Violence Against Women Following the Great East Japan Disasters of March 2011

Background and Purpose:  Despite the growing recognition of the need for gender-informed disaster preparedness and response policies globally, such efforts remain limited in Japan.  Incidents of violence against women following major disasters have been documented worldwide, yet remain virtually unrecognized and untold in Japan.  This study was conducted to document the incidents of violence against women after the Great East Japan Disasters of March 2011 and to explore and develop recommendations to strengthen disaster response policies and practice concerning violence against women.

Methods:  Given the difficulty in and ethical concerns for collecting data directly from victims/survivors who recently have experienced major disasters, we chose a key-informant survey methodology.  Using a structured written questionnaire, informants who had first-hand information about specific incidents of violence against women that occurred after the Great East Japan Disasters reported incident-specific data, such as the type of violence, location, sociodemographic characteristics of the perpetrators and victims, and context.  Questionnaires were distributed through collaborative efforts of women’s organizations and organizations and professionals engaged in disaster response between October 2011 and December 2012.

Results:  Eighty-two unduplicated cases were reported.  The majority of the reported cases involved perpetrators that the victims knew, as opposed to strangers.  In the vast majority of intimate partner violence cases, violence had begun prior to the March 11, 2011 Disasters.   Besides incidents of intimate partner violence, reported cases often involved violence targeted at women who were single, divorced, separated, or widowed and those who have lost a place to live, one’s job, or other sources of livelihood.  Exploitation of a sense of fear, helplessness, and powerlessness was often the tactic employed by perpetrators, including those individuals who are in the position to assist disaster-affected individuals.  Also reported were quid pro quo types of assault where threats were used to force compliance with sexual demands in exchange for shelter, food and other life-sustaining resources.  Living in communal space such as evacuation shelters resulted in loss of privacy and exposure of personal details such as household composition, whether a woman was married or not, sexual orientation.  Another way in which the privacy of women’s lives was violated was when someone gained entry to their residence for “legitimate” business reasons, such as an insurance agent assessing the disaster-related damage of a house or a utility technician checking or repairing appliances or equipment.  Perpetrators obtained personal details of women and used such knowledge to exploit and victimize them. 

Conclusions and Implications:  Study findings pointed to various ways in which the disasters intensified the risk and vulnerability of women to violence and harassment.  Enhanced training for governmental officials, disaster personnel, and community leaders involved in disaster response is necessary to increase their awareness about and skills in addressing post-disaster violence against women.  In addition to making assistance programs available for the victims, it is necessary to develop programs to prevent post-disaster violence against women and implement measures to hold the perpetrators accountable.