Only one meal a day can be eaten-College students in need of corona-February 18, 13:37

Do you give up buying sanitary napkins or put up with your diet?

Female college students attending a university in Paris were forced to make such a choice.

It is said that it is difficult to live without cutting down on living expenses to that extent.

I heard about what was happening.

(Akiko Koyama, Directorate General of Europe)

"Nothing" refrigerator

"Sometimes I didn't have enough money to eat. There are many days when I can only eat one meal a day. When I was hungry, I licked my candy and distracted myself."

This is what Barbara Stratford, 19, says.

With a tall and well-organized face, she is from a provincial city in France and is now a sophomore in film studies at the University of Paris.

On the day I visited her, she had cabbage, one paprika, two oranges, and a pack of yogurt in her fridge.

Other than that, I could only see the seasonings.

She has to cut her life so much because of the new coronavirus, which continues to infect after two out-of-home restrictions.

Part-time job not found for nearly a year

Mr. Stratford

"I always run out of money at the end of the month. I am a single-parent family and my mother knows that the household budget is difficult, so no help is required."

Prior to the spread, she had a part-time job as a movie extra and model.

The monthly income is about 25,000 yen in Japanese yen.

In addition to this, my parents gave me 50,000 yen as a remittance.

The total cost was about 70,000 yen, which covered food expenses, rent, and university teaching materials.

However, due to the influence of the new Corona, the part-time job she has been doing since March last year has ceased.

I searched for other part-time jobs for my daily life, but I haven't been able to find a part-time job for almost a year as the government intermittently bans the business of restaurants and cultural facilities.

If you pay the rent and the cost of teaching materials at the university, there will be almost no living expenses left.

It is said that they manage to eat by food distribution such as support groups.

Sanitary napkins or food expenses

For her, who find it difficult to secure food expenses, even the sanitary napkins she needs every month are a burden.

Sanitary napkins cost several hundred yen in Japanese yen.

Still, every time I get my period once a month, I have to think about whether I should give up my sanitary napkin or put up with eating it.

Each time she feels lonely and miserable.

Mr. Stratford

"It seems that you are being asked to choose one, but you can't even go out without using sanitary napkins. Why is it difficult to get even what you need for your life? I will be very sad. "

Even days when I'm mentally depressed

Hunger and anxiety about daily living expenses.

It is the "lonely" days when I can't meet anyone that drives her even further.

Since the spread of the new corona, college classes are online and I can no longer meet my friends.

I woke up in the morning, opened my computer on the bed, and took classes as it was.

It is said that while living a monotonous life in a one-room student apartment, he lost motivation for things and became mentally depressed.

I've become mentally cornered, and recently I've begun to think of even my future dream of becoming a movie actor.

Mr. Stratford

"I feel like I've lost a part of my life and I'm feeling mentally distressed. I'm about to be overwhelmed by anxiety about the future."

Other college students in need

As I proceeded with the interview, I realized that Mr. Stratford was not the only university student in need.

I heard that there are places where many university students have gathered since the spread of the new corona infection, so I visited there.

It is the "food distribution" carried out by an organization that supports people in need.

The group started working on homeless people and the unemployed five years ago, but it is said that the number of student users is increasing rapidly after the spread of the infection.

In fact, there was a long line about an hour before the distribution started, and most of them were well-dressed young people.

This day was a student-only distribution day, with 450 pre-booked people coming to pick up food.

When I talked to the college students in line, there was a harsh reality that I couldn't even eat properly.

A female student in her second year of college

"I lost 10 kilos from last March and now I'm 37 kilos. I still only have one meal a day and dinner. But it's okay. I'm used to one meal a day."

Another female student in the second year of college

"Food is a big expense, so I eat one meal a day. When that is difficult, I eat one meal every two days."

A representative of the support group said that as the infection continued to spread, the number of university students in need increased and the support could not keep up.

Memon:

“The number of students who need help is increasing day by day. There are many students who cannot eat because they have no money. Many students are mentally ill in this situation. I'm hurt. This is the current situation in France. Don't look away. "

Why students are in need

Why are college students so distressed?

This is because the French system has a "pitfall".

France is known as a country with high social security at the cost of high taxes.

After the spread of the infection, we have significantly relaxed the standard of allowances for those who have lost their jobs and are continuing to take measures so that more people can receive support.

On the other hand, even if a student loses his / her part-time job income, he / she is not considered unemployed in principle and cannot receive such support.

In addition, the tourism and restaurant industries, where many students worked part-time, were hit hard by the new corona, and the number of job offers has dropped sharply.

For this reason, a student group survey found that 74% of young people have been in a difficult financial situation since the infection spread and skipped meals on a regular basis. There is.

Students who are mentally cornered

It is also becoming clear that students are being mentally cornered.

This is the result of a survey conducted by student groups on students last summer.

I thought about abandoning my studies …………………… 84%

suffered financial, psychological, and physical pain …… 74%

I thought about suicide ……………………………… ………twenty three%

Many of the students who responded to the survey were psychologically and physically hurt because they thought they would abandon their studies.

Some students even said that they thought about death.

Professor Jean Pizzanifery of Sciences Po, who is familiar with the French social security system, also warned:

Professor Pisani Ferry

"As the infection continues to spread, I realize that some people are in need because of loopholes in the social security system. Young people are directly suffering from that disadvantage. France The social security system of Japan is built on the existing risks, but the new coronavirus is a risk that the system did not anticipate. That is why new measures are urgently needed. "

How to eliminate future anxiety

Since January 25, the French government has been offering students meals at university cafeterias around the world for up to twice a day for 1 euro per meal (as of February 17, about 128 yen). I started.

When I actually visited the cafeteria for coverage, the students were forming a long line before the store opened.

It is said that the number of students coming to the cafeteria is increasing day by day because you can buy a set of bento and dessert for 1 euro (about 128 yen), which is originally sold for 3.3 euros (about 420 yen).

On the other hand, during the interview, some students couldn't afford to pay 1 euro, and some groups pointed out that further support was needed.

As the infection of the new corona continues, the reality is that young people, including university students, are in distress not only in France but also in developed countries such as Japan.

What kind of support and policies are needed for young people who will lead the world after the corona to live independently with hope?

We will continue to cover it.

Akiko Koyama,

Directorate General of Europe

Joined

Hiroshima Bureau in

2011.

After working in the International Department, she is

now based in Paris

and covers social issues

in

France.