Photo/Illutration A meeting of the government panel to discuss the Japanese version of Britain’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is held in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Sept. 5, 2023. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Whenever a child protection law or system is debated in Britain, there is a case that is invariably brought up for reference.

In 1973, a 7-year-old girl being fostered by her aunt died after she was returned to live with her birth mother.

Denied food and beaten by her stepfather until her bones broke, the horrible abuse she suffered shocked society.

The British government set up an investigative committee, and reports and recommendations were issued by legal experts and others.

They revealed that the girl’s desire to stay with her aunt had gone unheeded and that communications among the agencies concerned had been inadequate.

The tragedy prompted child protection policies to be rewritten to ensure they prioritized the wishes of children.

In Britain, policies are often reviewed after cases of harrowing sexual abuse and other crimes against children are brought to light.

In 2002, two 10-year-old girls were murdered by a school caretaker living nearby.

This led to the creation of a criminal background checking system--the precursor of the present-day Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS), a non-departmental public body of the Home Office.

Studies are under way in Japan to establish its own version of the DBS, which will be a system for requiring schools and other organizations to check the criminal background of employees.

The Children and Families Agency in late February revealed a skeleton plan at a Liberal Democratic Party subcommittee meeting, and it is reportedly aiming to submit a bill to the current Diet session.

According to the education ministry, 119 public school teachers and employees were disciplined during fiscal 2022 for committing “acts of indecency” toward children.

The Japanese Constitution guarantees the freedom to choose one’s occupation, and this must be respected, but a system is also needed to keep sexual predators away from children.

What can we do to protect children from sexual crimes and abuse?

The British have conducted thorough investigations and discussions to seek solutions, and then they keep reviewing them.

We can certainly learn from them.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 6

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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