Toward Maltreatment-Free Parenting and Education: Questioning Social Maltreatment

Abstract

In Japan, the competitive nature of the education system has a negative impact on children’s well-being, reducing their mental health and increasing their risk of developing complex PTSD. However, Japanese people, steeped in the value of economic supremacy, have so far failed to accept the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to improve the competitive nature of the education system. This can be termed social maltreatment. This paper presents a narrative of the process of effecting change in people’s values, as well as research and data on educational maltreatment and abuse. In future, those involved in planning and public management must reflect on their own values and work to change society so that all children can have hope for the future.