Finding Haven, Moving On...
Refugees desperate for haven from conflict and oppression have been spilling out of ships travelling to Italy, the closest contact from North Africa. Their perilous journey arranged by traffickers eager to cash in on war and the misery it causes are looting desperate people of whatever funds they have managed to take with them. Each day, refugees arrive in their desperate boatloads on the shores of Italy. |
| The Daily Star, Lebanon...Italy was required to share the fingerprints of 60,000 but sent only 43,000 |
Most refugees arriving in Europe via Italy have no intention of remaining in Italy, preferring to settle in northern Europe where job opportunities are more available, and where established refugee communities are able to look to their needs. Migrants from the Middle East and North Africa stream into Italy where unemployment sits at 12.6%, youth unemployment a staggering 43%.
As the receiving country of first entry, European Union rules are that Italy must fingerprint all asylum seekers. The reason is simple enough; should such asylum seekers continue on to other countries which have no wish to accept them as refugees, that EU law permits them to send the refugees back to their point of entry; Italy. Understandably, since it remains the target point of entry, Italy takes exception to this rule.
As a result it fails to fingerprint all refugees arriving at its shores. As it is, Italy already spends $13-million monthly in the rescue of thousands of migrants perilously crossing from North Africa aboard smugglers' boats. This operation to rescue the migrants arose from the disastrous drowning of 360 migrants off Sicily last year. Italy feels, justifiably, that its geographic position in Europe has victimized it in the inflow of desperate human beings.
The refugees are content not to be fingerprinted. Syrian migrants make their way to Milan's central train station in groups, met there by railway police, aid workers and city officials offering food, a bed and asylum advice. Ten and a half thousand Syrians came to Milan since October, with a mere eight requesting asylum in Italy, the others, after a brief rest in Milan, head north, and not fingerprinted, there is no record of their Italian entry.
The number of migrants arriving by boat to Italy this year through June 30 reached 60,435, according to the Italian Interior Ministry. By EU rules the accompanying children needn't be fingerprinted. In that time frame Italy shared 43,382 sets of fingerprints with Brussels. Fully one-quarter of the refugees passing through Italy haven't been fingerprinted. And Italy's EU partners are not very happy about it.
Labels: Crisis Management, European Union, Italy, Refugees
posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, July 08, 2014
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