On the 14th, the international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) released an investigation report stating that female prisoners who gave birth while incarcerated in Japan are subject to serious human rights violations. At a press conference in Tokyo, Teppei Kasai from HRW’s Asia Department said, “If you give birth while incarcerated, you have the right to raise your child, but many female prisoners don’t know that. They should properly explain their rights.”
◆I was able to raise only three children, and that was for a very short period of time.
Holding a press conference on human rights in women’s prisons (from right) Teppei Kasai of Human Rights Watch, lawyer Ayuko Takato, and Goro Furuto, executive director of the Japan Drug Policy Advocacy Network.
From 2017 to 2023, HRW interviewed approximately 60 women who had completed their sentences and experts. It was revealed that out of a total of 184 female inmates who gave birth between 2011 and 2017, only three were able to take part in raising the children. What’s more, the periods in which the three children were fostered were limited to 12 days, 10 days, and 8 days, respectively.
The law governing the treatment of inmates states that with the permission of the prison warden, an inmate has the right to raise a child in prison for up to one year and six months after giving birth.
◆Delivery immediately after birth without explanation of rights
HRW’s Mr. Kasai pointed out, “Even though there is a law, in reality it is not being used. Babies are given to relatives or children’s homes as soon as they are born.”
In this survey, former inmates said they had never had a judge or lawyer explain these rights to them, saying, “I’ve seen baby products in prison stores, but I’ve never heard of them raising babies.” ” he is said to have said. At the press conference, attorney Ayuko Takato said, “In the first place, there is no obligation to notify inmates. Not giving notice does not make it illegal, but we need to consider whether to revise the law.”
◆“We also need to change the way we contain people.”
The report points out that in 2021, theft was the most common reason for female inmates entering the facility in about 50% of cases, and violation of the Stimulants Control Act was the most common reason for about 30% of the cases. Kasai appealed, “We need to change the way we incarcerate people serving sentences for simple drug possession or use, such as by decriminalizing them.” (Imochi Mochizuki)
2023-11-14 21:00:00
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