The Act on Prevention of Child Abuse (Act No. 82 of 2000) covers abusive acts on children under 18. Although the act has no original penal provisions, it clarifies the definition of child abuse and specifies matters concerning the prevention and detection of child abuse and measures to be taken after any child abuse is detected. Table 5-1-6-2 shows the number of cases and persons cleared for abusive acts specified by this act as penal code offenses, etc. (hereinafter such cases shall be referred to as “cases concerning child abuse” in this section), over the last eight years.

Table 5-1-6-2  Number of cases and persons cleared for offenses concerning child abuse (1999-2006)

  Table 5-1-6-3 shows the relationship between the perpetrators and victims in cases concerning child abuse in 2006.
  Reviewing the overall ratio of the entire suspects, offenses caused by the Father are high at 66.3%, however, for homicide and child neglect, offenses caused by the Mother is high at 69.4% and 70.4%, respectively.

Table 5-1-6-3  Relationship between perpetrators and victims for cases concerning child abuse (2006)