PRECARIOUS ASYLUM

Press release, Press releases

Rome, April 27th 2016 – Although the Centres of Special Reception for Asylum Seekers (CAS) are defined as “temporary and extraordinary structures”, they represent, for some years now, the backbone of the reception system in Italy, since about three out of four migrants are presently hosted in these centres. This is certainly the most obvious abnormality: an approach designed to be temporary becomes the core of the system. Moreover, to manage the reception of migrants under the logic of emergency by stipulating provisional agreements with a multitude of different managing institutions is both anachronistic and inefficient. The choice of an emergency- based management implies a risk of lack of controls on contracts, public funding and, above all, lower acceptance standards.

This report is based on direct observation and information collected by Medici per i Diritti Umani (Doctors for Human Rights) during 14 months (October 2014 – December 2015). Data were collected from both refugees and internal personnel working at the 16 Special Reception Centres (CAS) in the Ragusa Province for the project “ON TO: Stopping the torture of refugees from Sub-Saharan countries along the migratory route to Northern Africa”. During these months, a team of Medici per i Diritti Umani (MEDU) provided medical and psychological assistance to migrants victims of torture and inhuman treatments, collecting their testimonies. The continuing presence in CAS allowed MEDU to check and identify critical issues, therefore to suggest recommendations for a more respectful reception model required to fulfil the complex needs of migrants, particularly the most vulnerable. Indeed, the report suggests to increase the number of projects that meet the needs of the most vulnerable asylum seekers, such as victims of torture and people with mental health problems like post-traumatic psychopathologies, representing a significant portion of all migrants hosted in Italy’s reception centres.


Click here for the report SUMMARY (english)
Click here for the full report (italian)


Press office – +393343929765 / +390697844892 info@mediciperidirittiumani.org

Medici per i Diritti Umani (MEDU) is an independent humanitarian organization, which since 2006 has been providing assistance and social health guidance to refugees living in precarious conditions, through different programs. The project “ON.TO: Stopping the torture of refugees from Sub-Saharan countries along the migratory route to Northern Africa“ is realized with the financial support of the European Union, Open Society Foundations and Oxfam Italia.