ARTICLE;
During typhoon no. 19 also known as Hagibis in other nations, two men seeking shelter were turned down at an evacuation center in Tokyo's Taito Ward since they could not present any proof of address stating that they are from the area. On October 12, 2019, according to the town administrators, the two men were not given permission to enter the facility since they did not have valid addresses. However, one of the district leaders confirmed that they have never thought about what to do to unhoused people. This experience leads them to exchange views on how to manage people with unknown addresses during emergencies.According to an insider, on October 12 at around 9 in the morning, a 64-year-old man appeared at Shinobugaoka Elementary School as the typhoon is moving closer to the city. People were requested to fill up the forms with their names and address but the old man said: “I have no address.”
As a result, a staff told them to leave. In an interview, the homeless man said that he told the officials that he has an address in Hokkaido but still refused and told him that the shelter is for Tokyo residents. The elderly man also said that he spent the night under synthetic bumbershoot and that he wanted them to let him enter because the wind was very strong and was raining heavily. On the afternoon of the same day, another homeless old man came and was also rejected for the same reason.After hearing about the incident, the head of Asile, Atsuko Imagawa, ordered the people-in-charge of the ward to prepare more evacuation shelters for many homeless people. Asile's head, Imagawa said: "There is no telling when someone might become homeless, so I became very despondent when I realized the would take discriminatory measures even when people's lives were at stake." Susumu Tsukui, an expert about the support system during natural calamities, said the Taito Ward approach was an "absolutely absurd " violation of the human rights.
VOCABULARY:
- turned down
- evacuation
- administrators
- permission
- unhoused
- exchanged views on
- fill up
- bumbershoot
- absurd
- human rights
DISCUSSION:
What came to your mind when you read the headline: Shelter says No address, no entry to homeless men?
Two men seeking shelter were turned down at an evacuation center in Tokyo's Taito Ward since they could not present any proof of address stating that they are from the area. What do you think about this?
Is it right to reject homeless people from an evacuation center just because they are not residents of the area?
How should ward officials handle this kind of situation?
What would you do if someone refused to take you in in a shelter because you are not from their city?
Do you think the rejection made by the ward officials is a kind of disrespect to the elderly?
What should the higher ups do to the officials who refused to take the homeless men in?
What do you know about human rights?
How can we stop discrimination?
How should people prepare for calamities?
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