Asia

Domestic Violence Calls in Japan Top Record 190,000 Amid Third State of Emergency

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A record number of 190,030 calls has been received from domestic abuse victims in Japan in the fiscal year ending in March, amid a third state of emergency in the country, Kyodo News Agency reported, citing data released by the national government.
Sputnik

In comparison to the recent findings, over 70,000 calls were made in the year of 2020.

The increase in the trend may also be linked to the introduction of a 24-hour service that allows domestic violence victims to call over a phone or online to seek help.

Other reports released by the Cabinet Office showed that nationwide 137,333 people had reached out to counselling and support centres in relation to domestic abuse.

The highest monthly number of calls — 17,320 — was observed in March, followed by June and May.

Coronavirus lockdowns and restrictive measures have been widely associated with increased incidence of domestic abuse worldwide. Japan is currently facing a third COVID-19 state of emergency with the highest number of cases observed in Tokyo (155,648 cases), Osaka (97,058 cases) and eight other prefectures.

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