RRE has joined more than 100 associations in signing a document which asks the Italian legislator for concrete and immediate solutions regarding the impact of COVID-19 emergency measures on displaced people.
The main matters included in this document include the living conditions in reception centers, as well as, in the informal settlement and repatriation centres (CPR). These places do not allow compliance with the rules laid out by the coronavirus emergency decree, and they put the health of the population, who are forced to live in these places, at risk. Furthermore, many people have received a refusal to apply for international protection or have lost their residence permit, due to the passing of Law 132/2018, and are now forced to live without a fixed home or in informal settlements, without essential services such as running water or sanitation.
For these reasons, the signatory associations ask for access to health services, the implementation of measures aimed at informing the foreign population on COVID-19 and the emergency measure taken by the government, the necessity to close large centers such as CAS and CARA – where more than 100 people would live together in close proximity – in favour of a widespread reception system in apartments. Several additional requests have been made by the associations to ensure that all people are welcomed in appropriate hosting structures, and that essential services are guaranteed to avoid spread of the virus.
In addition to this, the associations ask for changes in regards to administrative and judicial procedures, underlining in particular the need to suspend the detention and expulsion measures, as it is not possible to proceed with the transfer to third countries at the moment. Continuing to proceed with detention orders would result in extending the time of detention in the centres for repatriation (CPR) and aggravating the already difficult living conditions within the structures which also risk being overloaded.
Furthermore, the associations highlight the importance of proceeding with measures aimed at allowing associations involved in search-and-rescue activities to proceed safely, in order for both operators and rescued persons and to allow the rapid granting of a safe harbour.
The full document is available in Italian here.
Interested parties can sign the document here.
