夏休みの安全 子どもを犯罪から守りたい

The Yomiuri Shimbun July 25, 2013
Children deserve to have a safe and crime-free summer vacation
夏休みの安全　子どもを犯罪から守りたい（7月24日付・読売社説）

School is out for summer, and children are free to play outdoors. Yet even at this happy time, measures must be taken to ensure no children fall victim to crimes during their summer vacation.
　学校が夏休みに入り、子どもたちが外出する機会が多くなる。犯罪に巻き込まれることのないよう、改めて安全対策を徹底したい。

In late June, a man with a knife injured three first-grade primary school students in front of the gate to a ward primary school in Nerima Ward, Tokyo. The incident took place while the boys were on their way home from school. In mid-July, a fifth-grade primary school student suffered serious injuries when she was beaten by a man on the street in Ryugasaki, Ibaraki Prefecture.
　東京都練馬区の区立小学校の校門前で６月末、下校する小学１年生の男児３人が男にナイフで切り付けられ、けがを負った。今月中旬には、茨城県龍ヶ崎市の路上で、小学５年生の女児が男に殴られ、重体となった。

National Police Agency statistics remind us of the disturbing reality that not even children under 13 are safe from criminals. Crimes against them include a significant number of serious offenses, such as sexual assaults and attacks resulting in grave injuries.
　警察庁の統計では、１３歳未満の子どもが被害者となる事例では、強制わいせつや暴行、傷害など、悪質な犯罪が目立っている。

Parents should immediately call the police if their children have been spoken to or followed by suspicious persons.
　子どもが不審者に声をかけられたり、つきまとわれたりしたら、保護者はすぐに警察へ通報してもらいたい。

Adults must stay on guard

It is essential for the police to thoroughly investigate such cases, while also providing information about suspicious individuals to local organizations likely to be affected by such incidents, including school authorities and neighborhood associations.
警察は捜査に手を尽くすとともに、不審者情報を学校や地域の町内会などに周知し、警戒を呼びかけることが大切だ。

School administrators have taken measures to better protect the safety of their students in recent years. The move was prompted by a stabbing incident that took place in Ikeda, Osaka Prefecture, in 2001 at a primary school affiliated with Osaka Kyoiku University. Eight students at Ikeda Primary School were killed by a knife-wielding man, and many others were injured.
　学校の安全対策は、２００１年に大阪教育大付属池田小学校で起きた児童殺傷事件を契機に、強化が図られてきた。

Ikeda Primary School has set up a class called “anzen-ka” (safety course) in which students are encouraged to discuss what they should do if they face such situations as total strangers talking to them on the street. An increasing number of schools are adopting similar safety education programs.
　池田小では「安全科」の授業を設け、道で見知らぬ人から声をかけられた場面などを想定し、自分がとるべき行動を児童に議論させている。こうした安全教育を取り入れる学校は増えつつある。

A large number of primary and middle schools have installed security cameras and other protective devices around their buildings and grounds, hoping to detect any suspicious person attempting to intrude.
　不審者の侵入を察知するため、多くの小中学校で防犯カメラなどが設置された。

In other cases, parents accompany their children to and from school, while crime-prevention volunteers from neighborhood associations patrol school-commuting roads. Local communities are making progress in implementing various steps to prevent children from becoming crime victims.
　登下校時に、保護者が子どもに付き添う。町内会の防犯ボランティアが通学路を巡回する。地域の様々な取り組みが進んでいる。

However, defense of children tends to become lax during the summer vacation. Particular attention should be given to the safety of children during certain hours of the day--for instance, when they are playing outdoors, and while they are on their way to and from cram schools and or swimming courses. At such times, it is difficult for grown-ups to keep an eye on children. Given this, it is advisable to make sure children carry crime prevention buzzers with them when they go out, so they can sound an alarm if necessary.
　ただ、夏休み中はどうしても、子どもたちを守る活動は手薄になりがちだ。外遊びのほか、塾や水泳教室の行き帰りといった、大人の目が届きにくい時間帯は特に注意が必要となる。外出の際には必ず防犯ブザーを持たせたい。

Teach kids to be alert

Most importantly, children should be taught how to escape from crimes targeting them. They need to develop such awareness on a routine basis, when it comes to averting potential danger.
　危険を回避する上で何より重要なのは、日頃から子どもたちの防犯意識を高めておくことだ。

For instance, it is a good idea for both parents and children to confirm whether any hazards exist in their neighborhood, such as a vacant house into which children could be taken or an unlit street. Parents would be well advised to tell their children to stay away from such high-risk places.
　例えば、自宅周辺に、子どもが連れ込まれかねない空き家や、街灯のない通りなどがないか、親子で確認し、近づかないようにさせてはどうだろう。

In many areas around the nation, shops, private homes and other buildings have been designated as emergency shelters for children. Those in charge of such shelters agree to provide temporary protection for children who encountered danger, and report it to the police. If they have been taught where such facilities are located, children will be able to run to the shelter when they recognize danger.
　各地域には、「子ども１１０番の家」がある。危険な目に遭った子を一時的に保護し、警察に通報する役目を担っている。子どもに所在地を教えておけば、いざという時の駆け込み場所になる。

Other facilities that can play a role in crime prevention include convenience stores that stay open round the clock or till late at night.
　夜間でも営業しているコンビニエンスストアは、防犯拠点として活用できる。

It is essential for families and local communities to join hands in making sure children can spend the summer vacation in safety.
　子どもたちが夏休みを安全に過ごすには、家庭や地域が連携して支えていくことが欠かせない。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 24, 2013)
（2013年7月24日01時22分 読売新聞）