Japanese Women
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130)
Thu 2008/08/21 16:38
The full title of this article should be "Violence against Women in Japan" but we all know long titles are bad for SEO ^^;
I've seen many more "stop violence against women" posters here but only had the camera on these two occasions.
These posters suddenly started to appear at the end of last year - never noticed any before that. I'm guessing that some sort of decision was made to highlight what could be a problem in Japanese society.
Not an knowledgeable on the subject at all but tried to look up more info and came across a survey concerning the prevention of violence against women.
There are interesting findings in particular answers to "what would you do if you discovered somebody being violently treated by their husband?" The results are as follows.
What would you do (or have done in the past) when you find out that a woman is being violently treated?
When I first visited Japan as a student, I saw some bloke pushing around a woman in the street and swearing at her. She didn't react and just let him continue. Being a young visitor in a foreign land at the time, I didn't have the pair of round steel objects to intervene.
When I was a wee lad back in the UK, I saw posters and TV commercials raising the awareness of violence against women. Whats it like in your region?
These posters suddenly started to appear at the end of last year - never noticed any before that. I'm guessing that some sort of decision was made to highlight what could be a problem in Japanese society.
Not an knowledgeable on the subject at all but tried to look up more info and came across a survey concerning the prevention of violence against women.
There are interesting findings in particular answers to "what would you do if you discovered somebody being violently treated by their husband?" The results are as follows.
1.Definitely report the incident (21.8%)Those who answered "Do nothing" where asked why and answered as follows.
2.Report the incident only if its excessive violence (67.8)
3.Do nothing (5.5%)
4.Not sure (3.3%)
5.No answer (1.6)
1.Don't know who to report the incident to (23.6%)When I saw number 4 above I thought "whaaaat?!"
2.Should not get involved in other couples matters (68.9%)
3.Risk of getting beaten up if it was discovered that I reported the incident (19.3)
4.Violence between couples should be expected and endured (8.1%)
5.Other (26.1%)
What would you do (or have done in the past) when you find out that a woman is being violently treated?
When I first visited Japan as a student, I saw some bloke pushing around a woman in the street and swearing at her. She didn't react and just let him continue. Being a young visitor in a foreign land at the time, I didn't have the pair of round steel objects to intervene.
When I was a wee lad back in the UK, I saw posters and TV commercials raising the awareness of violence against women. Whats it like in your region?
Missed a week so this week contains stuff going back to the Wonfes at Tokyo Big Sight.
...(more)
Thu 08/14 19:18 comments (105)
A friend and I once saw a man punch his girlfriend (or what appeared to be) right in the face. When we went to intervene she started yelling at us about it not being any of our business. It was an odd experience. This was in Montreal, QC, Canada.
(ID #272820) Posted on 2008/08/21 16:48
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
happened to me once as well, with a Korean couple at a beach resort. so just walked away and called hotel security. in the end they seem more receptive to the guys in uniform. ^^
(ID #272901) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:35
Sounds sad tho... sometimes love is blind... they cant see themselves in it.
(ID #275282) Posted on 2008/08/23 13:19
zdvil (Registered on 2008/07/04 03:01)
I believe reporting to the police when its a case of physical or excessive verbal abuse is the safest and best way to intervene. It most likely would have a better chance of helping the victim out, especially in the future.
(ID #272838) Posted on 2008/08/21 16:56
that's actually a problem here. even police don't take matters into their hands until bleeding occurs :/
(ID #273221) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:28
duncanmc (Registered on 2008/06/13 05:55)
Police does have the right or power to intervene in some countries
(ID #343823) Posted on 2008/10/23 21:21
Procrastinator Extraordinaire
only if her life is in danger would I intervene, otherwise its up to the cops to handle domestic abuse. Moral courage is just hard to find nowadays
(ID #272850) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:00
In the States, violence can go both ways. You have many more cases of men abusing women, however, than the opposite. Best bet is to call the cops, and intervene only if necessary. Considering how easily it is to get shot around here, intervention isn't always a smart idea. ^_^;
(ID #272863) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:05
Close-protection officer/Martial artist
You said it Chewie... Girls here will even pepper spray you for asking a question. O.o I just wanted to know what time it was!!! ToT But yeah, acting like Kenshiro doesn't always work out too well...
(ID #272870) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:10
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
I would definitely Intervene, and if Push comes to shove well time to fight. And if I get my ass kicked, well I have more stuff to report to the police lol. But I fight dirty so I might win lol. As for the awareness issue, a few years back in New york, I saw a lot of campaigns and commercials dealing with this issue but it has died down considerably over the years. You can still see ads on the subway and what not but no where near as prominent as it was years ago. I am assuming and hope that is because the situation is less excessive.
(ID #272864) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:05
Realistically, I'd leave it for the police to handle. If there are other people that noticed the act of violence, bystander effect takes place. If it were an anime, I'd intervene and somehow rescue the damsel in distress, which will lead to romantic interest and possibly a start of some harem. But we all know that in reality, anyone who intervenes would probably make the situation worse for themselves and the woman. Leave this kind of situation to the authorities.
(ID #272868) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:09
as tenrou said, it's likely intervening would get you shot here. best to call the cops.
(ID #272869) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:09
Heard on the news, you guys at State side are even Arming Teachers now... This is really sick, imagine one fine day the students just piss off the teacher and the teacher just went postal and start shooting all those students...
(ID #272887) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:20
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
WTF? I never heard of this, I doubt this to be true, No sane individual would pass such a law allowing this to happen. Despite what you may hear of how dangerous and what not insane the US is, it really isn't as bad as some medias portray. Again I highly doubt they would arm a teacher, unless he/she was teaching a bunch of psychopathic killers.
(ID #272903) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:37
This statement is about half true. Although no government agency is doing this, some teachers are getting "carry permits" for their protection both to and from school here in Philadelphia. This is only in some of the inner city neighborhoods and not on school grounds. Security services on campus are also arming their guards in many places. This is response to the recent rash of school violence. Darth Guy's example is actually reversed in reality.
(ID #273562) Posted on 2008/08/22 05:39
Going off of Zou's comment, it's still illegal to carry firearms in any public school (with the exception of police). What an individual private school does is another matter, but even then, I would doubt they would arm teachers. As a parent, if I knew the teachers were packing (Freedom of Information; they have to disclose that), then I wouldn't send my kids to that school.
(ID #272942) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:03
Here's a couple of links to back up Darth. I hear the maths classes are now about figuring out how many bullets are left, so you know how lucky you feel, punk! ;) http://www.theage.com.au/world/g-is-for-gun-texas-in-a-class-of-its-own-20080818-3xo0.html and http://news.theage.com.au/world/texas-district-lets-teachers-carry-guns-20080816-3wix.html
(ID #273159) Posted on 2008/08/21 22:54
daichouginga in Byston Well, the land between the earth and the sea (Registered on 2008/06/04 10:04)
Professional Bum Mode
Woa~ the world is really changing nowadays.
(ID #273320) Posted on 2008/08/22 01:20
It's just a tiny school district, not a whole state or nation.
(ID #273450) Posted on 2008/08/22 02:45
Yeah, it is a precident though. And you really do need to ask questions about how it gets to the stage where a teacher may need to kill just to keep his students safe in what should be a peaceful society.
(ID #275818) Posted on 2008/08/24 00:57
I encounter such an inccident before at a popular club here(Power station), Hate that place for many other reason, but that night when i was there, this young punk was rough handling his girlfriend and immediately upon seeing that i just grab that punk's arm and told him not to do so. I guess he was drunk at the time too. In a flash, he let go of his girl and turned to face me with a confrontational look but dare not do anything else. While he was too scared to do anyting, his friends(2 other girls?!?) were apologising to me profusely and i picturing in my head the many ways i would "dismntle" this punk. But he was lucky enough his friends pulled him away.
(ID #272873) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:12
Student; needs a job T_T
The results for the "do nothing" poll are depressing. (Gotta remind myself it's only 5.5% of the group. >.<) How many people took the survey? Maybe it was only one crazy person who selected #4. Around here we sometimes have commercials and campaigns against violence within couples and households. I have a small pin on my pencil case that was given for donating to a anti-domestic violence drive. ^^ If I saw something break out in the street when the police won't be able to get there in time, I'd try to do at least something. Depends on the surroundings and situation though. Unfortunately, I'm kinda small so it might backfire. D:
(ID #272882) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:18
Vampire
I would probably only report it if it involves excessive violence, and definitely NOT intervene in that case. I think that if you're willing to go to that degree of violence in public, you must be on crack or something. So I wouldn't want to deal with someone of that nature, because who knows what they would do. That and I'm a small dood as well. D: and the comment below me by Willdavis in spain is a perfect example of those crazy crack heads.
(ID #272936) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:57
Chemical Engineering Student
Well, personally I thnk it's a very difficult issue. Some weeks ago, a 40-year-old teacher was beaten up and is now in coma here in Spain. Why? Because he saw a man slapping and dragging his girlfriend by the hair, so he went there, told the man not to lay his hands on the woman. As he saw that he wouldn't stop, he went inside a hotel to phone the police. And while he was at it, the other guy came from the back and hit him several times in the head. When asked if his boyfriend was a violent person, the woman who had been slapped and dragged told the police: "he wasn't hitting me, we were just talking. My boyfriend is innocent". Meanwhile, his boyfriend was in court high in coccaine and his victim was in hospital in critical condition, and still is. So, do you really think that it's worth risking you life for a person who after denies what had happened?
(ID #272885) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:20
Vampire
There are a lot of cases similar to the one you described. I saw on the news of one where ...There was a man that asked, "hey is there a problem? do you need any help miss?" because she was in an heated argument (and apparently some physical abuse) with another man. The man she was arguing with decided to go in his car to get a golf club and beat him to death with it. His wife had to watch her husband beaten to a bloody pulp, its mind boggling. I mean nothing would invoke that kind of action unless the person was on drugs or that they have a serious mental disorder. This kind of shit just makes you sick to the stomach.
(ID #272950) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:10
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
hmmm I think in asian society when I was still a wee kid, most women are expected to just take it silently :/ I won't go into detail what happened but I was definitely too young to intervene, I'm lucky I didn't get hit for staring :/
(ID #272888) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:22
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
I want to applaud those who intervened. Violence against the weak be it men/women is bad :/
(ID #272904) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:38
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
well luckily even the asian society is evolving. This is no longer acceptable even in asian households, except maybe super super super traditional ones...but again I doubt those still exist.
(ID #272906) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:38
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
wouldn't want to name places that still does this, since it might sound racist or stereotyping but believe me, there are some places that still regard women in this manner.
(ID #272917) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:47
seconded :/
(ID #273228) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:33
Dude women get hit all the time in Asian societies.. they just don't call it abuse. I still witness some Asians in America getting hit and abused by the elderly, but it's just a way of their culture.
(ID #273456) Posted on 2008/08/22 02:48
Mechanical Engineering student
That's called Parental Discipline and it's a normal thing in Asian societies. It really straightens up the kid if he/she keeps doing naughty things and talking doesn't work. Of course there has to be some "force limit" to it and only a few parents are capable of holding in their anger disciplining their child correctly.
(ID #273853) Posted on 2008/08/22 11:13
marvin (Registered on 2006/12/25 00:30)
that's true, esp for the older generation.
(ID #272909) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:42
Photographer/Night Auditor
I've had to call the police a couple times when couples got out of control at work. I even had a guy threaten me once because I stepped in and called the police while he was yelling at his girl friend.
(ID #272890) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:24
Call the cops, or any authority! Report the incident only if its excessive violence though..
(ID #272898) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:30
jkun (Registered on 2008/08/22 09:54)
no violence toword a woman is exeptible regardless of where you are its just wrong
(ID #273778) Posted on 2008/08/22 10:03
Calling the cops would be the best option, IMO since the guy might get violent towards the one intervening, but it was the cops, they'd wouldn't want to mess with someone with a badge...and a gun...
(ID #272907) Posted on 2008/08/21 17:38
agree with you.
(ID #272954) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:16
Mechanical Engineering student
Or a guy with no badge but WITH a gun. Now that would make him think twice!
(ID #273856) Posted on 2008/08/22 11:15
resident caffeine junkie
If the woman was already being caused significant physical injury then yes I'd intervene but if it's more of like that was described in the article, I'd simply bring it to the attention of authorities e.g. police, security personnel or otherwise.
(ID #272955) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:20
Computer Science Student
It's a common sight in Madagascar (maybe once a week). Even if u want to intervene, YOU JUST CAN'T! The police is useless and don't really care. If u try to get in the way, u'll be the one beaten up! xD
(ID #272961) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:27
duncanmc (Registered on 2008/06/13 05:55)
very dangerous.
(ID #343818) Posted on 2008/10/23 21:17
Web Developer (i.e. Otaku)
Grrr, in my prefecture women seem to find nasty violent blokes irresistable.
(ID #272969) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:39
Receptionist/ Accountant/ Junior Designer/ Illustrator
Call the cops is better but if possible.. intervene. Violence against men or women is bad. Nobody deserves to be a punching bag.
(ID #272983) Posted on 2008/08/21 18:53
Marketing and Law Student
In Malaysia ? The most efficient way is to call the cops and newspaper reporters. Catch the men and then show their face in media world.
(ID #272994) Posted on 2008/08/21 19:13
Student and full-time otaku
Doesn't really happen that often here I believe (or maybe i just haven't seen it). Guess our girls are tougher and take less crap
(ID #272995) Posted on 2008/08/21 19:13
Student in Japanese Language, civilization, culture and history
Fortunately, I've never seen this for the moment here (but it exists...). In France, I would intervene for sure, but in an other country I would just call the cops and do nothing unless there's a risk for the life of the person.
(ID #273001) Posted on 2008/08/21 19:22
I think the way of thinking in Japan places too much priority on appearances. It's very difficult for Japanese people to admit there is something wrong, and thus I imagine social problems are quite hard to deal with in Japan. An extreme example of this would be my friend's host mum's statement regarding gays in Japan: "There are no gay people in Japan, they all died of AIDS in the 70s!"
(ID #273002) Posted on 2008/08/21 19:25
Depending how violent he was being definitely intervene, call the cops when he's on the floor :D
(ID #273036) Posted on 2008/08/21 20:24
Otaku/Computer tech/Student
I would definitely intervene in the proper situation. If I felt that I might get seriously injured for trying (broken bones, gunshot wounds), then I would just report it. Unfortunately, here in the US if you intervene in anything like that, your chance of getting shot most likely hovers somewhere around 50%.
(ID #273052) Posted on 2008/08/21 20:40
The answer to this matter: http://www.dailymotion.com/CrazyCCA/video/x61xxn_in-gura-presei-23-ianuarie-2008_fun just go to 2:20 and watch.
(ID #273087) Posted on 2008/08/21 21:12
Handyman atm.
I dont want to sound like i'm blowing my own trumpet, but i'm quite well known in my town for getting involved in/breaking up violence. Carnival night (my team were dressed as Mario and crew) i saw some guy his his fiance, so i... intervened. Only the third time thats happened. While violence against the fairer sex is rare where i live (bovey Tracey in devon, google map it), there's always some street fight going on and i cant not get involved. I like my town, and i liked it when it was nice and peaceful. Stupid violent people.
(ID #273098) Posted on 2008/08/21 21:22
I believe you shouldn't intervene yourself as this could exacerbate the situation. Leave that kind of thing to the people who are trained to deal with it. For example there are plenty of stories in the news at the moment about stabbings in London, a few of these have been where people try to settle things by intervening and that ends up with them being stabbed themselves.
(ID #273101) Posted on 2008/08/21 21:26
Student Engineer
Assuming actions are violent and there is physical violence- intervene. There is no reason to go off on a woman or to beat her in the first place- its just as bad as abusing kids in my book. If its an altercation thats not violent- its none of my business.
(ID #273116) Posted on 2008/08/21 21:45
Medical Research and Design
Personally even if it's against men or women, I don't believe violence should be tolerated at all. Women and Men are equals, to simply narrow it down to 'violence against women' is kind of sexist, but back to the original point: Reasonable intervention with a report to police is definately warranted. Different sides of the pond have different upbringings though, so cultures always respond in unique ways. I'm not surprised at the responses, I don't necessarily accept the ones that say 'just let it happen', but it's not a surprise. Violence only begets violence. :X
(ID #273122) Posted on 2008/08/21 22:01
Actually, in many Asian countries and LDC's, women are still treated and believed to be inferior to men, thus "violence against women" stands true on a global basis. Also, i think a culture's definition of violence is one of the causes of what other cultures may call abuse. For example, in many countries, beating a child even in his/her teenage years is a form of discipline and not abuse. But in the western perspective, a witness should call the cops immediately in order to stick with his/her morals.
(ID #273469) Posted on 2008/08/22 03:02
Cool, lol... But now 21st century, gals and guy make no diff, but still 'violence against women' isn't my kind of thing.
(ID #273139) Posted on 2008/08/21 22:30
i had a situation once where i saw a guy hit the girl on the street, i ran up to hit and started kicking the living hell out of him, then the chick jumped at me and started to shout to leave the guy alone and crap, so it's not always a good idea lol
(ID #273143) Posted on 2008/08/21 22:41
i would apply newton's third law of motion. when pushed, shove. enough said. seriously though, i wouldn't intervene, given my pathetic dexterity. i will not however, let it be. calling the cops is the obvious thing to do. however, in many asian societies we have many suffering from the bystander effect. it may seem absurd but people over here apparently prefer to adopt a stand and watch stance. what's worse, many like the lady mentioned, would rather be ridiculed and embarrassed in public, than risk ruining their relationship with their spouse. while i have nothing against that, there's a limit to what you can endure.
(ID #273161) Posted on 2008/08/21 23:00
Australia's had a similar campain a couple of years ago, under the "Australia says No" motto. A sample can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ee5RMexNGM Admittedly, I've used the motto more for telling a friends girlfriend off for slapping him on the arm him when he says something embarassing to her. Most public domestic abuse I've seen is purely verbal, and both people were drunk/high.
(ID #273162) Posted on 2008/08/21 23:02
Intervene of course. Have done it before, will most certainly do it if I see it again ^^. And that girl in the last poster is gorgeous. I can't imagine someone treating her badly. I mean I would hit it, but not in that bad way =P.
(ID #273174) Posted on 2008/08/21 23:21
http://animenlife.blogspot.com
A time ago there was a campaign in here but it was a short one. Its really bad when you see violence in a couple and if you intervene, may get worse because of you for helping... We are trying to change tough..
(ID #273184) Posted on 2008/08/21 23:35
I would most likely report it to the authorities. Campaigns against domestic violence in general would make more sense IMHO. It's not like women are the only victims of mistreatment.It happens to a lot of kids, old people and men as well.
(ID #273220) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:28
#1 Yoko/Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Fan!
I'd help for sure! I wouldn't take any crap about staying out of their business either! If a girl's getting hurt I'm gonna stop it! I'm just that headstrong type and I can't help it, if I ever see a girl getting hurt I jump in and hit the guy.
(ID #273227) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:32
Hmm it's nice to hear that many guys do value women since they get a lot of fun stuff anyway ;) joking aside, I do think that it's also cultural. A society concerned with societal appearance puts stress so much that sometimes people become apathetic about the issue. How ironic that I was just answering a case study about abused women for my exams at uni just a few hours ago.. I remember a documentary filming (an award-winning documentary show here) chronicling a couple with an abusive partner. The cops weren't responding..due to the same reason as #2 above (Don't want to involve in other couple's issues). I hope more people are aware :P
(ID #273234) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:40
radical anime fan in Singapore; starting to freeze up. Mmm, end-of-year weather. (Registered on 2007/01/25 22:08)
Polytechnic Freshman. Mmm... fresh.
Call the bloke over, and nail him in the nuts XD Unless he has a bodybuilder's build, then I nail him in the eyes. No, I'd just call the police. I'm no martial artist expert and unless it was really violent like slapping, punches thrown, bleeding, or she's in danger of being whacked real bad. Really, all this males who can't control their anger are just dumb. You're a MALE, for god's sake; act like a proper one! And those girlfriends who defend their violent partners, well, I can't say anything, but I do hope that they'd open their eyes sooner.
(ID #273235) Posted on 2008/08/22 00:40
if it's seriously that bad, i'd let the cops know or something since the police in japan seem to actually do something, unlike where i live. if he looks like a yakuza member, i'm staying the hell away lol ;o
(ID #273304) Posted on 2008/08/22 01:13
Stats around here cite that women have a better chance of being raped than being schooled. Hows that for frightening statistics? Adverts for violence are very few and I'm actually surprised if I see 1 in a couple of months.
(ID #273394) Posted on 2008/08/22 01:58
Intervene and call the cops straight away - especially when you know the other party is drunk. Sometimes I wonder in this day and age, why the other party (could be male or female) take all that crap and still not call the cops/leave the aggressor. Over here there are many institutes that help these abused people.
(ID #273417) Posted on 2008/08/22 02:17
My mother has been mentally and physically abused by her boyfriend for about 10 years now. I've called the cops on him twice on him when he started breaking windows and threatened to burn the house down when we wouldn't let him in, and another time when he tried to sufficate my mom to death and hurt my 2 year brother...I even convinced my mother to get a restraining order at one point... But she keeps letting him back into her life. While I blame the... ahhh... violent one naturally the most... Its also the other one's fault if they just want to put up with the abuse and not do anything.
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