Preventing Sexual Damage to Children-Discussion from Suspended Male Sitter-July 10 17:25
"Notice of suspension of support by male sitters".
The measures announced by a major babysitter matching company were discussed to prevent sexual damage to children. The reason for this was that two men who were babysitters through a matching company were arrested one after another for indecent assaulting their children. While there are voices saying that it is "a prejudice against men" that male babysitters can temporarily stop working, the company says that it is a temporary measure until a mechanism can be established to protect children from sex offenders. We are launching measures such as the introduction of.
I thought about what kind of measures should be taken to prevent damage. (Momoko Ariyoshi, Reporter, Network News Department)
Two people with sufficient background
The two men who caused the incident had registered with a major babysitter matching company, "Kidsline". Babysitters have no employment relationship with the Kids Line. It is a system where people who want to work as a babysitter apply, register after briefing sessions, interviews, and training.
The company says that the pass rate for those who participate in the registration is about 35%. Users can search for babysitters that they can request at the desired time 24 hours a day, and the sitters can set the fees themselves. Both users and sitters pay 10% to 20% of the fee to the kids line, and one of the attractions is that there is no admission fee and the price is relatively low.
Arrested two men were in
a qualified kindergarten teachers and child care workers
also have work experience in such-nursery
to have more than one user at Kids line
is called reputation was good.
It looks like a sufficient history for the depositor.
Male sitter reception suspended
But the incident happened. According to the company's explanation, the first case was discovered on November 14, last year. A message, which seems to belong to the user, was posted on Twitter that the boy was indecently acted by a male sitter. Following this, police began an investigation and the man was arrested on April 24.
On May 3, the company explained the arrest of the sitter to the user on the website. Then, on May 25, when a safety measure committee was set up within the company and is considering measures, a second man discovered the obscene act of the user's child. I was arrested on June 12th.
About 200 male sitters were registered at this time. In a situation where two of them were suspected of indecent behavior, the company judged that "the third case could occur under the current situation" and took a measure "suspending new reservation reception of male sitter" , Announced ahead of the other measures on June 4.
Side-by-side discussion
About the reasonKidsline
・According to experts, the sex crimes against children are mostly due to men and the detection rate is very low
・It is a "pedophile" that targets children for sexuality during the examination process regarding the appropriateness of childcare Because it
is extremely difficult to detect the possibility of sex crimes arising from it, he decided to consult with lawyers and decide.
There is a lot of debate on the Internet about this correspondence.
"Absolutely funny because the wonderful sitters are divided by attributes only..."
"I'm so angry that "Women tend to quit after getting married, so it's hard to get to medical school", so this time "Man has a lot of sex crimes" And so the male sitter will stop,'' of course is mad at all.''
While these criticisms stand out,
"
There are so many cases of sexual assault on children by men." "There are various ways of thinking and there should be a lot of discussion, but I do not want to entrust children to male sitters now."
There was also a voice.
From a male childcare worker
Now, the number of male nursery teachers is increasing and there are liaison meetings. At the Tokyo Male Nursery School Liaison Meeting, it was said that after a series of incidents, friends exchanged opinions. Shinsuke Yamamoto, the executive director and head of a nursery school in Itabashi Ward, says he is angry about two things about the series of events.
Mr. Yamamoto
: One is to the perpetrator. I commit crimes by using the position involved in the child welfare of children. Even men who seriously care for children are seen with white eyes and condemnation. The other is the matching company's response. I am angry that I did not take adequate measures and grouped by gender and pressed the cause itself to the male childcare worker.”
He also talked about how to prevent the incident during discussions with his colleagues.
Mr. Yamamoto
: I'm also talking about how to manage self-care with multiple people, how to put in a camera, and how to protect yourself. From a conscientious point of view, screening with a psychological test also prevents the case. If it's a countermeasure, I'm not against it at all. Since there are children of both sexes, it may be necessary for the caregiver to have both sexes."
Difficult to spot, difficult choice
The direct interview with the kids line was unavoidable because "I want to give priority to strengthening safety measures", but the person in charge repeatedly answered the questions I asked repeatedly in writing.
According to the report, the male sitter this time is a tough decision because it is a temporary measure to accept new requests until a safety system is established instead of a uniform suspension.
"This time, we give the highest priority to the safety of children, but it is truly regrettable that it has been taken as a "male exclusion" and "gender discrimination".
“It was extremely difficult to find out in the process of screening because the two had good impressions during interviews and training, and had a good reputation from users, and there was no problem in checking the criminal record.”
"We are aiming to share the database of sex crimes, and we have made a temporary review until a sufficient safety system has been established, and we have made a tough decision by prioritizing the safety of children."
"I would like to encourage the government to make the utmost efforts to eradicate sex crimes."
In June, we launched a series of measures, such as recruiting monitors for recording their impressions when using sitters and using their recording equipment to submit their impressions. From this month, we have introduced the "appropriate test", which is said to show trends in violence and anomalies at the time of examination, and if it is judged that safety has been secured, a new reception by a male sitter will be accepted. Is said to restart.
The views of the experts
We asked Yuki Fukui, a psychiatrist who treats perpetrators of sex crimes, how to prevent sexual damage to children.
Dr. Fukui
"People with a so-called pedophile orientation may wish to get a job related to their children, and if a "user-friendly" service is created, it will be easier for them to approach their children. That is why they commit crimes in advance. We need a system to check for risks.''
In fact, the movement to prevent children's cases by voluntary inspection has already begun in the field of school education.
For example, the Nagasaki Prefectural Board of Education has introduced a check sheet for faculty members to be aware of the danger.
The sheet says, “It's not that bad because you have sexual imagination and thoughts about the student, but at least it doesn't hurt the student,” and you can say what you think.
All faculty members are eligible and results do not need to be submitted to schools. It is said that in some cases, if you score yourself and the degree of risk is high, you will be asked to consult a specialized institution and you can actually get a consultation.
Similar efforts are being made in Nagano Prefecture and elsewhere. I asked Mr. Hiroki Fukui, a psychiatrist, whether these sheets could be used for babysitters.
Dr. Fukui
: It is assumed that you will not answer honestly if anonymity is not secured. If you introduce it, you need to make it complicated so that you can tell even if you lie. There is an “Abeltest,” which is a system in which the number of questions increases and the number of questions does not lie. I feel that it is essential for the country as a whole to do something from the perspective of not causing victims.”
To protect children
Mr. Fukui said, "There are cases where children do not know what they are doing or they are stopped, so it is necessary to think that the damage is the tip of the iceberg", "If you commit a sex crime, you will never again be involved in a child-related occupation It is also necessary to have a system that does not allow people to get in.”
Sex crimes against children by school teachers, nursery teachers, and volunteers involved in child-related professions are occurring everywhere. On the premise that crime can occur, I feel that the damage will be repeated unless one takes a step forward.
Especially young children find it difficult to protect themselves. It is difficult to say "no" to the words and actions of adults who should protect themselves.
That's why adults have to figure out how to protect their children. And if the method becomes something that excludes people who are enthusiastic, it is certain that children will lose a lot.
It's not easy, but I have to find a way to protect vulnerable children. I feel that adults, including myself, are being seriously challenged as the damage is repeated.