C OUNTRY R EPORT – I TALY T HE ROLE OF MIGRATION ORGANIZATIONS IN THE I TALIAN MIGRATION SYSTEM International Workshop 5th of July 2014 Nils Backhaus,

COUNTRY REPORT – ITALYTHE ROLE OF MIGRATION ORGANIZATIONS IN THE ITALIAN MIGRATION SYSTEMInternational Workshop 5th of July 2014

Nils Backhaus, Isabella Mann, Anne Reisenweber, Vajani Zarges

MAREM: MApping REfugee's arrivals at the Mediterranean borders

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Country facts - Italy

2. Italian migration policy

3. Research question

4. State of the art

5. Data

6. Research results

7. Conclusion

8. Sources

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COUNTRY FACTS - ITALYArea 301.340km² (1)

Population 60.021.955 (30. November 2013)(2)

Registered unemployment 12,9% (3)

Refugees 78.061 January 2014(4)

Asylum seekers 13.653 (4)

Asylum applications: Top 3 nationalities 2010-2012*

1. Pakistan (2.600)2. Nigeria (1.615)3. Afghanistan (1.495)

Ruling party GRAND COALITION GOVERNMENT (PD - Partito Democratico – democratic party - including PSI Partito Socialista Italiano – Italian socialist party), NCD - Nuovo Centrodestra - New centre right, SC - Scelta Civica – Civic choice, UdC - Unione di Centro – Union of the centre, Ppl - Popolari per l'Italia – Populars for Italy)

*Source: Eurostat migration statistics http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/country-factsheets/italy-emn-country-factsheet_en.pdf (checked on 2nd of July 2014)

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/country-factsheets/italy-emn-country-factsheet_en.pdf

http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs/what-we-do/networks/european_migration_network/reports/docs/country-factsheets/italy-emn-country-factsheet_en.pdf

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Italian migration policyReception system

• CARA (reception centres . mostly the first contact made by asylum seekers in Italy)– Fingerprints, starting the procedure for grantin the right of asylum (six month)

• SPAR (Sistema di protezione per richidenti asilo e rifugiati - system of accommodation)– 19.510 places– at a national level with local partners for accommodation and integration of refugees and

asylum seekers– 2010 there could only 6855 persons make use of benefits of the SRAR - 12.955 without

receiving a position

• CIE (Identification and Expulsion Centres)

function

1. allowing to confirm the identity of the persons without documents

2. view of a possible expulsion

3. or to hold persons awaiting expulsion

conditions

immigrants are placed in containers and in other types of inadequate housing in an extended stay, exposed to extreme temperatures, under conditions of overcrowding (Amnesty International)(5)MAREM: MApping REfugee's arrivals at the Mediterranean borders

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International

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ITALIAN MIGRATION POLICY (2)

3 kinds of protection in Italy:

1. refugee-status

2. subsidary protection

3. Italian humanitarian protection (given to 'voulnerable persons')

Residenzia– need to be listed in the public register with an address (can be controlled by

police)– most of the refugees are homelessness, do not have an address - no

„residenzia“.– don’t have a pass of healthcare and no access to healthcare– Aid is given only in an emergency


Research QuestionWHICH ROLE DO COLLECTIVE ACTORS PLAY WITHIN THE ITALIAN MIGRATION SYSTEM REGARDING TO TALK AND ACTION?

7MAREM: MApping REfugee's arrivals at the Mediterranean borders

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HYPOTHESIS

The Italian migration system depends on the work of NGO‘s and outsources governmental responsibilities.

4. STATE OF THE ART

MAREM: MApping REfugee's arrivals at the Mediterranean borders of Italy


9• Ratfisch, Pfilipp /Scheel, Stefan(2010):„Securitisation trough Refugee

Protection? The role of the UNHCR in the externalisation of the European migration regime“,in Hess,Sabine/ Kasparek, Bernd (eds.) „Border Regimes. Discourses,Practises, Institutions.“ Berlin (Assiotation A), 89- 110

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PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (COUNCIL OF EUROPE):

„The arrival of mixed migratory flows to Italian coastal areas“ (Chope, C. (2013), published in August 2013)

► „Italy has, unfortunately shown itself, once again, ill prepared for what appears to be a new surge of mixed migration flows, and appears to have learnt few, if any, lessons from it's experiences in 2011.“

→ Italian Authorities should: → COE member states should:

- develope a coherent mirgation policy - comply the obligation to rescue

- establish a reliable asylum system persons in distress at sea

- meet international standards - establish clear rules to ensure

(reception & detention conditions) the right to apply for asylum for

- ensure transparency of return those people rescued at sea

Provisions (bilateral agreements)


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PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE:

„The “Left-to-die” boat: actions and reactions“ (Strikt, T. (2014) in: „Reference to Committee, Doc. 13164“)

“The Assembly acknowledges that important efforts by member states, Italy in particular, have been engaged towards saving more lives at sea.

However, a number of concerns still remain including failures to cooperate, define and admit responsibility and learn lessons. The left-to-die incident clearly highlighted the urgent need to guarantee fundamental rights, while respecting legitimate security imperatives of border controls.“


5. DATA


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DATA

Field Study in March 2014:

- 2 expert interviews with scientific & monitoring organisations

- 7 expert interviews with A&R-related organizations

- 1 expert interview with A&R-related organization (anonymous)

All in all: 10 expert interviews


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6. RESEARCH RESULTS


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Characteristics/

Actor types

Organi-zation

Norms/values

Dominant issue

Field of legitimation

Internal/balanced/external logics

Sientific & monitoring organisations

UNHCR(Rome)

Human rights Single issue Global, national, European,international

balanced

IOM(Rome)

Human rights Single issue Global, national, European,international

balanced

A&R-related NGO’s

K-Pax(Breno)

Political, human rights

Single issue Local (Breno)

External logics public funding of the community, (SPRAR-System)

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Characteristi

cs/Actor types

Organization Norms/values

Dominant issue

Field of legitimation


A&R-related NGO’s

Laici comboniani (Palermo)

religious catholic community (but also open to other religious groups)

Single issue (but especially women or vulnerable persons)

local in Sicilia, Palermo

private funding of the community, one pocket for everybody

Borderline Sicilia(Catania)


Single issue local in Sicilia

donors of people, volunteer work

Naga-Har (Milano)

Human rights

Single issue local (Milano)

Public funding, donors of people, volunteer work

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Characteristics

/Actor types

Organization

Norms/values

Dominant issue Field of legitimation


A&R-related NGO’s

Instituto Valdese (Palermo)

Religious Unaccompanied minors

Local-regional

- donate funds- protestant church

Centro Astalli (Rome)

Religious (Jesuit)

Asylum seekers, refugees and owners of international protection

local-regional-national-international

- municipality of Rome- european found for refugees, other private foundations-donors society of jesuits human donors, catholic chuch

borderline – europe(Palermo)


Single issue local-regional-national-international

donate funds

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COMMON SENSE OF INTERVIEWED ORGANISATIONS ABOUT THE ITALIAN ASYLUM

SYSTEMin theory: Italy has a „good“ asylum system (SPRAR) to receive refugees and asylum seekers (status of humanitarian protection unique feature of Italy)

“We have a lot of people who need help. People who are in SPRAR-projects have access to better help, than people who are not. The problem is that there are more people who need help than the SPRAR-System can manage. We need more projects. We don’t have enough projects for people who need help…” (K-Pax)

in practice and social reality: problems/challenges of implementation


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STATEMENTS OF ORGANISATIONS CONCERNING THE ITALIAN POLICY?

• „Italy has never been a migration country before the last 15-20 years.“ (IOM)

„Migration also only became a political issue since then, related on top of the political agenda, manipulated by many political parties and of course the media, so the public opinion doesn't really welcome migration very well.“ (IOM)

policy is unsteady and not systematic

• “migration is seen as a problem of security.“ (Bordeline Sicilia) influence on the agenda of the policy?

“The Italian asylum-system is schizophrenic. Then from 2011-2013 the” state of emergency- Africa” was exclaimed. Laws could be bypassed. These state of emergency policy detained an installation of a stable migration policy.” (Borderline Sicilia)“

no sign for a political will to establish a well working system


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“Politicians are baiting against the “invasion of migrants”. But at the same time these migrants are used and exploited and the illegal employment is supported. In the argricultural sector in Southern Italy 70% of the employers are irregular workers from other countries.” (Bordeline Sicilia)

provides exploitation (black labour)

“The economic in Southern Italy is based on the system of exploitation. They get lower wages. 10-15 € for 10-12 hours of work.. The migrants often work for a month and when it is payday the employee threatens to call the police or does so for people who have no papers.” (Laici Comboniani)

“Another big question is how the labour market profits from the refugee and asylum seeker situation.” (NAGAR-HAR)


STATEMENTS OF ORGANISATIONS CONCERNING THE ITALIAN POLICY?(2)

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STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE PROBLEMS OF IMPLEMENTATION IN THE ITALIAN ASYLUM SYSTEMThe good things (eg. Accomodation) of the system are only accessable for a minority of asylum sekers and refugees (Centro Astalli)

limit access to the positive effects of the asylum system

“We care for this people as long as the asylum application is in process because it’s hard to get their documents here under this rasitic law” (Laici Comboniani)

“The procedure of the treatment of arrivers/ asylum seekers is very arbitrary. Even if we criticise the law which exists, in most cases it isn’t even applied.” (Borderline Sicilia)

arbitrarily choosing of those who get acces to the system

“In Italy it‘s a matter of luck because we have very good things: high standards of accommodation and very low to nothing. It depends where you arrive, when you arrive, who you meet, it‘s very hard to say it‘s systematic. There is nothing systematic in the Italian asylum system.“(Centro Astalli)

it´s crucial how to become a part of the system + no strategy in the system

Organization criticizing Dublin regulation (European level)“There are a lot of organizations helping the refugees to get to their families in other countries and even the refugee communities do a lot to prevent themselves from the Dublin system.”(Nagar-HAR)


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REACTION TO CHALLANGES OF THE ITALIAN MIGRATION POLICY

• NGO perspective: Italian government is not providing a strong and effective policy

• To deal with the complicated situation actors develope different strategies to compensate policy lacks

government outsources responsilities to collective actors

Distribution of responsibilities (cooperation with NGO‘s)

‚Mare Nostrum‘ (public military project) subsidary system


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STRATEGY: OUTSOURCING OF RESPONSIBILTIES

Quality control:

„Problem are these informal centers, we all call them time transition centers.(...) hotels, washed up country farms and anything else make a wonderful business with this” (boderline-europe)23

Extremely overcrowded & bad and differing living conditions

- No quality control of the centers and the reception through the governmental supervisory authorities

➔ Now IOM has got the task from the Interior Ministry to make the quality control

„...there's no monitoring of reception conditions.We do it for the ministry of interior, but we do it only at border points. And a lot of our work there is to give critics to the ministry, about the quality of the reception at the reception centres “(IOM)


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STRATEGY: DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITIES

Projecto Presidiumjoined project: IOM (International Organisation for Migration), UNHCR, Save The Children, The Red Cross & the Italian MOI (Ministry of interior)

• “There are persons arriving. We do not make any difference. First information is for them where they are, what is going to happen to them, where they can sleep and eat something and then some information about the procedures coming. Obviously they are amongst a group of vulnerable persons, like (unaccompanied) minors, persons with handicaps, single mothers. They get some special, more targeted information about what is different for them and what they can expect” (I010 - Transcription UNHCR ROME)

• „The 'Projecto Presidio' is a very important component, when a person or a group of persons arrives with a boat, then UNHCR and the other organizations be there.

UNHCR: providing information (leaflets) on the situation in Italy (asylum system, etc.) The Red Cross: helps and assists with humanitarian needs (clothes, hygienic products). Save The Children: takes care of the (unaccompanied) minors. (family re-establishment) IOM: legal counselling & assistance to identification of migrants & voulnerable groups

+monitoring of reception standards (for the MOI)


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MARE NOSTRUM

• Started at the 18th of October, 2013

• Participants:• the Italian Navy,• the Army,• Air Force,• Carabinieri,• Customs Service, a.o.

• Aim: “to control migration flows“• (http://www.marina.difesa.it/EN/operations/Pagine/MareNostrum.aspx)


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...AND MARE NOSTRUM?

Why Mare Nostrum plays such a big role for the UNHCR-ROME:

➔„Saving lives is hence forced the most important task we have at the moment.“

➔„In our view that's a very good operation for saving lives. It's a humanitarian operation.“


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BEFORE MN:

- average prize for crossing: Lybia →Lampedusa = US$1,500-3000(10)

- „1,500 irregular migrants, asylum seekers & refugees drowned or went missing in 2011“ (9)

- „Over 600 people died in the tragic shipwrecks near Lampedusa in 2013“ (17)

SINCE MN:

- average prize for crossing: Lybia →Lampedusa = US$800-1,500 (10)

- „more than 20,000 people have been rescued at sea“ (17)

- 2014: „Italy rescues 6,000 people crossing Mediterranean in four days.“ (17)

'MARE NOSTRUM'


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FATAL INCIDENTS AT SEA: IT'S NOT OVER!!

„Since last October [...] we don't have any fatal accidents any more.“

(I005 – Transcription: UNHCR ROME, March 2014)

„Again, two recent shipwrecks in May 2014 resulted in the deaths of dozens and still hundreds are missing.“ (Strikt, Tineke (2014) in: Doc. 13164, Reference 3954 of 26 April 2013)


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STRATEGY: SUBSIDIARY SYSTEM OF NGO‘S

„It's very important. We can‘t work without having networks, without having other organizations working with us, sharing interest with us […] and whoever is advocating in favour of refugees.” (UNHCR)

➔ High importance of informal networks

“The main problem is that the Italian government did not made it up to establish a system where people where enough basic services are offered and at the end these services are provided by private organisations” (Borderline Sicilia)

“When I’m speaking about a network, I mean our big circle of friends: lawyers, psychologists etc.You choose the right partner for the situation. Alone we would never made it. We more work with individual persons from different organisations. But we more focus on the persons because they do it privately. It is a network of friends”. (Laici Comboniani)

→ “At the end this means in Siclia but also in Italy in general, private organisations, private people have established a subsidiary system of help” (Borderline Sicilia)


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CONCLUSION• statements of the organisation: several lacks in the asylum

system• „written down migration policy“ doesn‘t cover the actual

demand of basic social services Thus creates a gap in practical implementation and causes a

subsidary system of help

• NGO‘s try to fill the gap and compensate the laxness of the state


HYPOTHESIS: The Italian migration system depends on the work of NGO‘s and outsources governmental responsibilities.

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RESEARCH QUESTION

WHICH ROLE DO COLLECTIVE ACTORS PLAY WITHIN THE ITALIAN MIGRATION SYSTEM REGARDING TO TALK AND ACTION?

Governmental institutions depend on networks of collective actors (NGO‘s) and have the possibility to outsource or distribut their responsibilities.

In the Italian case: there are a lot of different actors with different characteristics and strategies, at the run we see a gap, which the NGOs try to fill

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8.Sources(1) CIA Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2147.html (checked on 2nd

of July 2014)

(2)ISTAT: http://demo.istat.it/bilmens2013gen/index_e.html (checked on 13th of June)

(3)Unemployment rate; EUROSTAT: http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=une_rt_a&lang=en

(4) Statistical Snapshot of UNHCR on Italy: http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e48e996

(5) http://www.meltingpot.org/articolo5596.html#.Urhmveld7IU

(6) Transcription: I001 – K-Pax

(7) Transcription: I002 - Naga

(8) Transcription: I003 – Centro Astalli

(9) Transcription: I004 - IOM

(10) Transcription: I005 – UNHCR

(13) http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/Home-EN.asp

(14) Chope, C. (2013) in: Doc. 1257, Reference 3766 of 15 April 2011

(15) Strikt, Tineke (2014) in: Doc. 13164, Reference 3954 of 26 April 2013

(16) http://www.unhcr.org/532c4cbb6.html

Picture slide 27: http://noborder-frankfurt.antira.info/files/2014/03/fnf_animation5.gif (checked on 2nd of July 2014)

(17) http://www.unhcr.org/5347d8fa9.html

(18) Transcrition:I006

(19) Transcription:I007

(20) Transcription:I008

(21) Transcription: I009

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http://www.unhcr.org/5347d8fa9.html



http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e48e996

http://www.meltingpot.org/articolo5596.html

http://www.assembly.coe.int/nw/Home-EN.asp

http://www.unhcr.org/532c4cbb6.html







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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!


Documents

C OUNTRY R EPORT – I TALY T HE ROLE OF MIGRATION ORGANIZATIONS IN THE I TALIAN MIGRATION SYSTEM International Workshop 5th of July 2014 Nils Backhaus,