少女殺人事件に思うこと | オピニオン | 英語のニュース

Opinion

Cute little dead girls

As the father of two young girls, I was shocked, like most of Japan, by the recent murders of two young schoolgirls, one where I live in Tochigi.

When such horrible crimes take place, sensationalistic media reports inevitably push the public to call for action. Following the murder of a girl in Nara last year, many suggested Japan should follow the U.S. lead and implement something akin to the so-called "Megan's Law," where the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized after their release from prison.

Proponents of such a system suggest it will help prevent future attacks because people will know who to watch out for. Critics argue that it will cripple offenders' chances of blending back into society due to discrimination. In fact, that's already happening in the United States; even family members of released sex offenders have been the target of revenge attacks!

I'm skeptical about such a system for one other big reason:U.S. Department of Justice data from 2000 tells us that 93% of children who were sexually assaulted knew their attacker (34.2% were family and 58.7% were acquaintances). That means publicizing names won't help much, since most victims already know who hurt them.

While complete details of the latest tragedies are not known, reports are suggesting the girls may have spoken with the person who eventually killed them prior to the crime. If that's true, it would fit the pattern of the typical assault.

Of course, like any criminal, sexual offenders try to keep their crime a secret, so they don't apprehend kids in front of others. They usually set up a set of circumstances where they can apprehend the child without being seen. What this suggests is that there are two easy things parents and communities can do to help prevent these kinds of crimes in the future.

First, keep kids away from people they don't know. When I was a schoolboy, there was one message that my parents and teachers worked to pound into my little head: "Don't talk to strangers," they said. They never told me why. Even if they had talked frankly about sexual assault, at that age I probably wouldn't have been able to understand the concept. But their message got through and it's a good one.

Second, since these criminals are looking for kids who are alone, communities should work to insure that kids never have to walk by themselves. Even if somebody cannot stay by their side, volunteers can watch kids from their homes or businesses to make sure they're OK. If it's obvious that people are paying attention, almost all crime of this kind should be preventable.

Recent Ministry of Justice proposals to improve reform and post-release monitoring of sexual offenders in Japan are quite welcome. But law enforcement alone cannot solve this problem. Solutions have to begin at home and in the community. (479 words)

Discussion: Are you for or against publicizing sex offenders' name?

Shukan ST: Dec. 23, 2005

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Opinion Cute little dead girls By Scott Hards As the father of two young girls, I was shocked, like most of Japan, by the recent murders of two young schoolgirls, one where I live in Tochigi. When such horrible crimes take place, sensationalistic media reports inevitably push the public to call for action. Following the murder of a girl in Nara last year, many suggested Japan should follow the U.S. lead and implement something akin to the so-called "Megan's Law," where the names and addresses of sex offenders are publicized after their release from prison. Proponents of such a system suggest it will help prevent future attacks because people will know who to watch out for. Critics argue that it will cripple offenders' chances of blending back into society due to discrimination. In fact, that's already happening in the United States; even family members of released sex offenders have been the target of revenge attacks! I'm skeptical about such a system for one other big reason:U.S. Department of Justice data from 2000 tells us that 93% of children who were sexually assaulted knew their attacker (34.2% were family and 58.7% were acquaintances). That means publicizing names won't help much, since most victims already know who hurt them. While complete details of the latest tragedies are not known, reports are suggesting the girls may have spoken with the person who eventually killed them prior to the crime. If that's true, it would fit the pattern of the typical assault. Of course, like any criminal, sexual offenders try to keep their crime a secret, so they don't apprehend kids in front of others. They usually set up a set of circumstances where they can apprehend the child without being seen. What this suggests is that there are two easy things parents and communities can do to help prevent these kinds of crimes in the future. First, keep kids away from people they don't know. When I was a schoolboy, there was one message that my parents and teachers worked to pound into my little head: "Don't talk to strangers," they said. They never told me why. Even if they had talked frankly about sexual assault, at that age I probably wouldn't have been able to understand the concept. But their message got through and it's a good one. Second, since these criminals are looking for kids who are alone, communities should work to insure that kids never have to walk by themselves. Even if somebody cannot stay by their side, volunteers can watch kids from their homes or businesses to make sure they're OK. If it's obvious that people are paying attention, almost all crime of this kind should be preventable. Recent Ministry of Justice proposals to improve reform and post-release monitoring of sexual offenders in Japan are quite welcome. But law enforcement alone cannot solve this problem. Solutions have to begin at home and in the community. (479 words) Discussion: Are you for or against publicizing sex offenders' name? Shukan ST: Dec. 23, 2005 (C) All rights reserved