Italy: a safe or hostile haven?

Nieuws, 23 augustus 2023
Read time, 5 min.
A helicopter is hovering above the coast of Lampedusa. Moussa, who works as a translator on the island, is no longer surprised. “They must be patrolling,” he says. It is a daily reality on the island. More people in search of safety and protection are travelling to Italy by boat. Do refugees find a safe or hostile place there? The Dutch Council for Refugees went on a field visit to the country to find out and spoke there with refugees and partner organisations.

Italy has increasingly become  the gateway to Europe for refugees looking for protection. As the route to Greece has become even more dangerous due to pushbacks by the Greek coast guard, more people seem to be fleeing to Italy.

The journey is full of risks. In June, a ship sank on its way from Libya to Italy in Greek waters. As a result, hundreds of people died or disappeared. Meanwhile, the government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is making it even more difficult to apply for asylum. According to Richard Braude, who works for our partner organisation Porco Rosso, aid and support are being scaled back. “Human rights are at stake,” he adds.

placeholder
Aliou (26) from The Gambia

Criminalisation of refugees

The first destination of our field visit to Italy was Palermo, on the island of  Sicily. Thousands of refugees arrive there on a yearly basis. Aliou, a young man of 26 years old from The Gambia, is one of them. He is nervous about speaking out, and the upper-left corner of his mouth trembles when he speaks: “More than six years ago, a friend and I tried to cross the sea from Libya to Italy. Libyan smugglers forced my friend to steer the boat. When he refused, he was shot dead before my eyes.”

Aliou eventually ended up on another boat without a driver . He felt that had no choice but to take the helm himself. “I felt responsible for the 120 people on the boat with me,” he says, “they had to reach the other side safely.” When he arrived in Italy, Aliou was accused of being the captain of the boat. He was arrested for human smuggling and imprisoned for 6.5 years. “I didn't not know how to steer a boat, but I had no choice but to try and save everyone on the boat,” he says, “Am I now a hero or a criminal?” he wonders.

During his time in prison, Porco Rosso supported Aliou and corresponded with him through letters.  Aliou's story is not an exception. Research by Porco Rosso shows that many asylum seekers are wrongfully accused of being human smugglers and boat captains and end up in detention. “Whenever a boat arrives, one or two people are accused of being captains and are detained,” says Richard, “If someone dies during the crossing, the prison sentence can be up to 30 years.”

I didn't not know how to steer a boat, but I had no choice but to try and save everyone on the boat

Aliou (26) from The Gambia

The Mare Jonio: search and rescue ship

Refugees like Aliou are not the only ones to be treated as criminals in Italy. The same applies to aid workers on rescue ships. One of these ships, the Mare Jonio  operated by our partner organisation Mediterranea Saving Humans, has been forced to anchor in Trapani, Sicily, for years now. The crew of the only rescue vessel that still operates  under the Italian flag cannot go out on sea to rescue people  because of an ongoing legal case about their role in facilitating “illegal immigration”. It is hard to fantom, as  international maritime law states that a ship must always help another ship that faces an imminent danger.

placeholder
Alessandro, the owner of the rescue boat

“When you rescue a refugee boat that is in danger, you are told to drop off the passengers at a designated port,” says Alessandro, the owner of Mare Jonio while walking around his blue-and-white boat. “This is always a port that is far away from where we picked up people. Sometimes it takes days to get these vulnerable people ashore, and if you don't follow these orders, - but instead execute more rescues  you face a fine of 10 to 20 thousand euros and your boat is suspended for two months,” he adds, “If you don't comply a second time, they seize your boat.” Nevertheless, Alessandro remains hopeful. “We must keep the door open to  human rights, if necessary with our own elbows,” he says, “Deals with Tunisia and Libya don't work and only lead to new, more dangerous routes.”

Lampedusa: a transit island

The next destination of our field visit was the Italian island of Lampedusa. Between January and May 2023, 50 thousand people have already made it to the island that has a population of 6.5 thousand people. Refugees who make the crossing and reach the island are detained in detention centres, hidden behind high fences. Police and Red Cross vehicles are allowed to enter the centres. Asylum seekers typically stay on the site for 48 to 72 hours, where they ought to provide their fingerprints. After that, they are taken to another part of the country to start their asylum process. On the other hand, single men over the age of 18 from Tunisia are immediately put on a plane back  to Tunisia. Italy and Tunisia have a longer standing agreement on these returns.

I will never get used to the rapidly changing emotions of the job

Moussa, translator on the island

placeholder
Moussa, translator on the island

Translator Moussa works on the island and witnesses the despair of the young men, women, and children who arrive daily. It affects him and confronts him with his own past. “I will never get used to the rapidly changing emotions of the job.” When he gets a call in the middle of the night because a boat is in trouble, he is overwhelmed with concern. When the people are safely ashore, he breathes a sigh of relief.

In the bay lie the rickety boats that have reached the mainland. The coast guard sprays a date on each boat. Each boat has its own story. A few hundred meters away, there is a pristine private beach with people enjoying the beautiful weather on beach chairs. While we are there, three new boats arrive.


placeholder

In May, the Italian Senate approved a new law – the Decreto Cutro. This law restricts the right to asylum in all respects. As per this law, asylum seekers no longer receive legal assistance, and access to reception and shelter are being severely limited.. Only the most vulnerable end up in small-scale accommodations with good facilities. Our partner organisations ASGI and Buon Diritto Onlus continue to support refugees legally and socially, despite these deteriorating conditions.

placeholder
Richard from Porco Rosso.

Broken hearts

“In the Mediterranean, many dreams and broken hearts are buried,” says Richard of Porco Rosso during the visit to the rescue boat in Trapani. With the current policies and the shocking plans of the Meloni government, it seems unlikely that Italy will become a safer haven for people in need any time soon, instead, it has  become one of the deadliest borders in Europe.

The Dutch Council for Refugees Supports Italian partner Organisation

The Dutch Council for Refugees is working with our Italian partner organisation Porco Rosso to help refugees and asylum seekers who have just arrived in Italy via boats. Porco Rosso is an organisation of many volunteers that provide legal and procedural assistance.

Stay up-to-date on our international activities

Subscribe to our international newsletter for the latest updates on our work, stories and international projects.