EDITORIAL: Domestic violence

Two women were stabbed to death and a man was injured Feb. 10 in a private residence in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Later in the day, police arrested an 18-year-old on suspicion of abducting his girlfriend, also 18, and the younger sister of one of the slain victims.

It is most regrettable that these young lovers could not be separated before matters took such a terrible turn. The girlfriend's 20-year-old sister and her friend were killed. A male acquaintance of the older sister was injured.

The teens have a 4-month-old baby, but they were in an on-off relationship. About a year ago, the 18-year-old reportedly told police that she was being physically abused by her boyfriend.

According to Miyagi prefectural police, the youth was given a stern warning on two occasions, and his girlfriend was urged to file an official report of physical abuse and injury. But she never got around to it. Although she sometimes heeded the advice of family and friends to leave her boyfriend, she invariably returned to him.

The relationship is a classic case of domestic violence. The victim of domestic violence is physically and emotionally abused by a spouse or lover. But the latter's occasional display of "affection" and the victim's fear of further abuse have the effect of solidifying the victim's dependence on the abusive partner.

The victim is usually in denial and refuses help in the false hope that the problem will eventually work itself out. This is the toughest problem for anyone trying to help a victim of domestic violence.

The Miyagi prefectural police said their handling of the case was completely appropriate. In fact, a police officer visited the teenage girl at her home the night before the crime and got her to agree to file a report the following day.

But since early this month, the youth had been frequently harassing the girlfriend by turning up at her home. The situation was turning critical. Unfortunately, nothing was done to keep the youth away from the victim before she filed the report.

The spousal violence prevention law, enforced in 2001, prescribes procedures for obtaining restraining orders from courts of law and provides for criminal punishment against offenders. However, the law cannot be enforced in the absence of a criminal complaint filed by the victim.

There have been cases in which police have been notified of domestic violence and stalking, but the victims or their family members were still killed or injured because police could not take any decisive action against the offenders.

Is the system inadequate or are police failing to handle such cases properly? We need to examine the Ishinomaki case and see what lessons can be learned.

The current law applies in principle to spousal abuse. As such, the law is ill-equipped to deal with cases involving unmarried couples, such as the one in Ishinomaki.

We need a system in which police, experts, local administrative authorities and private-sector support groups work closely together. Tragedies can be prevented if there are ways to let victims of domestic violence know that they are not alone, and that it is "safe" for them to flee from their abusive partners.

And a rehabilitation program is needed for abusers, too. Instead of just punishing them and keeping them away from their victims, they should be taught to recognize their own violence and learn to control themselves.

Traditionally, the nation's law enforcement authorities and administrative organs have stayed out of domestic and relationship-related problems. But domestic violence, if left unchecked, could eventually turn the couple's children and others into victims. We believe domestic violence warrants a greater degree of intervention by society.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Feb. 16