ABSTRACT
According to definitions widely accepted in Japan, child abuse is nonaccidental abuse by parents, or guardians substituting for parents, of children. In many cases, child abuse happens behind closed doors and the victims are too young to report the fact to the outside world. Accordingly, it is difficult to get an accurate figure of the number of actual cases of child abuse. Typical surveys of child abuse were conducted by the Directors' Committee of National Child Guidance Centres. Child welfare facilities which function as child abuse relief facilities are medical facilities, public health centres, family and child counsellors' offices, and child guidance centres. Of these, the child guidance centres, under the supervision and control of the Welfare Ministry, play the leading role. Under the Civil Code, one measure is the forfeiture of parental rights for parents involved in child abuse.
