ASIJ Essay Contest- Melanie Xu "Ijime"2014/05/01 17:44

Ijime
By Melanie Xu
      
      A 13-year old junior high school student from Shiga prefecture drew attention from all over the nation when his October 2011 suicide was revealed to stem from an underlying, yet highly prevalent, issue of human rights in Japan: bullying. The student, reportedly, had endured repeated abuse at the hands of his peers, being beaten, forced to eat dead bees and sparrow carcasses, and perhaps most tragic of all, bullied into practicing his own suicide every day. Only after a questionnaire was sent out to students was it revealed that his death had been caused by bullying.

      Bullying in Japan runs rampant, to the extent that the Japanese word for it – ijime – has taken on a meaning a level higher than elsewhere. Ijime involves psychological cruelty along with violence, and generally, is collective – meaning that the unfortunate victim suffers at the hands of many, rather than the few. But indeed, cases of bullying aren't few. One student came to school to find a memorial created on his desk, with mocking messages of condolences and candles lit; others are forced to steal money for the bullies' use. Yet, with all the attention focused on human rights infringement in other areas, the relative lack of concern regarding Ijime is stunning. Given that such children are foundation of the future, surely, the need to educate them on the dangers of bullying – which, in a side note, is also widespread in offices – ought to be prominent on the public's mind. With Japan's already-high suicide rate, the last thing we need is bullying taking even more lives. The course of action is simple: bullying can be eradicated, or at the least, greatly reduced, by eliminating the causes of their prevalence, or in other words, making efforts to change the attitudes of the people towards bullying, raising awareness of its horrors, and better preparing teachers and school administrations to deal with such cases.

      The attitude of tolerance towards school- (and for that matter, work)- scene bullying is one that has remained ingrained within Japanese society and culture. It's a highly traditional society, after all – the same teachers, principals, and parents that look the other way when it comes to bullying today were likely victims, bystanders, or even perpetrators themselves. Such practices are "a part of growing up", and the children "will look back in twenty years and laugh about it". But when the effects of such coming-of-age processes result in a premature death (a tragic bit of irony), it may be time to reevaluate. Of course, it is difficult to change the intrinsic thought processes and acceptances of an entire body of people, and impossible to do overnight. The key to such change lies in awareness. The nature of Japanese press in regards to bullying operates in a cyclical manner: when a student dies – whether from the act of ijime in itself, or suicide – the public becomes enraged, the articles start pouring out, the condolence messages spread across the internet; after a mere few months, the matter has been effaced from the public's mind, and the bullying continues. It's a vicious cycle, and one difficult to break out of. Thus, it is up to activists and government to maintain awareness. A periodic spike as a result of a particularly tragic suicide (as in the case of the aforementioned October, 2011 suicide of a student in Shiga Prefecture) is certainly not enough to keep the public's eye on the issue. Pamphlets, seminars, or articles – similar to the way in which governments around the world are attempting to decrease the prevalence of tobacco use – or even subtler means – integration of anti-bullying messages into TV shows or popular works of fiction, perhaps – would do wonders in decreasing the prevalence of ijime in Japan.

      Like so many other movements, the efforts to eradicate bullying from Japan would benefit greatly from grass-root level assistance, and in this case, grass-root refers to the members of individual school administrations. Teachers are important in the scene for three reasons, the first being that their job – to educate children and provide a stable environment for their maturing process – implies a duty to put a stop to bullying in the classroom, the second being that their influence on children is far greater than the government could hope to have, and the final being that they prove more accessible than officials or lobbyists. They have the ability, should they choose to exercise it, to put an end to the bullying. The only problem is, teachers are frequently overworked and ill-trained to deal with the issues of bullying. It was proven in a survey conducted by Mainichi Shimbun: 70 percent of teachers hoped to do more against bullying, but couldn't free up the time. Shrinking staff sizes that required teachers to take on a heavier workload, an increase in paperwork and surveys, preparing for each class, and general job-related stress combined together to create a legion of teachers unprepared to deal with ijime. Like many other adults in Japanese society, they, likely, were also the victims or perpetrators of bullying, and feel disassociated or jaded by their past. Regardless of their reasons, the fight against bullying would need to start at the most basic levels. Periodic informational sessions, or more stringent school rules against ijime (and the enforcement of such rules), would be vital in creating awareness and decreasing the prevalence of bullying. Parents, too, can play a part. By educating their children in proper classroom behavior, and instilling in them the need for kindness over cruelty, the parents can stop a burgeoning bully quickly and effectively.

      Regardless of the suicide stories one finds in the newspapers, one small light at the end of the tunnel remains clear: the government has been making attempts at alleviating the plight of bullying. Halfhearted though it may be, and more than likely insufficient, it's a start.  2012 saw 511 students arrested or taken into custody for bullying, a figure rendered somewhat insignificant considering that the total number of recorded cases reached nearly 4,000 that year, but still more than twice the figure from the previous year. In addition to this, the Japanese government, in the September of 2013, has put into action an anti-bullying law, which "outlines the responsibilities of school and administrative authorities in protecting students". The combination of increased vigilance and government interference does show, however, that there is hope – perhaps not sufficient in eliminating the issue, but a step forward, nonetheless. Ijime is not at the top of most people's agendas, but it certainly deserves a notch higher than it currently occupies. Given its wide-reaching effects and its psychologically damaging potential, deeming it any less important than political or economic issues would be completely misguided. A "human right" is defined as a right fundamental to every human being, and the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights states in Article 5, "No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". By eliminating the causes and taking steps to educate the school-aged populace, it is not difficult to imagine that someday, we may live in a world where bullying is but a distant image and suicide reports are essentially nonexistent.

CITATIONS
Dogakinai, Akiko. "Cause/Effect Research." Cause/Effect Research. Lewis and Clark College, n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://legacy.lclark.edu/~krauss/advwrf99/causeeffect/akikocause.html>.

Hofilena, John. "Japan's Anti-bullying Law Goes into Effect, Guidelines to Follow." The Japan Daily Press. N.p., 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://japandailypress.com/japans-anti-bullying-law-goes-into-effect-guidelines-to-follow-3036793/>.

Salvaggio, Eryk. "On Being Bullied in Japan." This Japanese Life. N.p., 12 June 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://thisjapaneselife.org/2013/06/12/japan-ijime-bullies/>.

Torres, Ida. "Reported Bullying Cases in Japanese Schools Nearly Triples in Fiscal 2012." The Japan Daily Press. N.p., 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. <http://japandailypress.com/reported-bullying-cases-in-japanese-schools-nearly-triples-in-fiscal-2012-1140787/>.

コメント

トラックバック