Abstract
Although a large number of studies have been carried out on the recognition of the role of specialists in Child Protective Services, little has been attempted on the opinions of those who, benefit from and carry the weight of such services, notably the general public. The reason for this is the difficulty of drawing conclusions as limited evidence are available on matters such as the reporting and investigating of child maltreatment cases. This research was carried out by means of a questionnaire targeted at those who are currently actively involved in child-rearing, with the aim of examining and clarifying the consciousness and behaviour of parents concerning the legal responsibility to report and investigate child maltreatment cases. The survey was conducted from 7 July to 8 October 1998. Four municipalities, Mitaka-city, Kodaira-city, Katsushikaward and Kawaguchi-city, cooperated. The total number of questionnaire sheets distributed was 1997. The sheets were distributed to parents who brought their children aged 18 months to 3 years, for Child Health Examination. The participants returned the sheets to us directly. 711 responses were received, the rate of collection being 35.6%. The key points are as follows: 1. 75.6% of the respondents were unaware of the individual's legal responsibility to report child maltreatment cases and 66.8% were unaware of the legal responsibility of Child Guidance Centers to investigate these cases. 2. 69.0% of the respondents agreed that there was a legal responsibility to investigate provided that there were enough grounds for suspicion. This figure dropped to 55.4% regarding the responsibility of the public to report child maltreatment cases. 42.7% agreed that reports should only be submitted when there was reliable proof of abuse. 3. 79.6% of the respondents agreed with the notion that physical punishment has a psychological effect on the child. On the other hand, 47% agreed that physical punishment can be used as a means of enforcing child discipline and 49.2% agreed that physical punishment carried out in a loving and supportive atmosphere is acceptable. It can be concluded, from this that National and Prefectural Governments need to promote a campaign using various media, with the aim of educating the general public on their legal duty to report child maltreatment cases so that they can be investigated by the appropriate official body. However in Japan, where the idea that what happens within the family is an intensely private affair, the investigation of such cases could be seen as a gross invasion of privacy. Therefore I would like to strongly emphasize the need for further discussion regarding the reasoning behind, the propriety and the implementation of such investigative procedures.
