Catholic charity Caritas has
launched in Rome a consciousness-raising campaign on the
estimated 100,000 Italian male teens and young men between the
ages of 14 and 30 who shut themselves up in their rooms and shun
contact with the outside world apart from the Internet - a
condition known by its Japanese name, hikikomori.
The project, in partnership with the Hikikomori Italia
association, is funded by taxpayer's contributions managed by
Italian Bishops Conference CEI.
Meetings will be set up at Rome parishes and Roman schools
involved.
"The goal is to study the phenomenon and involve the
territorial actors involved in a direct manner in the life of
the youth world," said Caritas.
The term hikikomori has been in use for young Japanese social
dropouts for a decade or so.
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