PROPOSTA DI CAMPAGNA I.E.C. IN ITALIA SU MIGRANTI E RICHIEDENTI ASILO/ PROPOSAL OF AN I.E.C. CAMPAIGN ON MIGRANTS

PROPOSAL OF AN INFORMATION EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE

ON BEHALF OF MIGRANTS IN ITALY (AND EUROPE) 

I should like to address just an aspect of the overall complex scenario of international migrations, that is, the question of the social, cultural, emotional and political integration  of the refugees, asylum seekers and so-called economic migrants in the Italian context.

We all know that, given the current international conflicts and crises, the impact of epochal climate changes already deteriorating fragile agricultural economies, given high rates of unemployment and lack of opportunities in “developing” countries, inflows of migrants will continue and increase in the future, all over the world, over Europe and in particular in Italy, owing to its geographical coordinates.  It is not necessary here to mention numbers, but we are speaking of hundreds of thousands of human beings arriving every year, people who risk their lives and go through incredibly hard vicissitudes and are obliged to pay absurdly high sums to the organized international crime. Too often, they pay with their lives their daring to hope for a better life. The worsening climate conditions all over the planet, in particular impacting already the poorer rural areas of Africa, Asia and South America, will produce many more climate refugees in the near future.

However, the majority of the Italian people, and in particular those more prone to lend ears to populist and xenophobic discourse, have very vague ideas about the living conditions of those who are “forcibly displaced”, apart from  the  TV images of Iraqi, Afghan or Syrian civil wars, or some documentary on some African country. They travel to spend vacations in Kenya, South Africa, Morocco or Tunisia with organized tour operators, barely speak one foreign language, rarely two. This explains at least partially the success of some Italian parties like the League or Brothers of Italy and conflictual outbreaks and clashes as those in Rosarno a few years ago. Others live in small urban areas, already deprived of decent services and amenities and fear that the accommodation of a few foreigners will worsen already precarious living conditions. But there are also well-off families who refuse hospitality.

These are people hardly reading national newspapers, let alone international newspapers; their world vision stops very near the threshold of their own apartment or semi-detached houses. It is not only an Italian phenomenon, though, the rise of these nationalistic and ultimately selfish attitudes. We are witnessing a rising trend in many European countries towards more restrictive policies towards hosting increasing refugees and migrant inflows: even generous Germany is backtracking, and we see how the “Front National” in France is gaining ground. Poland and Hungary are ruled by rightist xenophobic leaders. We need to counter this surge of intolerance and mistrust towards strangers that threatens to pervade Europe. 

As far as Italy is concerned, it is therefore to be welcomed the news that our Ministry of the Interior is launching a Plan for a better distribution all over Italy of migrants and refugees, with quotas for Municipalities, according to their population, on a voluntary basis. The key-phrase is “on a voluntary basis”. Mayors are very sensitive to prevailing moods in the towns they manage and represent, as they want to keep their popularity, and in order to favour acceptance by a wider audience of such a move towards hosting strangers it is necessary that a new awareness of a wider world outside their windows be aroused.

Who among them has ever heard of conditions prevailing in Maiduguri, Diffa, Juba or the Gambia? Who has an idea of what is still going on in Darfur, of the shambles of 28 September 2009 in Conakry? Of the current crisis in R.D.C., In Kashmir, In Burundi or what is life like in Peshawar?

That is why I think that, in parallel with the above-mentioned plan of distribution of refugees and migrants, another initiative is necessary in order to increase the chances of success of the acceptance and integration of the strangers into the local context. Information, Education and Communication (I.E.C.) campaigns have proved effective in the last decades with good results, and have mainly fulfilled expectations. We can also remember the IEC campaigns on behalf of people living with AIDS, or of the Social Marketing initiatives on breastfeeding, or the prevention of STD’s and AIDS in African countries and in South East Asia. IEC campaigns are designed on top of K.B.A.P. (knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practices) surveys, we may add also stereotypes and prejudice.  In Italy, we can surely gather a sufficient know-how in order to launch an articulated and effective campaign involving, in the forefront, the main interested party, the refugees and migrants themselves, in the short-medium term. Beyond moderately using mass media, the IEC campaign should concentrate on a panoply of multiple educational tools and involve a grassroots approach and vis-à-vis communication. Expertise in the international field is certainly available, and I am sure there will be many adult education and international cooperation consultants who will be very happy to volunteer for free to design, organize and participate in such an exciting and useful undertaking.

It would do a world of good to our country and Italy may become an example to follow in Europe.

Update 9 November 2016: The number of people drowned during the dangerous crossing of the Mediterrenean had reached the appaling figure of 4,233 on 7 November.(https://missingmigrants.iom.int/mediterranean). Please note that many more may have died onroute on land from their countries towards the coast of the Mediterranean, or in Lybian prisons, or in unknown shipwrecks.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: SAVING LIVES IS THE PRIORITY

FIRST THINGS FIRST

THE REFUGEE AND MIGRATION CRISIS 2015

The indignation following the publication of the image of the dead child on the shore of a Turkish beach is inducing, it seems, some leaders of European countries  to loosen the tight red tape regulating conditions for entry to the Schengen area and increasing caps for allowing more refugees  into Europe.

 BUT… they are the SURVIVORS! …Allowing more of them into Europe or  the US will not prevent them from being  obliged to pay criminal networks to be ferried in dangerous dinghies or loaded onto overcharged ramshackle boats and  drowning in the Mediterranean! This will not help them to cross safely the Sahara, will not save them from dying at the hands of Lybian hangmen in horrible dungeons, from being tortured by extorsioners.

What is needed with the utmost urgency is for International UN agencies such as I.O.M., UNHCR, UNICEF and possibly others, in coordination with a single UE Reference Authority (what is Ms Mogherini doing?) to set up REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT CENTRES, NOT HOTSPOTS OR SEMI-PERMANENT  REFUGEE CAMPS aimed  to keep them off European shores, on the IMMEDIATE BORDERS of the countries from which they flee. MSF, M.M., Emergency can also help. 

Here the refugees will be registered,  can rest, receive medical assistance  and feel safe, and according to their personal links with friends and family already living in Europe or the US or elsewhere be helped to reach the country of preference,  according to possibilities and feasibility.  Former refugees should be part of the screening process, they can better interpret needs and aspirations of their likes. They should function as TRANSIT CENTRES to freedom and  a new life. Only this will defeat the mafias fattening on the blood of war victims.

For Syrian refugees, the bulk, safe heavens must be established all along the southern Turkish  border  (and Turkey must be enjoined to stop from the dirty war on Kurds or face sanctions), for Somalis or  Eritreans the registration camps can be set up in Kenya and Ethiopia, the migration routes are well known. They must be intercepted early on their way to salvation.  And also Yemenis will be on the run…

In countries like Afghanistan or Pakistan where Embassies and Consulates are free to function normally (or almost, in Afghanistan), staff can be boosted to screen people who wish to leave from dangerous areas or feel persecuted for any reason. 

Money lacking for funding these unforeseen interventions? How about a minimum tax on the trillion dollars being traded daily in official transactions in the world Stock Exchanges?  How about an extraordinary Tobin Tax for an extraordinary emergency involving hundreds of thousands  of human beings? Or on soccer matches tickets….

Anything short of this or a similar approach, holding saving the lives of refugees the real priority before welcoming them into safe heavens in Europe, will perpetuate the shambles ,continue to  feed criminal rings and decree the failure of the construction of a decent Europe. And the “merchants of human flesh” will certainly NOT be the only criminals.