With the damage caused by voyeurism of athletes and the spread of images for sexual purposes becoming serious problems, there are increasing calls for strengthening measures such as legislation.
Last year, the JOC = Japanese Olympic Committee and others issued a joint statement to eradicate the damage caused by athletes being voyeurized at competition venues and the damage caused by spreading videos and images on the Internet for sexual purposes. ..
The
▽ related organizations Japan Association of Athletics Federations is that the report and consult with the police for the first time went survey addition to more than a half of
the first time booked as cases involving as the ▽ 5 May was All rights reserved the image of the television program to adult sites it was done.
Under these circumstances, on the 23rd of this month, an organization studying sports-related laws held a symposium to discuss the actual situation and countermeasures.
Hanae Ito, a former representative of Japan for swimming and who participated in the Olympics twice, said, "It was published in magazines aiming at the moment when I got up from the water and around my chest. There was also damage that a humble email was sent on SNS. Even if I blocked it, I was scared that it was sent from another account, "he said.
Lawyers
pointed out that there
is no law to crack down on voyeurism, the prefectural ordinances have light penalties
, and the procedure for requesting civil compensation is complicated, and
the current situation in Japan is delayed compared to other countries. It was.
In addition, the issue of the leader was also discussed, and when Mr. Ito complained, "I can't tell my parents, I'll give my courage to consult with the director and coach, so don't just say" I can't help it because I'm a woman. " Opinions were expressed that it is necessary to enhance the consultation service and training for instructors across competitions so as not to produce such problems.
Finally,
it was recommended that
▽ legal development should be carried out immediately
▽ that each organization and competition group should create an environment where everyone can
play
sports with peace of mind.
The Ministry of Justice's study group, which has been discussing the appropriate punishment for sex crimes, said in a report compiled last week that legislation to crack down on voyeurism and the spread of images is needed.
The Metropolitan Police Department first caught it, but there was also a wall in the case
On the 9th of this month, a 37-year-old self-employed person was arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department for reprinting images broadcast on a TV program on an adult site without permission. This is the first time in Japan that a related case has been detected.
A 37-year-old self-employed person in Kyoto Prefecture is suspected of violating copyright law, saying that 39 images of multiple female athletes broadcast on TV sports programs were reprinted without permission on his own adult site. I was arrested on the 20th of this month and received a brief order of a fine of 600,000 yen.
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, nine sites were operated.
It was confirmed that images of female athletes were posted on at least four of these sites, along with humble words.
Advertising revenue from the operation of the site is estimated to be at least 120 million yen in the 10 years until March.
The self-employed person told the investigation, "I posted a topical image to earn a living. I knew it was bad, but I didn't think I would be arrested."
The Metropolitan Police Department has been investigating about 1000 cases of information provided by the JOC = Japanese Olympic Committee so far, while athletes are being voyeurized and images are being spread on the Internet for sexual purposes. I did.
However, the current situation is that it is difficult to make a case.
First of all, the criminal law does not provide for voyeurism itself.
For this reason, there are many cases where prefectural nuisance prevention regulations are applied to voyeurism, but according to investigators, the target of voyeurism is limited to underwear and other parts hidden by clothes, and athletes' competitions. It means that the inside figure is unlikely to be the target.
Also, regarding the diffusion of images, it is difficult to immediately crack down on them because they are not obscene images.
According to the investigators, this time the site contained images broadcast on TV, so it was decided that the alleged violation of copyright law could be applied, and the arrest was made.
On the other hand, if the voyeur image is posted with humble words, it may be a crime of defamation or insult, but if the victim does not file a complaint, it will not be guilty.
Victims have a strong feeling that they may be identified as themselves and that they do not want to be known to their families, and many athletes hesitate to report the damage.
An executive of the Metropolitan Police Department said, "Even if you know that malicious sites dealing with voyeur images of athletes are infested, there are legal barriers and you can not file a case without the cooperation of the victim. I have to consider the problem of secondary damage, which is that it will hurt me even more, and I feel sick. "
Publisher claims "it's impossible to wipe out"
Several people who run sites that handle images and videos of female athletes responded to NHK's interview by e-mail, saying, "There is no problem with the current law and it is impossible to wipe out."
Of these, the person who sells images and videos of athletes on the site for each sport such as athletics, swimming, and tennis is said to have earned a living solely by operating the site for more than 20 years.
In order to avoid being caught, he does not take pictures himself, but buys images from a third party and sells them.
There are various fields of photography, such as "sports" for athletes and "events" for women participating in events, and many photographers earn income by working in multiple fields. is.
This person did not disclose his own income, but regarding the current state of sites dealing with athlete images etc. "It used to be a world where enthusiasts only purchased, but with the spread of the Internet, related sites are appearing one after another. It may have appeared and spread to people other than enthusiasts. The number of clicks on video sites is unmatched in the past. "
Regarding the possibility of violating the law, "Under the current law, there is no problem with images taken while wearing clothes. Even if the underwear is reflected, the photographer is arrested on the spot. There is a possibility that the seller will not be punished, "he said." The world is full of absurdity and wrongdoing, and it is impossible to wipe it out. Said.
On the other hand, the person who operates another site said that the reason for handling images of athletes is "because I think that photos taken from places where shooting is permitted are not subject to regulation by law" and "regulations in the future Will shut down the site if it is strengthened. "
Athletes who were damaged
One of the athletes who suffered damage, a woman in her twenties who is active as a track and field athlete, talked about the actual situation in response to the interview.
The woman first noticed the damage when she entered college, and was surprised when a friend who came to the venue told her that "the person in front of me was taking a picture with your butt up." I will.
In addition, it is said that when the results were achieved at the tournament and attracted attention, the photographs were sometimes spread with low-key words and sent to their own SNS.
Looking back on those days, the woman said, "I was disgusted with the words" I like it because my butt is big "and" I like it because my underwear is transparent. " I'm conscious of the damage. Even when I'm tired and put my hands on my knees, I'm conscious of not pointing my butt at the camera. At present, it's always about 5% in the corner of my head, so the effect is not zero. I complained of pain.
Even after that, the damage caused by SNS to myself and other athletes became more serious, causing damage not only to adult athletes but also to junior high school and high school students. I appealed to the Athletics Federation for damage.
However, when it was reported, there were a series of comments on the Internet such as "It is better to dress like that" and "Audiences will not enter unless minor sports such as athletics are done so". The woman recalled, "There were quite a few unpleasant comments, and I knew that there were people who thought that way, but I was shocked that there were so many."
In addition, from the experience of not being able to consult about damage for many years until I told the Japan Association of Athletics Federations, I also pointed out the issues on the side of the competition group, "I felt that it was taboo to tell people at that time. I didn't raise my voice or consult with him because I thought that it would solve the problem. It was a part that had been left unchecked until now, and when I finally consulted, he said, "Is there such a thing?" Was from the competition group. I thought that it was a problem that I didn't know even though there was so much damage, "he said, asking the competition group and the leaders to deal with it.
And, "I think that junior high school and high school students will definitely suffer damage, and when I see the athlete I was aiming for being damaged, I feel uncomfortable and sometimes feel disgusted with the competition itself. I think that the most important thing is that we want the legislation to be put in place to crack down on it. "
Lawyer "Increased damage due to the spread of SNS and video posting sites"
Yoji Kudo, a member of the Japan Association of Athletics Federations' Legal Committee, who was consulted by two female athletes about the damage, has investigated the actual situation widely.
Examples are
▽ voyeur using the telephoto function of the camera at the competition venue ▽
processing images on the net
and
spreading with humble words
▽ sending humble messages directly to individual players through SNS
It is said that there are three main types.
It is said that some of them were
▽ diffusion of processed images of general high school students and college students,
▽ personal information of athletes and school of origin.
Attorney Kudo said, "Voyeurism damage began to be recognized about 20 years ago, but recently the damage on the Internet has increased significantly due to the spread of SNS and video posting sites. All the perpetrators are anonymous and extremely mean acts. However, some players were shocked at why they were doing this, and because of that, some players didn't want to continue the competition or couldn't do their best, "he said.
Despite considering the legal correspondence
▽ Toto after corresponding also is lighter penalties in the regulations there is no provision in the Criminal Code, taken from the top of the uniform is good and it is difficult to determine whether corresponds to the sin
▽ also diffusion act sexual image There is no law to punish, and it takes time to identify the perpetrator in cases of defamation and insult, and it is said that there are no cases where the penalties were light.
According to Kudo, there are laws punishing voyeurism in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and South Korea, and in countries other than the United Kingdom, the spread of images taken is also subject to punishment, so in South Korea voyeurism against athletes It is said that there are cases of arrests in.
Attorney Kudo said, "There are many countries around the world that have become a problem and are already regulated by law overseas. However, in Japan, even if you bring damage to the police, it is said that it is a terrible act but difficult under the current law. Prompt legislation is an extremely important issue when the damage is not surfaced and no relief is given. "
While legislation is needed, it also changes the mindset of the entire sports world.
While it is necessary to improve the law to eradicate the damage caused by voyeurism of athletes and the spread of images for sexual purposes, it is also pointed out that it is necessary to change the consciousness of the entire sports world.
Professor Osamu Takamine of Meiji University, who specializes in sports and gender, said, "The problem has been pointed out for more than 20 years, and it takes too much time for the sports world as a whole, except for some groups, to take concrete measures. After pointing out the slow response, he said, "In the field of sports, there is an aspect that has stimulated consumers' sexual desires by using athletes, and has commercialized sex." I did.
According to Professor Takamine, the IOC = International Olympic Committee's 2018 Gender Equality Report recommends that uniforms reflect technical needs and that there should be no unreasonable differences between men and women. is.
However, "For example, beach volleyball uniforms have been increasing in variation recently, but there was a time when it was stipulated that men should be running shirts and shorts while women should be bikini type. The difference in rules is the height of the net. However, it is reasonable to think that the reason why the shape is so different is that it is influenced by aspects that are not related to the competition. I really do not want to wear something with a lot of exposure including other competitions, but I do not wear it in the situation It is important to consider that there are athletes who can't help, and it is important for the athletes themselves to be able to make their own choices, even in junior high school club activities. "
As for the media, "Magazines selling sexual photographs of athletes have been sold, and the expressions" too beautiful "such as handsome and beautiful have been used quite naturally, and there is no sign of any change in the last 20 years. The accumulation of detailed depictions creates the current situation, and the responsibility is great. "
For the future, "Legal efforts to prevent damage are of course important, but it is necessary for the sports world to look back on the commercialization of sexuality as a result of this problem. I want you to be strongly aware of the role of protecting athletes and related parties from harassment and protecting human rights. "