2022/12/29 Japan Guide
A 41-year-old Brazilian woman after trying to apply for public assistance in the city of Anjo, repeatedly received discriminatory comments from members of the city hall staff and said that “foreigners do not receive public assistance¨.
Refusal to request public assistance and delay in payment constitute a violation of human rights.
The Brazilian filed a petition for human rights relief at the provincial bar association, after having the request denied. According to the petition, the third-generation Japanese-Brazilian woman has permanent resident status and lives with her husband and two children.
She said: my husband was arrested on suspicion of driving without a license at the end of October, and my life has become difficult as I am unemployed because of the new coronavirus. When she applied for public assistance on Nov. 1, she was turned down after receiving a false explanation from counter staff saying, “Foreigners are not eligible for public assistance.” You can return to your country asking for help at immigration and consulates. For public assistance is for Japanese nationals and does not apply to foreigners.
As a result of the efforts of lawyers and others, the city of Anjo accepted the request for public assistance on November 30th and began receiving it from December 22nd.
Anjo city hall said it had made no such comments, but released a document on the 28th saying: “We regret that we were unable to communicate enough and we deeply apologize for the inconvenience we caused.”
The woman said, “I’m worried that other foreigners might be experiencing the same problem.” The woman will file a human rights relief petition with the Aichi Bar Association, demanding improvements for the public assistance system to function properly.
Soucer: CBC tv