On the 10th, the Liberal Democratic Party’s prefectural assembly group, which had proposed to the prefectural assembly a bill to revise the Saitama Prefecture Abuse Prohibition Ordinance, which prohibits children under the third grade of elementary school from leaving the house or leaving children alone at home, decided to withdraw the bill. There was a great deal of opposition to the proposed amendment from residents of the prefecture. Team leader Takumi Tamura held a press conference that day and apologized for causing confusion. However, he emphasized that there was “no flaw” in the content of the proposal, and reiterated that he had withdrawn it because “my explanation was insufficient.” (Daiki Iizuka)
Takumi Tamura, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party prefectural assembly group, explains the withdrawal of the Saitama Prefecture Abuse Prohibition Ordinance amendment bill.
Leader Tamura distributed a statement at the press conference, saying, “Our words were insufficient, but the voices of anxiety and concern spread not only from the citizens of the prefecture, but throughout the country, and we received a variety of opinions from many prefectural residents, organizations, and others.” , explained that it was withdrawing the proposal because “it is important that the purpose of the proposal is fully understood and that it creates a momentum for society as a whole to protect the safety of children.”
The proposed amendment prohibits leaving children under the third grade of elementary school alone at home, as it constitutes abuse. It explained that unless the child’s life or body is in danger and the child’s caregiver can immediately rush to the scene, neglect would be considered neglect.
Regarding the content, Leader Tamura justified it by saying, “There were no flaws,” and said that if each family had taken safety into account, such as having security buzzers on their way to and from school, they wouldn’t have been left alone.“Most of the voices of concern were abuse. “This is not the case,” he said, expressing a different opinion than before. The court ruled that if the “duty of safety considerations” stipulated in the ordinance were fulfilled, it would not constitute abuse. He explained that the reason he had not explained it until now was that “the duty of care for safety was a basic premise and was too obvious.”
Ordinance bill decided to be withdrawn by Liberal Democratic Party prefectural assembly group
The proposed amendments provoked strong opposition from residents of the prefecture, with parents raising children saying things like, “The ban is too broad and it’s hard to make a living,” “It’s far removed from the reality of people’s lives,” and “Did they listen to the opinions of prefectural residents?” ”, and multiple signature campaigns have begun.
The prefectural governor received 1,007 opinions regarding the proposed amendment, of which 1,005 were opposed.
◆[Explanation]Is the cause “not enough words”? Discrepancy from parents’ feelings
The content of the amendment proposed by the Liberal Democratic Party’s prefectural assembly group was revealed on the 4th, and was forced to be withdrawn as a result of an attempt to hastily move forward without taking into consideration the concerns of other factions and prefectural residents. Prefectural residents said no, saying that the plan was “far removed from the reality of the lives of people raising children.”
Regarding the reason for the withdrawal, group leader Takumi Tamura said there was a “lack of explanation,” but he made a statement as if there was no problem, saying there was “no flaw” in the content or procedures. I think it was precisely because there was a problem with the content, rather than a lack of explanation, that there was such a backlash. It can be said that there is a serious disconnect between the feelings of parents and guardians.
The proposed amendments were compiled after the prefectural assembly set up a project team in June and held discussions. Only three of the 58 members of the prefectural assembly are women. Leader Tamura expressed the view that the gender ratio has no effect, but given the current situation in which women are often responsible for raising children, it is undeniable that they lack a sense of ownership.
There was also a lack of willingness to listen to diverse outside opinions. The prefectural assembly group held public comments on the group’s website for one month and sent letters to various organizations requesting their opinions.They say there was “few opposition,” but how many prefectural residents noticed?
What the prefectural assembly should be discussing is how to support parents to prevent abuse from occurring. Before imposing duties on parents, they should fulfill their role as prefectural assembly members.
Proposal to revise the Saitama Prefecture Abuse Prohibition OrdinanceA proposal to add a ban on neglecting children to the ordinance that will go into effect in 2018. The Liberal Democratic Party’s prefectural assembly group proposed the bill on the 4th of this month, with the aim of having it come into force next April. Parents will be prohibited from leaving their children in the third grade or younger at home as it is considered abuse, and children in grades four to six will also be required to make efforts. Prefectural residents who find abandoned children are required to report the situation, and the prefecture is asked to take measures to prevent children from waiting on waiting lists.
There are no penalties, and the article does not specify specific examples of what constitutes abuse, but during a question and answer session at the plenary session, the Liberal Democratic Party said that “children playing alone in the park” and “leaving children in the care of high school siblings” are also neglectful. He explained.
2023-10-10 12:56:00
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