Per la libertà di movimento, per i diritti di cittadinanza

Where is the right to asylum going in Italy ?

ICS – Italian Solidarity Board is promoting a Cavaran against all wars and on asylum seekers rights. It will start off in Bologna October 12 and will go through different cities. The caravan, whose aim is to inform on asylum seekers conditions in Italy, on Bossi-Fini law, is explicitly against wars because of which thousands of people run away from their homes. Maria Silvia Olivieri, ICS, tells us the meaning of the above said Caravan and of other campaigns.

“The idea grew after studying the new immigration law, the Bossi-Fini, and the problems occurring when applying it to asylum seekers. People recently died in Sicily and Puglia were all trying to reach Italy in order to ask for asylum and protection, all of them had the right to ask for asylum. This made us reflect on the urgent need of putting the problem at the centre of attention. The caravan is the excuse for talking about asylum seekers in Italy, in their own country, what happens to them when they arrive in Italy.

Our aim is to make not only experts talk on the subject but also to link it to other more general themes concerning migrations, such as proctection of civil rights and human trade. We’ll then try to contextualize asylum right.

Caravan wants to be a joyful event, a public event. A van will drive through twenty cities. We will also keep on promoting the petition for asylum right of which we’ve already talked.

Q. : Oct. 12 in Bologna the public meeting will talk about the first agreement on the right to ask for asylum. What is it about ? A. : We chose to call the meeting first agreement on the right to ask for asylum because we wanted to meet all forces working with and on migrant citizens in general, but also refugees and human rights. We are preparing adiscussion meeting place, where to find a common path to followand what means asylum right in Italy under Bossi-Fini law.

Q. : You were talking about the recent Mediterrenean deaths and human trade. Laws (both former Turcu-Napolitano and Bossi-Fini) helped migrants or asylum seekers ending up in human beeings trade as the only way to enter Italy. R. : Laws enacted up to today never considered a serious and effective solution to problems. Recently the equation immigration = crime has increasingly spread. Migration matters are being connected to safety problems, we are talking about laws based on nothing even though they are considered a remedy . Laws, these laws increase illegal entry in Italy because it is quite normal when the few flow decrees are ridiculous that clandestinity rises.

Asylum seekers will never go to any foreign authority to ask for asylum visa. Their only choice is trade. We are talking about people who put all they have in those “journeys of hope”, they are people in need of protection and they’d do anuthing to obtain it.

D.: Asylum seekers and pardon. Which information can you suggest ?
A. : Asylum seekers can apply for regularization while following the asylum procedures. We know of many asylum seekers, that are not allowed to work, at the moment labouring conceiled because it is the only way to survive. Some of them are applying for pardon while following asylum procedures. Some of them have worked for a year, which is the normal waiting period for an answer to the asylum plea. Asylum have great problems in giving identification when applying for regularization. Asylum seekers often do not have passports.