Photo/Illutration The central government’s basic policy outline, derived from the basic law for children, states that it supports efforts by local governments to establish third-party organizations for children’s rights. (Kohei Kano)

World Children's Day is a weighty milestone as Nov. 20 commemorates the United Nations adoption of a legal framework in 1989 protecting child rights and freedoms that groups across Japan are working to safeguard.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Japan’s ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

A number of municipalities nationwide have since established third-party organizations to handle children's human rights issues; each operates under its own ordinances. 

According to the General Research Institute on the Convention of the Rights of the Child, a U.N. nongovernmental organization, these third-party organizations have expanded throughout various regions, beginning with Kawanishi in Hyogo Prefecture, which enacted an ordinance in 1998. 

As of May this year, 52 municipalities had established such third-party organizations. The number of groups previously saw an increase of more than 20 percent following the June 2022 enactment of the basic law for children when at least 11 municipalities formed their own organizations.

Locations include four prefectures—Saitama, Nagano, Yamanashi and Akita—and five ordinance-designated cities—Sapporo, Sagamihara, Nagoya, Kawasaki and Niigata. 

Eight towns, including Shime in Fukuoka Prefecture, have also created organizations. 

These child rights groups received a total of 8,065 consultations in fiscal 2023 based on an October-November survey from The Asahi Shimbun with 49 organizations responding. 

Of these, 2,863 were from children.

The meetings covered a wide range of issues, including “child-rearing problems,” “friendships among children” and “home environment and family relationships.”

The number of times the children and a third-party organizations staff member actually met and talked was 1,091 in total. 

Takeshi Nomura, a professor of children’s law at Tokyo Keizai University, said that there are many third-party organizations that do not refuse any kind of consultation so topics addressed are diverse.

“Children are often unaware that what is happening to them is a violation of their human rights,” said Nomura, who serves as vice president of the General Research Institute on the Convention of the Rights of the Child. “It is important for experts to listen carefully, determine whether there are any human rights issues and work together to find a solution.”

Each third-party association is established in accordance with local ordinances and are called “children's consultation and relief organizations” among other designations.

Several experts from the judiciary, education and other fields work with staff members who consult and investigate cases.

They often have the authority to investigate along with make recommendations and proposals to other relevant organizations and local governments. 

In many of the cases in fiscal 2023, recommendations and proposals were made to the government.

The central government has established its support for third-party organizations, with the potential for new groups to form in other parts of the country.

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