The purpose of this study is to consider the definitions of child abuse by professionals, and the aims behind these definitions, and to clarify, with reference to the opinions of abusers, the issue of definitions in the course of support. The nuance of cruelty of the word “abuse”(in Japanese, gyakutai), is a key to this discussion.
In recent decades, broad definition based on the welfare of children has become popular, but we have not paid great attention to the way the word gyakutai is used. Some earlier literature have suggested, in a summary way, the problems of definition, while others have researched and illustrated differences and consensus among professionals or lay people, leading to quantitative analysis. This literature is lacking in examinations of the relation between the professional and the abuser. In this study, with the aim of achieving the purpose suggested before, I conducted interviews with eleven helpers engaged in different jobs, and also interviewed a mother who had abused her child and referred to autobiographies and articles written by abusers. In analyzing the data, I took the stance of presuming that what a person perceives to be problems is precisely what should be looked at by the researcher.
The results of the research are as follows. The definitions formulated by helpers were not necessarily based on social roles. Although many mothers felt that their treatment of their children was inappropriate, they did not define their actions as gyakutai. The definition by a helper depends more on whether he/she is mainly concerned with the welfare of children, leading to a broad definition, or the emotion of mothers, leading to narrow one, rather than on his/her social role. It is interesting to note that in the course of providing support, helpers who agree on the broad definition avoid using gyakutai, just like those who prefer the narrow sense, because of concern over the nuance of cruelty that gyakutai can have.
It should be concluded, as stated above, that when we support or intervene in a case, or enlighten people, it is necessary to propose that gyakutai be the term not for condemning the abusers but for promoting the welfare of children and supporting the parents.
