HELP Asian Women’s Shelter

Network News
Scripture“Tadaima!” (I’m home!)
A day-shift member of the support staff opens the front
door. “Okaerinasai!” (Welcome home!)
A non-Japanese mother and her child step in saying“Tadaima!” Both mother and child spoke no Japanese when
they first came to HELP Asian Women’ s Shelter. As anemergency shelter that works with the welfare office inreceiving women who have suffered domestic violencefrom their husband or other family member, utmost
attention is paid at all times to pursuits by perpetrators.
Even when the doorbell rings, the door is never opened
right away. Images from multiple security cameras installedin the premises are checked closely. Tension fills the air.
“Okaerinasai!” The staff member stands in the open
doorway with a smile like a fresh breeze on her face.
“Tadaima! Onaka ga suita! (I’ m hungry!)” Children are quick
to learn essential Japanese phrases in a short period oftime.
They throw away their masks, disinfect their hands andfingers, and so on and so forth. There are many things to
do before entering the facility. “Please refrain fromnonessential and non-urgent outings, and cooperate inpreventing the spreading of COVID-19.” The staff explains
this repeatedl y to all residents in their respective
languages. Notices posted in the facility are written not
only in Japanese and English, but also in Asian, African andEuropean languages that are the native languages of theresidents. Even so, it is extremely difficult to make theunderstanding sink in that COVID-19 is infectious, and thatit poses the risk of being transmitted from people topeople.
Furthermore, the criteria for determining “nonessential
and non-urgent” vary among people. Something that a
bystander might consider trivial enough to be placed on
the back burner may be extremely important and urgent to
the person concerned. Be it differences in culture, religion,
environment or personality, it is alright for everyone to be

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep
over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not beburned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am theLord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:2-3

different. However, under a state of emergency, suchdifferences sometimes become rather difficult to accept.
At HELP, COVID-19 prevention measures have madedaily living more difficult than ever before. An example is
the way children now spend their time. Previously, staff
members used to take the children to the park or tochildren’ s re creati on centers whi le taki ng care ful
precautions against the risk of being pursued, so thechildren could run around as much as they wish in a
spacious park, or have the opportunity to play with otherchildren the same age as them. However, this has become
difficult. Children must now spend their time within the
shelter, but how? Women at the shelter are facing thesame problem. Community-based Japanese language
classes have temporarily closed. They can no longer takethe train and go shopping accompanied by a staff member
the way they used to as a means to improve their social
skills. Creating goods and selling them are not allowed in
temporary emergency shelter facilities. As such, it is taking
more time than usual for many residents to prepare for
their next step and move forward. There are usuallyresidents who enjoy watching videos or reading books, but
the way they spend their time necessarily changes as theirlength of stay extends over several weeks or several
months.
Making maximum use of subsidies and grants, we areoffering various programs that include music therapy, art
therapy, flower arrangement lessons, yoga classes, andJapanese language lessons via Zoom and other online
means. These programs embody the staff members’ wishes
that “everybody spends as many days as possible with asmile on their faces.”“Okaerinasai!” “Tadaima!” We are praying for the day we
can hear such greetings being exchanged naturally among
all residents and staff at HELP.
Hiroko Matsui (HELP Asian Women’s Shelter Director)

Overview of HELP Beneficiaries in 2020
Women Aiming to Build a New Life for Themselves by Gradually
Accepting Their Sense of Loss and Need to Heal
In 2020, HELP provided shelter to 68 people, including 14 women of non-Japanese nationalities, 47
women of Japanese nationality and 7 accompanying children. These residents stayed at HELP for a
cumulative total of 2,497 nights (118.9% compared to last year). While the total number of residents
decreased by 15 compared to 2019, their total length of stay increased, with many residents tending tostay for longer periods of time than previous residents. Music therapy (four times a month) and flower
arrangement classes were offered as in usual years, but a variety of other therapy programs were
offered in the latter half of the year, including art and yoga therapy programs organized with funding
from the Cabinet Office (see p. 6).
To ensure the safety of residents who are victims of domestic violence, HELP staff accompanied
residents to medical facilities at a rate of 16.1% among all residents (compared to 35.9% last year) and53.57% among non-Japanese residents (compared to 92.9% last year). In either case, accompanied
visits to medical facilities decreased significantly compared to last year, possibly owing in part toeveryone’ s efforts to avoid close contact with others as much as possible amid the COVID-19
pandemic. Nevertheless, the fact remains unchanged that there are many residents who needassistance in the form of accompaniment, including language assistance.

<Non-Japanese Women>
14 women of non-Japanese nationalities stayed at HELP in 2020, including 2 women who brought
their children. The two children were of preschool age. These women sought shelter at HELP mainly
due to domestic violence or homelessness (37.5% each), followed by violence by a family member orhuman trafficking (6.3% each), and other reasons (12.5%). Other reasons included abandonment by acommon-law husband.
Non-Japanese residents as a whole stayed at HELP for an average of 76.75 days, which was morethan a month longer than last year’ s average of 46.46 days and the longest ever in the past five years.
This was related to the state of emergency that was issued against COVID-19 a multiple number oftimes from the beginning of the year. The situation caused many women to have to wait to transfer toa medium to long-term facility due to restrictions placed on the number of people such facilities could
accept amid the pandemic, or to have to postpone their return to their country until safe travel
resumes.
DV victims: Among victims of domestic violence who were introduced to HELP in 2020, several
women were unable to bring their children with them, for various reasons. They all shared the same
conflict in utilizing Japan’ s system for addressing their problem, since it would take much moretime than it would in their home countries. Even so, there were women who gradually found hopeby interacting with other non-Japanese residents, and women who tenaciously aspired to achieve
their wish through repeated consultations with the staff at HELP, for example. There was a sense of
powerfulness in their determination to overcome their crisis situation each in their own way.
relationships and a place to live both at the same time, and a woman who finally consulted with awelfare office and found temporary refuge at HELP, among others. There was also a woman who
was able to get herself in shape both physically and mentally during her stay at HELP and actively
sought to find a next place of belonging by herself.
processed, online Japanese language lessons were hosted by a relevant organization as future
employment support.
organized for residents at HELP, and outings were made to parks, an aquarium, and other suchvenues within Tokyo.

<Japanese Women>
47 women of Japanese nationality stayed at HELP in 2020, including 3 who brought their children
with them. Some 51.9%—corresponding to more than half—of these women sought shelter due tohomelessness. The rest sought shelter due to domestic violence from an intimate partner (25.0%),
violence by a family member (15.6%), pregnancy (3.8%), and other reasons (3.8%). While the ratio of
women seeking shelter from domestic violence from an intimate partner (intimate partner violence;IPV) decreased from last year, a large 40% of the women and children who came to HELP in 2020 werevictims of violence in the broad sense of the term when also combining violence by a family member.
This was approximately the same ratio as last year. On the other hand, a decrease was seen in the ratio
of pregnant women.
Women who sought shelter from IPV in 2020 included several elderly women. One woman went on
to seek a next place of belonging by getting into contact with her adult children and friends while
paying strict attention to safety, and another woman was able to find a nursing home at an early stage.
There was also a woman and child waiting to go to their next facility while participating in various
therapy programs at HELP.
Homeless women who came to HELP in 2020 were of various ages and backgrounds and spent theirtime at HELP in various ways. They included a young woman who realized it is okay to express her
feelings for the first time in her life; a sexual minority “woman” who came to HELP on arecommendation but made a quick decision to leave early because she did not feel comfortable; awoman who wished to live independently as soon as possible but was struggling to come to terms witha chronic illness that is accompanied by seizures; and a woman who was taking the time to build
relationships of trust with relevant people so she could be reunited with her child. Impressively, all ofthese women were seen taking steady steps toward their desired future, be it by making quick
decisions or persisting efforts.
Japanese residents stayed at HELP for an average of 24.4 days, which was three days longer thanlast year’ s average (21.3 days). The average length of stay thus remained at more than three weeks.

<Telephone Consultation>
In 2020, HELP received 883 telephone calls requesting consultation (121.9% compared to last year)
from people from 29 countries including Japan (27 countries last year). The subjects of consultationfrom in and outside of Japan were wide-ranging, and included consultations regarding domestic
violence and about how to apply for the government’ s special cash payment. There was also a callfrom a person claiming to being forced to accept disadvantageous working conditions under afixed-term employment contract, and a person who returned to Japan temporarily upon losing a family
member to COVID-19 but became unable to go back home due to travel restrictions.
In addition to the above, calls were also received from nearby local governments (consultation
desks), foreign support organizations, and foreign embassies. For example, there were inquiries
regarding support for foreign students and former foreign students with residence statuses that do not
qualify for welfare but who require help due to being pregnant or having had a baby, being a victim ofdomestic violence, or being hard put to making a living. There were also inquiries about providing aplace to live to foreign technical intern trainees who are scheduled to change their workplace. Suchconsultations regarding foreign nationals seeking shelter amid tight living conditions are diversifying interms of their nationalities and languages. At the same time, there were calls particularly during the
beginning of the fiscal year that indicated the struggles of newly employed consultants in local
government offices to provide consultation support, due to new employee training programs being
canceled and social resources failing to function as usual on account of the pandemic situation.
As with last year, a large proportion of telephone consultations from Japanese callers continued to
be about the hardships of living after having suffered DV or sexual abuse. This year, however, there wasa succession of new consultations from nearby local governments regarding requests for temporary
protective care of DV victims and other people in need of help. In light of the occupancy at HELP,
however, some requests had to be regretfully declined.

Statistical tables for 2020
Reasons for Seeking Shelter

Age Distribution of Residents(April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021)
Japanese
Residents[ Japanese Residents ]No. of people

Non-Japanese
Residents

Homelessness
IPV
Violenceby family member
Pregnancy
Other
Total

Japanese Residents
Non-Japanese Residents[ Non-Japanese Residents ]Number of Residents at HELP by Nationality(April 1, 2020 - March 31, 2021)
Including residents whose stay extended into the next fiscal year

Number of Residents
at HELP by Nationality
Nationality

IPV

Human trafficking
Other

Accompanying
Children

RegionPhilippines

Tokyo

China

Kanagawa

Indonesia

SaitamaSouth Korea

IbarakiTaiwan

Mie

Peru

Osaka

Homelessness
Violenceby family member

Women

Breakdown of Non-Japanese
Residents by Region

BrazilNo. of residents

Total

USA
Congo

14 Non-Japanese residents women of which
2 were accompanied by children

NigeriaSouth Africa
Subtotal
Japan
Total

61

7

47 Japanese residents women of which
3 were accompanied by children

Number of Telephone Consultations (by nationality)
by subject

by Nationality
No. of people

Japanese NonJapanese
Nationals Nationals

Nationality

DV

Japan

Violence by family member

Philippines

Human trafficking

South Korea

Resident status/immigration

USA

Work

China

Temporary protective custody

Pakistan

Information provision

Sri Lanka

Emotional problem

VietnamMarriage

India

DivorceIndonesia

Problems in married life

ThailandChildrenMoroccoHomelessness

Brazil

Other

Nepal

Total

Bangladesh
Japanese Nationals

Madagascar

Non-Japanese Nationals

Japan(dual nationality)
UK
Germany

Destination of Residents
after Leaving HELP
Japanese
Residents

Avg. Length of Stay by
Non-Japanese Residents

Non-Japanese
Residents

Lithuania
Romania

days

Nigeria

Welfare home

days

South Africa

Apartment

days

Uruguay

Women's center

days

TaiwanHome country

days

GuineaDestination

Cameroon

Home
Home of friendor acquaintanceStreets
Hospital
Live-in employment

Unknown
Undecided
Other
Total

Total Length of Stayby Nationality
Japanese Residents
Non-Japanese Residents
Total

Mongolia
Peru
Japan(American wife)Japan(living overseas)
UnknownTotal

No. ofconsultations

We Have Launched Cabinet Office Funded Programs
Last August, our application for the government grant forstrengthening and supporting safety net programs for victims of
spousal violence was approved, and despite the impacts of
COVID-19, we have been pursuing various initiatives throughtrials and errors with heed to proper infection measures.
To build staff capacities for better assistance, we organized aprofessional training program with remote supervision by aprofessional (clinical psychologist, lawyer, psychiatrist) once amonth. As a result, our staff have been able to deepen theirunderstanding of the background of each resident. We also
Yoga therapy provided weekly yoga and art therapy programs to care forresidents’ physical and emotional well-being. Yoga not only
loosens the body, but it also has the effect of providing psychological relaxation. Art therapy consistsof various techniques such as mess painting and collage, allowing participants to freely use paper,
fabric, clay, and diverse other materials as they wish. In addition to providing a means of expressing
emotions without using words, it has become a source of recreation to many participants. These
programs have renewed our awareness of the importance of translation assistance tonon-Japanese residents particularly in the legal and medical areas, and the importance ofJapanese language classes as a foothold for living and working in local communities
after leaving HELP.
To continue these programs, we have applied for the grant again this year.
We plan to strengthen our aftercare initiatives so residents who leave HELP
can come back to receive counseling about any emotional and daily living
concerns they may have. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp
relief diverse problems beginning with the hardships of living. We intend tocontinue moving forward to providing the necessary support in response to
women’ s diverse needs.

Participation in a CAP Program
From November 6, 2020, I participated in a three-day program titled“The Basics of Preventing Child Assault” held in Saitama City (hosted
by NPO CAP Center JAPAN). In our interactions with mothers andchildren who come to HELP under difficult circumstances, I havealways addressed each situation while agonizing over what I ought todo and what kinds of words I should offer. However, I feel I havegained an answer from this program.
That is, I realized that my primary mission is to firmly bear in mind theright that is entitled to all children as advocated by CAP—the right to be“safe, strong and free”—and to make sure that we neighbors protect this right. Some things that may
not be visible to mothers from a close distance may sometimes be visible to neighbors from a shortdistance. Children always look at their mother’ s faces. This is because their mother means the world tothem. A mother’ s laughter puts a smile on children’ s faces. However, in unstable situations, it is noteasy even for a mother to always keep thoughts of her child in mind. I am convinced that it is my duty
to put smiles back on the faces of mothers and children within their life at HELP, even if only little bylittle.
I also realized anew the importance of children learning how to protect themselves from various
assaults and the importance of the active involvement of nearby adults on children’ s future lives, andwas taught the importance of having the courage to speak out about what we notice.

Works produced in art therapy

Other Grant Organizations
We wish to take this occasion to announce, with profound gratitude, the goodwill we have received
from various organizations. In addition to the “FY2020 Tokyo Metropolitan subsidy for emergency
temporary shelter services for foreign nationals” and the “grant for strengthening and supporting
safety net programs for victims of spousal violence,” we have received and applied the following funds
for their intended purposes: The Mitsubishi Foundation & Central Community Chest of Japan (support
for activities to assist people of foreign heritage 2,570,000 yen), Wesley Foundation (outing program
expenses 37,003 yen); Love and Grace Welfare Aid Foundation (expenses for COVID-19 disinfection,etc. 500,000 yen); and Gushinkai Foundation (expenses for flower arrangement activities 111,844 yen).
In support of daily life at HELP, we also received expenses from ILBS to cover the cost of repairing rainleaks, expenses from United Church of Canada to cover the cost of exchanging tatami mats, and foods,
sundry goods and clothes from UBS Securities. We have furthermore received money and goods
donations from various other organizations. Thank you all very much.

HELP Women’ s Shelter Needs Your Support!
Maintenance Donations
We are experiencing a time when our future remains uncertain, but we hope everyone is safe and well.
Precisely at a time like this, we are filled with a gratitude that runs deeper than ever to be able to continue
our activities to lend a hand to women and children in need of help with your generous support.
Last year, HELP provided shelter to 68 women and children from Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia, China,
South Korea, Taiwan, USA, Brazil, Peru, Nigeria, Congo and South Africa, and received telephone
consultations regarding women from 29 countries around the world. We staff at HELP intend to further ourefforts to support women and children who have found their way to our shelter to escape from abuse andviolence by parents or family members or to find relief from their painful past and difficult present.
In order for us to fulfill our mission under our financial situation, however, we ask for your generous
support in the form of maintenance donations.
July 2021
KYOFUKAI – Japan Christian Women’ s Organization
Mizuho Iida, Chair of the Board of Trustees
Hiroko Matsui, Executive Director and HELP Asian Women’ s Shelter Director

Please send your donation to :Post Office Account :Account Name :(Josei no ie HELP)
Goods Donations
At HELP, we pass on items of daily necessity to our residents, not only to bring a measure of basic
comfort to their daily lives, but to also deliver a moment of healing to women and children who have madeit to our shelter after having left behind their familiar surroundings, personal relationships and much of theirprecious belongings so they may get the rest they need and eventually nurture hope and the will to begin a
new life. We will use your generosity to respond to the diverse needs of each of our residents in accordancewith their age, nationality, culture, etc. and kindly ask for your cooperation as we continue our efforts.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are currently accepting only new, unused items.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
<Foods>Condiments (sugar, salt, soy sauce, vegetable oil), jam, snacks, drinks (coffee, tea, cocoa, green tea,juice, creamer) *Items that have not passed their expiry dates<Sundry goods>
Shampoo, laundry detergent, kitchen detergent, tissue paper, skin lotion, milky lotion, cosmetics,
hand cream<Clothing>
For adults: Pajamas, sweat suits, socks, jackets, hooded sweatshirts, undergarments (short and long
sleeved) *Children’ s clothing are not accepted at present<Other>Folding umbrellas, shoes, notebooks, cotton blankets, bath towels and face towels, Quo Cards(prepaid card), gift certificates, etc.

Please send goods donation to :KYOFUKAI
2-23-5 Hyakunincho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-0073
Please specify your delivery to be made between Monday and Friday.