The Human Rights Watch has released a 67-page report on the verbal, physical and sexual abuse that athletes-in-training in Japan are subjected to.
As the country prepares for Olympics next year, its treatment of elite child athletes comes under the scanner.
The Human Rights Watch has released a 67-page report on the verbal, physical and sexual abuse that athletes-in-training in Japan are subjected to. The practice has been normalised due to the country’s history of strict and brutal punishments in sports – known as taibatsu. No real reform has been made in the area, despite reported cases of injuries, depression and suicides. The abuse includes being kicked, beaten, punched, choked, whipped and even sexually abused in some cases.
The report called ‘I Was Hit So Many Times I Can’t Count’: Abuse of Child Athletes in Japan documented the experiences of over 800 former child athletes; 757 people them were reached through an online survey while the team met 50 of them in-person. The interviewees came from 45 to 47 Japanese prefectures and included Olympians and Paralympians across 50 sports.
It paints a shocking picture of institutionalised abuse that fall below international human right standards, go against the International Olympic Committee guidelines for the safety of athletes and Japan’s own laws against child abuse. Ahead of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics beginning July 23, 2021, Human Rights Watch has called on Japan to take this opportunity to announce far-reaching reform to change this harmful sporting tradition.
These cases were also highlighted in 2013 when Japan was bidding to host the Olympics. At that time a series of videos of abuses and news on suicides of child athletes led to a public outcry and a demand for better protection of these young elite athletes. Reforms like the setting up of hotlines to report abuse were undertaken but it had not been made mandatory and has been unevenly monitored. Powerful coaches remain beyond reproach; the athletes rarely come forward to complain against them and schools and federations allow them to continue with the abuses.
The Human Rights Watch has recommended instituting a Japan Center for Safe Sport, an independent body that can dedicatedly address this problem, encourage reporting and tracking abuses and facilitate meaningful conversations between athletes, parents and coaches.
During a landmark visit to Albania, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a major expansion of Britain’s efforts to…
In a groundbreaking ruling, the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a private party may no longer sue under…
According to a recent survey by Reuters the Bank of Japan will likely remain on hold and refrain from raising…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced a specific new immigration policy to limit the increase in migration, clearly in reaction…
The June 2025 Visa Bulletin from the U.S. Department of State provides little optimism for Indian nationals in the green…
Harvard University has broadened its lawsuit against the Trump administration after the federal government canceled an additional $450 million in…
This website uses cookies.
Read More
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="32px" width="32px" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
View Comments
I'll immediately clutch your rss feed as I
can not to find your e-mail subscription hyperlink or e-newsletter service.
Do you have any? Please allow me understand in order that I may
subscribe. Thanks. Its such as you learn my thoughts! You appear
to know a lot approximately this, such as you wrote the
ebook in it or something. I believe that you just can do with a few
p.c. to drive the message house a bit, but other than that, that is
excellent blog. A great read. I'll definitely be back.
I have been surfing online more than 2 hours today, yet I
never found any interesting article like yours. It's pretty worth enough
for me. In my view, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will
be much more useful than ever before. http://plumbing.com/
Feel free to surf to my webpage :: Frank
I have read so many ccontent concerning the blogger lovers except this article is in fact a pleasant post, keep it up.
Here is mmy web site csgosmurfninja
I don't even know how I ended up here, but I thought
this post was great. I don't know who you are but definitely you're going to a famous blogger if
you aren't already ;) Cheers!
Hmm іt appears ⅼike ｙour blog ate my first comment (іt waѕ
extremely ⅼong) ѕo Ι guess I'll juѕt sum it ᥙp wjat I submitted and say,
I'm thoroughⅼy enjoying yoᥙr blog. I ɑs wеll am аn aspirjng boog blogger ƅut І'm stilⅼ new to the whole thing.
Do you have any tips and hints fοr inexperienced blog writers?
I'Ԁ гeally apρreciate it.
Thɑnks for another informative webb site.
Τһe ρlace else coould І am getting that type off informatіon written in sᥙch aan ideal means?
I'vе a venture tһɑt I ɑm simply noѡ operating on, аnd I've Ьeen at the look out for ѕuch infоrmation.
I don't even know how I ended up here, but I
thought this post was great. I don't know who you are but certainly you are going
to a famous blogger if you are not already ;)
Cheers!
This is very attention-grabbing, You're an excessively professional blogger.
I have joined your feed and sit up for seeking more of your excellent post.
Also, I've shared your site in my social networks
Thanks for your marvelous posting! I quite enjoyed reading
it, you might be a great author. I will ensure that I bookmark your blog and will come back in the future.
I want to encourage yourself to continue your great writing, have a nice holiday weekend!
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article!
It's the little changes which will make
the greatest changes. Thanks for sharing!
I am really inspired along with your writing skills and also with the format on your weblog. Is that this a paid topic or did you customize it your self? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it's rare to peer a nice blog like this one today.