Concerns over Bullying Prevention Legislation: "Draconianism is no solution."

A meeting held on June 11 in the Upper House Members' Office Building examined the bill concerning promotion of measures for prevention of bullying and other school harassments. The bill drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komei Party was submitted to the Lower House on May 17. It was enacted on June 21, after several rounds of working-level consultations were hastily held in a short period of time. In the meeting, titled "Is the Bullying Prevention Measures Law really the solution?", lawyers pointed out various problems of the bill. HOZUMI Masashi (photo) said that the bill regards bullying simply as conflicts between bullies and their targets, failing to capture complicated nature of bullying. He was also pointed out that the proposed measures including early involvement of police, disciplinary punishments and suspensions might lead to draconianism. OGASAWARA Saiko emphasized the danger of the bill that is designed in the way of "quality control." The bill completely lacks in reflection on fundamental causes that forced children into bullying and other wrongdoings, she said. (By YUMOTO Masanori)

いじめ防止法案、成立に向け急ピッチ！～院内集会「厳罰主義化では解決しない」

６月１１日、緊急院内集会「いじめ防止対策推進法～これで“いじめ”がなくなるの？」が参院議員会館で開催された。「いじめの防止等のための対策の推進に関する法律案」（以下「いじめ対策法案」）は、与党自民・公明がまとめ５月１７日に衆議院に提出された。以降１１日までのわずかな期間で８回の実務者会議を終了し、以降今国会成立に向けた動きが急速化する模様だ。(法案は、６月21日成立した。）集会では、この法案の問題点が次々に指摘された。穂積匡史弁護士（写真）は、「この法案は、いじめる側いじめられる側を２項対立で描いている」「警察の安易な導入、懲戒、出席停止などがもりこまれ、厳罰主義化が心配だ」と指摘。小笠原彩子弁護士は、「なぜ子どもが『いじめ』『非行』にはしるのかの考慮が、この法案にはまったくない。これは品質管理の思想だ」と危険性を強調した。（湯本雅典）

Diagnosed with depression due to power harassment at work—excerpts from Labor hotline in March 1

"Are you suffering any bullying or harassment at work?"

 1. I work in manufacturing. I was diagnosed with depression after being subjected to repeated power harassment from my boss, who threw a telephone at me and became violent physically and verbally. I was also unfairly transferred to a different section within the company.

2. My boss hounded me with questions that can be considered invasion of privacy. I refused to answer anything about my boyfriend, and the boss suddenly changed his attitude and began ignoring me and bullying me. Sooner or later, my colleagues stopped talking to me too.

3. My boss forces me to do things completely unreasonable. He says he is the next president and so I should obey his orders. He would get me out of bed in the middle of the night to accompany him to a bar.

4. I work at a company enlisted in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The number of harassment cases has been increasing at the company with 100 workers. Even union members and management officials join in on this trend.

5. My boss harasses me at work. I started to experience stomach pain and insomnia, and recently I started thinking about suicide.

6. My boss makes fun of me by saying that I’m not educated. Even when I go to work on holidays, he shows no appreciation. (NPO Rodo-sodan Center; Labor Hotline)

 

 パワハラでうつ病になる～「職場のいじめ」労働相談事例3月分紹介

1、 メーカー。職場で上司から卓上の電話機を投げつけられるなどの暴行や罵声による度重なるパラハラや不当な異動が重なり、うつ病になる。 

2、上司が、私 のプ ライバシーを根ほり葉ほり聞いてきた。彼氏の事など答えないでいたら、態度を豹変させ、いじめや無視を始めだした。そのうちに同僚全体も口を聞いてくれなくなった。 

3、上司が「俺は次期社長だから、俺の言う事を聞いておけばいいんだよ」と次つぎと理不尽な要求を強いてくる。夜中でもたたき起こされ飲み に連れて行かれる。

4、東証一部上場企業。本社の100名の職場全体で、いじめ・パワハラ・陰口・・が最近どんどんエスカレートしてきている。労組役員、管理職も率先してやっている。

 5、上司のパワハラ。胃痛、夜も眠れなくなり、最近自殺を考えるようになった。

 6、上司は、「お前は学歴がない」と度々罵声をあ げ馬鹿にしてくる。それでいてこちらが休日出勤しても御苦労さんの一言もない。（NPO法人 労働相談センター）