dreams of being kicked, beaten, strangled, and nearly killed even though my hands were not raised. Even when I was able to separate, I found out that they were ambushed in the parking lot, and I was afraid to go outside. Something might be. My children couldn't afford not to go to school, and I was very worried about letting them go outside. I have children, but I don't have the time or money. If there was something that the government or judiciary could do, I wanted them to move quickly and protect themselves."

Widespread psychological violence "The law is out of line with needs"

Earnest voices calling for such psychological violence are now coming in one after another.

Three years ago, the Cabinet Office launched a new 3-hour "DV Consultation Plus" service desk due to concerns that domestic violence would increase and become more serious due to the coronavirus pandemic.

We receive about 24,4 consultations a year. More than 6% of them complained of "mental violence."

Yasunori Kani, a lawyer who has handled more than 600 divorce cases involving domestic violence and was involved in the revision of the law, points out that "the DV prevention law to date has not sufficiently responded to the spread of 'mental violence.'"

Yasunori Kani, Attorney
: "Based on the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, we can issue a 'protection order,' including a restraining order, so that the law prohibits the perpetrator from following him or approaching his home or place of work, but only when there is a high risk of harm from 'physical violence.'"

According to the Gender Equality Bureau of the Cabinet Office, the number of requests from victims to issue protection orders based on the Domestic Violence Prevention Act actually increased when the law was first enacted in 2001, but has gradually decreased over the past decade or so.

Yasunori Kani, Attorney
: "Recently, despite the increasing number of complaints of psychological violence, there was a situation where protection orders could not be used unless it was physical violence, and there was an aspect that it was out of step with the needs of actual victims.

"Mental violence" with legal reform ...

In response to these discussions, the revised Domestic Violence Prevention Act was enacted in May.

Perpetrators of mental violence can now be issued "restraining orders."

It also extends the duration of protection orders and increases penalties for violations. It will come into effect from April next year.

【Click here for details】Revised DV Prevention Law enacted so that "protection orders" can be issued even for mental violence

Kani praised the revision as a "step forward" but pointed out that there are challenges.

First of all, it is not clear at this point what kind of behavior constitutes psychological violence or what kind of evidence is needed. Rather than limiting the content of mental violence, he said, criteria should be set to at least include all typical cases such as loud reprimands or preaching without sleeping.

In addition, if you live in your home with the perpetrator, you can issue an "eviction order" asking the perpetrator to leave your home, as in principle, only in cases of "physical violence." In the case of psychological violence, the problem is that the victim has no choice but to go out to protect themselves.

Yasunori Kani, Attorney
: "The Cabinet Office originally proposed that mental violence be included in the 'deportation order,' but it was not covered by the revised law. Rather than making a distinction, I would like society to be aware that mental violence and physical violence are equivalent and that they cause the same amount of damage to victims."

According to the Cabinet Office, "Since a 'deportation order' restricts housing and property rights to a greater extent than a 'restraining order,' it is necessary to first consider how the 'restraining order' will be applied as a result of this revision before considering it in the future."

"Don't be afraid to consult with those who are struggling"

A woman who was once troubled by verbal abuse and emails from her ex-husband was later granted alimony for "emotional distress" through the trial.

My divorce was finalized and I am now embarking on a new life with my children.

I strongly appeal to people who have similar problems to consult an expert without hesitation when the revised DV Prevention Law becomes available in the future.

Woman
who was mentally assaulted: "Even if you weren't beaten, the words you are receiving may be domestic violence. I don't think we need to put up with it. If you take the plunge, you may be able to separate yourself from the perpetrator and a new life awaits you. When the divorce was finalized, my daily life didn't change, but my mind was finally free. From the bottom of my heart, I was happy and happy. I hope you will consult with experts and have the courage to take the first step."

If you or someone else is being subjected to psychological violence and wants to stay away from the perpetrator or issue a protective order, you will need evidence to prove the mental violence.

According to Kani, it is important to collect the following as much as possible.

▽ Medical certificate
from psychosomatic medicine ▽ Recording
SNS and e-mail ▽ Audio recording when receiving abusive words

Both physical and emotional violence are domestic violence that seeks to dominate people.

In order to reduce the number of victims by even one person,

we would like to convey information so that society as a whole can stand by side with the revision of the law.

If you are suffering from DV, please contact us here.

DV Consultation Plus: Phone 0120-279-889

DV Consultation Plus [Click here for email and chat consultation] * Leave the NHK site

DV Consultation Navi (connected to the nearest local government office): Phone number #8008

Nagoya Broadcasting Station Director
Yuko
Murakami Joined the station
in Heisei 15 Mainly interviewed about child-rearing, family problems, sexual violence against children, etc.