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"I can't live here anymore."

"I am scared of what my neighbors think of me."

These are some of the concerns heard on the COVID-19 Hotline operated by World Open Heart (WOH). With the state of emergency extended and no end to the pandemic, the hotline receives many concerns and some callers have cried, "I want to die." Civic Force discussed callers' concerns with Ms. Kyoko Abe, Head of WOH.

COVID-19 Hotline was launched in September 2020 for patients and family members who were struggling with discrimination. What prompted you to start the hotline?

Ms. Abe: In June 2020 before we launched the hotline, I got a call from one university student's family. The student recently came home from Tokyo and had a high fever. A PCR test confirmed positive for COVID-19 and fortunately the student's condition improved. The neighbors began to talk and the family was criticized for having the student home. The family was forced to apologize and they were exhausted.

In the spring of 2020, I began to receive calls like this one. Since I was a student, I've supported family members of criminals. Family members of COVID-19 patients are not criminals, however, they feel like one and end up reaching out to our hotline for family members of criminals.

I started noticing the needs of people experiencing discrimination because of COVID-19. I learned about peer pressure from Mr. Naoki Sato. Mr. Sato's book on peer pressure discusses a unique culture in Japan that forces people to apologize to others for being infected and advocates that COVID-19 patients should not feel guilty. Municipalities across the country and lawyers associations held legal, medical, and resident services consultations but there was no assistance provided for people suffering from discrimination, as far as I knew. I decided to launch the COVID-19 Hotline because I knew we would be able to draw from our experience helping family members of criminals.

COVID-19 Hotline received over 70 calls since September 2020. What kind of concerns did you receive?

One woman found out that she was infected with COVID-19 after her husband was found positive. She was worried that they might have infected others. While quarantined at home, she often called us because she was too worried to sleep and kept checking her social media to see if anyone became infected. Fortunately no one around her was infected and she returned to normal but she was very stressed out.

Another caller was affected by a cluster infection. She felt guilty for exposing her family, and an elderly family member unfortunately died of COVID-19. I have also heard a case where the patient and family members were harassed online and forced to relocate. Some callers tell us that they want to die - the sense of hopelessness among the affected people is dire.

How is WOH responding to those concerns?

Ms. Abe: We cooperate with experts in different areas to respond to our callers. For example, a caller who was wrongly fired from a job was referred to a lawyer and another caller was referred to a real estate agent after being forced to relocate. Callers presenting symptoms of depression are referred to psychiatrists for specialized care.

My job is to refer our callers to specialists and also alleviate their fears. Criminals should pay for their wrongdoings, however, it is not a crime to be infected with COVID-19. I think there are a lot of pressures in society now and people feel a lot of guilt around being sick. I will continue encouraging our callers to unload their burdens.

What can we as individuals do?

Ms. Abe: We need to make our communities suicide-free. The families I have supported, family members of criminals, received a lot of support and rejoined their communities. For people struggling with the stigma of COVID-19, I am offering them similar support and concrete plans to rejoin their communities. I think what we can do is to build a community where COVID-19 patients do not have to be overly sensitive to what others might think. Japanese society tends to be harsh toward infected people and they carry invisible pressures and stress. The virus does not discriminate and anyone can be infected. Each of us can try to be a part of a society where COVID-19 is no longer a source of discrimination and people feel welcomed.

World Open Heart ✖️ Civic Force

As the pandemic continues, disaster-affected areas are experiencing new challenges that could delay recovery and reconstruction efforts. Civic Force launched COVID-19 Emergency NPO Partner Projects in May 2020 to support partner organizations working to solve local issues amidst the pandemic. Civic Force has so far supported seven organizations in five prefectures. In June 2021, Civic Force began supporting WOH's COVID-19 assistance activities. Civic Force will look into COVID-19-related discrimination and continue sharing the lessons learned.

More details on the NPO Partner Project

Media articles on Ms. Abe's work

Gendai Business (https://gendai.ismedia.jp/list/author/kyokoabe)

The Yomiuri Shimbun (>https://www.yomiuri.co.jp/national/20210526-OYT1T50087/)