In Japan, November marks two vital human rights awareness campaigns: the Orange Ribbon Campaign for Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Purple Ribbon Campaign, which coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Both campaigns play a critical role in shining a light on the ongoing issues of violence and abuse affecting children and women and in calling on all of us to take action.
Last year, the Japanese government handled 2,649 cases of child abuse, an 11% increase over the previous year and part of a continuing rise since 2015. This included 228 cases of assault, 162 cases of rape, 32 cases of murder, and 38 cases of attempted murder. The National Police Agency also recorded a record 94,937 domestic violence consultations, marking the 21st consecutive year of increase.
When we think about abuse, it’s easy to picture only physical violence. However, abuse takes many forms: sexual, emotional, psychological, and financial. It can include acts such as hitting, threats, coercion, neglect, harassment, stalking, and technology-facilitated abuse, where technology is used to control, monitor, or harm another person.
Throughout this year, TELL has been highlighting the mental health challenges faced by young people. This month, we’re focusing on how technology affects their emotional well-being.
While digital tools and social media can empower creativity and connection, they also carry serious risks. Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV), which includes online sexual abuse and non-consensual image sharing, disproportionately affects sexual and gender minority youth.
Research shows that TFSV can have devastating mental health effects (Champion et al., 2021; Henry & Powell, 2018; Snaychuk & O’Neill, 2020; Worsley & Carter, 2021). In one study, 43.7% of high school students whose photos were shared without consent suffered from severe depression, 27.5% had attempted suicide, and 52.1% had self-harmed (Frankel et al., 2018). Another study (Mars et al., 2019) found that adolescent girls who experienced TFSV often reported self-blame, sleep disruption, and risky behaviours, which may lead to suicidal ideation later in life.
In Japan, there were 3,125 suicides in 2024 among young people aged 15 to 29, the fifth consecutive yearly increase. Alarmingly, women in their 20s had a 40% higher rate of previous suicide attempts compared to other age and gender groups.
According to a 2024 national survey by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, 46% of children and teens reported experiencing problems related to their online activities. Beyond digital spaces, sexual misconduct by adults in positions of trust continues to be a serious concern. In fiscal 2023, the Ministry of Education reported 157 public school teachers disciplined for sexual offences or harassment, up from 133 cases in 2013.
We All Have a Role to Play
Protecting children and young people online or offline requires vigilance, compassion, and collective action. At TELL, we remain committed to supporting youth mental health, promoting safe digital practices, and ensuring that every young person has access to help when they need it most.
Under Japan’s Child Abuse Prevention Act, certain professionals are legally required to report suspected abuse, including:
- Welfare workers
- Educators (teachers, counselors, administrators)
- Mental health professionals (psychologists, therapists, counselors)
- Physicians and nurses
- Lawyers
But we all share a responsibility to report abuse. Will you join us this month to help raise awareness of these important issues and connect young people with the resources and support they need?
How to Report Abuse
If you suspect a child or young person is being abused, please reach out:
- Police: 110
- Child Guidance Office Child Abuse Hotline: 189 (toll-free, available 24/7)
- You can report anonymously.
- Nationwide Emergency Number – (#8891)
- Tokyo Emergency Number: 03-5937-2330 -Language support may vary by region. In Tokyo, a special project team offers multilingual and multicultural support to ensure access for people from diverse backgrounds.
Japanese Childline – https://childline.or.jp/en/
- Toll-free phone support – 0120-99-7777
- Chat support – https://childline.or.jp/chat
SARC – Sexual Assault Response Centre
- Hotline for children and their guardians
- Toll-free number: 0120-333-891 (free, when calling from within Tokyo)
- Phone: 03-6811-0850 (charges apply when calling from outside Tokyo)
You can find more information about resources and supports for child abuse, domestic and sexual violence on the TELL resource page. You can encourage anyone dealing with abuse to reach out to our Lifeline via our toll-free phone support at 0800 – 300 – 8355 or our chat support service, available seven days a week. For more information on the hours of operation, please visit our website.