In Japan, coronavirus crisis traps families at home with domestic abuse

A new hotline for victims of domestic violence in Japan that opened on Monday is “absolutely needed”, according to experts, as the economic and social impacts of the coronavirus crisis begin to deepen.Unveiled by Seiko Hashimoto, the minister for women’s empowerment, the free hotline is presently available from 9am to 9pm, but from April 29 it is planned to be a 24-hour service, with support available in a number of foreign languages – including Thai, Tagalog, Korean and Vietnamese – from May 1…