NGO says Japan must act to stop abuse of child athletes

International nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch released a report Monday that found violence and other forms of abuse were widely experienced by Japanese children participating in sports.In a survey of 381 respondents aged 24 and younger, 19 percent said they had been "hit, punched, slapped, kicked, knocked to the ground, or beaten with an object" while taking part in sports.The report, titled, '"I Was Hit So Many Times I Can't Count" Abuse of Child Athletes in Japan,' also found 18 percent of respondents had been verbally abused.The NGO contacted over 800 current and former c…READ FULL ARTICLE