Suicide rising among minors, ‘victims of social pressure,’ says Fr Villa
The number of suicides among Japanese minors is up despite an overall drop. The PIME missionary runs an outreach centre for hikikomori, people who pull back from society, including minors, victims of bullying and crushed by the pressure to excel.
Tokyo (AsiaNews) – Despite a nationwide decline in the suicide rate, the number of minors taking their own lives is rising in Japan, 527 cases last year, 14 more than in 2023, while in 2022 the toll stood at 513.
In most cases (349), the victims were high school students, but 15 cases were reportedly among elementary school kids. Meanwhile, the number of girls taking their own live is up, with 288.
An official from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare called the situation "serious", stressing the need for further studies to understand the root causes of youth distress.
According to Fr Marco Villa, a PIME missionary serving in the Diocese of Saitama since 2009, a 30-minute train ride from the capital, Tokyo, various factors can explain the rise in suicides.
"Children are increasingly alone at home, and feel the pressure to excel all on their own,” the missionary explained. “Competition in the classroom is intense and bullying continues to be a scourge, even if less openly. In almost all classes, one or two students drop out.”
Official data from 2023 report that 415,252 minors refused to go to school.
Since 2012, Fr Marco Villa has coordinated the Mizu Ippai outreach centre, which offers support to hikikomori, those who pull inward from society to live in solitude.
“In our centre we don't have many minors, but some come by. The case of a girl comes to mind; she stopped going out when she was still in elementary school because other girls bullied her for her physical appearance. Fortunately, her story had a happy ending and now she is fine.”
Across Japan, suicides dropped to 20,268 in 2023 (out of a population of 126 million), one of the lowest figures since records began in 1978.
“It is quite common in some families to have some member with some form of psychological or mental distress. Often only pharmacological treatments are offered. Therapies cost a lot, so people often find themselves carrying this cross in solitude.”
Isolation is rooted in Asian culture, where individuals have less importance than the community,” the missionary noted. “People pull inward, which is also the meaning of the Japanese word hikikomori, so as not to be a burden to others. Social morality still weighs heavily in Japan.
"The places where young people meet disappear in adulthood, when people join the workforce and have to deal with a very rigid society.”
The biggest challenge for the Mizu Ippai Centre, where Fr Villa coordinates a group of volunteers, is to catch situations of hardship.
“If young people have a solid family behind them, sometimes it is the parents who contact us or social services try to refer someone. But when people lock themselves in a room, it is hard to get them out. In the vast majority of cases, those who come to us have been diagnosed with some form of psychological distress.”
Fr Marco and the volunteers are always present. “Those who attend our centre are free to come whenever they want. Presently, we can say that we have about 60 regular visitors. It would be a bit much, however, to say that volunteers and visitors are become friends.”
For the missionary, his work is meant to offer a chance to escape from oppression. “People don't want to talk about their problems, they just want to spend some time outside the home. We offer time and an opportunity to chat. We try to be a place where people can take a first step on their way back to normal life, where they can spend time without feeling ill at ease.”
.png)
16/02/2021 15:28
29/09/2017 13:49
