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CARA of Mineo: a reception model incompatible with personal dignity
Rome, June 11 th 2015 – Medici per i Diritti Umani -MEDU- (Doctors for Human Rights) releases the report on the CARA of Mineo reception center for asylum seekers) which was submitted on May the 25th to the Italian Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry on Detention and Reception Conditions of migrants. During the first months of 2015, there has been a revival of the debate on immigration and the sustainability of the current reception system. The recently broken scandals and cases of corruption, such as that one “Mafia Capitale”, along with the high numbers of migrants arriving by sea, make it necessary to constantly monitor the conditions under which migrants stay in Italy and the effectiveness of the reception structures currently available.
Since November 2014, a MEDU team has been operative inside the CARA of Mineo every week, collecting testimonies and providing medical and psychiatric assistance to asylum seekers who are victims of torture and inhuman and degrading treatments. This presence is part of the project “ON.TO: Stop the torture of refugees along the migratory route from Sub-Saharan countries to North Africa.” While carrying out its activities, the MEDU team – made up of a coordinator, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a cultural mediator – has observed many significant problems which, in the majority of cases, are intrinsic to this reception model based on a macro-structure hosting from 3,200 to 4,000 people.
Overcrowding. Remoteness of the center with respect to the surrounding area. Waiting times of up to 18 months to complete the process for the recognition of international protection (compared with 35 days provided for by law). Failure to enroll asylum seekers to the National Health Service (in contrast to applicable norms). Failure to supply access to psychological and legal support services. Degradation, lawlessness, and episodes of violence , which are difficult to manage and control, as also stated by the Police Forces. These are some of the most serious problems detected by MEDU in the CARA of Mineo and illustrated and presented to the Parliamentary Commission.
All of this has negative repercussions on the wellbeing of the guests, reduced to a number and forced to queue in long lines for food and medical care. The relationship that develops between those who work inside the reception facilities and the migrants who are hosted can only be imbalanced, with the asylum seeker forced into a passive dimension and dysfunctional dependency by the others.In view of all these considerations, the model of the CARA of Mineo confirms to be even more inadequate for receiving the most vulnerable asylum seekers. In particular, its size makes it difficult to identify and care for people with severe mental disorders and victims of inhuman, degrading treatment or torture ,who instead for a high percentage of forced migrants hosted in the CARA. On the contrary, for them it would be necessary to adopt an approach which is centred on the single asylum seeker and his personal needs . Additionally, some characteristics of the Mineo model – condition of anonymity, long waiting times and duration of stay, the feeling of being “detached” from the surrounding area – represent important risk factors for the onset and aggravation of mental distress as well as elements which strongly affect the processes of growth and treatment.
The report outlines also the key elements of an alternative reception model, which needs to be decentralized, built around small-medium sized centres, equally distributed across all provinces, and adequately monitored. This model would make it possible to support all migrants in building a network of social relations with the region and its services, facilitating the development of their autonomy and improving their access to health care, psychological, social and legal services existing in the area. It will also facilitate the prompt -identification and the provision of adequate assistance to the most vulnerable individuals.
Click here for the report
Ufficio stampa – 3343929765 / 0697844892 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 and Open Society Foundations.