Harley Davidson bikers dressed in Santa Claus costumes rode through the streets of central Tokyo for their annual parade against child abuse, saying more children were vulnerable in 2020 due to the coronavirus

The parade, followed by a toy run to donate toys to kids, is a global tradition around Christmas time. In Tokyo, the event is held by members of the “Harley Santa Club”, founded in 2008. At the parade, bikers said this year’s event meant more, because more children were vulnerable to domestic violence during the COVID-19 year.

The number of child abuse cases in Japan per month rose up to 20% between January and March versus the same period last year, as more families spent time at home because of the pandemic. The number of reported child abuse cases was a record high last year, according to the health ministry.