Women in East Asia face sexual violence every day, but only a small percentage of the perpetrators are punished. One of the most common forms of assault is sexual harassment in public. Such a phenomenon is most often found in public transport, to which a special term is attributed in Japan – “Chikan”. The increase in violence has also contributed to the increase in the number of criminals who appear to be making money from their criminal activities.
One of the victims of such an attack, Takako (name changed), shared her experience in a BBC study about the “Chikan” business in Japan. She was first attacked on her way to school. The 15-year-old girl lives in Tokyo and travels by train every day. One day, while going to school, the girl felt a hand touching her back. Takako thought that someone had accidentally run into her, as sometimes happens on crowded public transport. However, after a short while, the teenager realized that the stranger’s hand did not leave her body and she was experiencing sexual harassment. With this realization, the hand quickly disappeared, and she could not do anything more.
Although this was the first attack the girl faced, it was by no means the last. She remembers being sexually assaulted almost every day for more than a year. Many women, like Takako, experience sexual violence on a daily basis. In many cases, the abuser films such an attack for resale on special “Chikan” video sites. The term “Chikan” also includes sexual attackers who try to take photos under women’s skirts without permission. Otherwise, it is also called “upskirting” (translated as “under the skirt”).
Faced with sexual violence almost every day, Takako’s shame and fear made it difficult to speak up and defend herself during the attack. Takako remembers how every night, covering her mouth with a towel, she would practice calling the attacker in front of the mirror: “This person is ‘Chikan’!”
Epidemic of “chikan” abusers in Japan
2023-06-14 21:02:02
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