Pref. of Fukuoka offers counseling to prevent sex crimes, help victims

Clinical psychologist Tsuyoshi Oguro, left, and others are seen in Fukuoka Prefecture on January 21, 2021. A team of six mental health workers and psychiatrists, including Oguro, are working to treat people seeking help via the prefecture’s consultation service. (Mainichi / Akira Iida)

FUKUOKA – A counseling service for perpetrators of sexual violence and those suffering from problematic sexual behavior has been launched in Fukuoka Prefecture, western Japan, where the incidence of sex crimes is high.

The Osaka Prefecture government has also opened a consultation service for people who have been criminally punished for sex crimes, but the Fukuoka Prefecture government is the first local government in Japan to offer consultations, which whether or not a person has committed a sexual crime.

“Can you tell me how you felt at that moment?” asked Tsuyoshi Oguro, a 50-year-old clinical psychologist, as he faced a man at an undisclosed location in Fukuoka Prefecture. Ogura chooses his words carefully to uncover the mental state that causes the man, who cannot help but take stealthy images, to experience sexual urges and stress.

The man said hesitantly, “I was fed up with being bored every day,” showing insight into how he tends to seek out extraordinary experiences in order to escape reality. Oguro lets the man continue, as he believes the first step in treatment is for those seeking help to share their thoughts on sexual matters with others without hesitation.



Clinical psychologist Tsuyoshi Oguro, who continues to provide counseling to improve the behavior of those imprisoned for sex crimes at Saga Juvenile Prison, is seen in Saga City on April 19, 2021. (Mainichi / Akira Iida)

Oguro is one of the advisers of the “Counseling Service for Perpetrators of Sexual Violence” established by the government of Fukuoka Prefecture. The prefecture, which had the second highest number of recognized sex crimes per 100,000 population in Japan for nine consecutive years until 2018, issued the “Sexual Violence Eradication Ordinance” in 2019. The launch of the service consultation was based on the ordinance, with the idea of ​​supporting the rehabilitation of perpetrators so as not to create new victims at the heart of the measure.

According to the prefecture, at the end of October 2021 – a year and a half after the service was launched – the authorities had provided consultations for 150 cases involving people ranging from 10 to 19 to 60 years old. Consultations are completely private, the location of the sessions is not open to the public and is only communicated to people seeking help when making an appointment.

A psychiatric social worker or clinical psychologist will first provide consultations to those seeking help, and if necessary, Oguro and others will then provide counseling. Of those involved in the 150 cases, 75 are currently receiving counseling, which lasts from six months to a year. Most of them are between 30 and 40 years old, and the majority of problematic acts involve voyeurism on camera.

Sex crimes, often referred to as ‘soul murder’, in particular prompted calls for heavy sentences for perpetrators, and Fukuoka Prefecture was apparently ready to receive public criticism as local government launched support for perpetrators. . However, he would not have received any complaints regarding the launch of the service. One official said he “discovered that a number of people needed help discussing sexual matters that they could not bring up with anyone else.”

Oguro has treated over 30 people through the service over the past year and a half. “The challenge is how to compensate for the lack of empathy, which makes them unable to be considerate of others or to control themselves when they know they are doing something wrong,” he said.

The program recommended by Oguro is performed at least six times over 2 months. Towards the end, Oguro says the subject gradually shifts from sexual issues to living peacefully in the real world, and “there is generally a remarkable improvement.”

But since he can only provide advice as part of the prefecture’s efforts during the weekday, there are many cases where people seeking guidance start visiting less often or stop coming due to their working hours and other reasons. The limits of local government efforts, which rely on self-initiated efforts, have also become apparent.

Oguro, who advises the perpetrators both in a penitentiary establishment and through the department of the prefecture, explained: “The collaboration between the two bodies is essential. Since it is difficult for perpetrators of sex crimes to establish a close relationship with others, it is necessary to approach them. ”

The consultation service can be reached at 092-289-9398 (in Japanese).

(Japanese original by Akira Iida and Ken Nakazato, Kyushu News Department)


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