Human rights group Physicians for Human Rights (MEDU) has condemned the conditions in which unaccompanied minors are being forced to stay for long periods in hotspots in southern Italy. The group is calling for government intervention.
MEDU said in a statement on Wednesday, December 27, that a 16-year-old boy from Cameroon, identified only as J., was recently forced to spend 96 days in Chifari, a migration hotspot in western Sicily. emphasized.
“Like him, many unaccompanied foreign minors remain in hotspots waiting to be transferred elsewhere for more than 30 days, an increase to 45 in recent days,” the group said in a statement. ” he said.
According to the team at the medical charity, ‘Adults [only] “On average, children stay in the same center for seven days,” the group said, adding that their stay in these facilities should be limited to completing the identification process.
Psychotherapists from MEDU’s local team testified, “For Mr. J, the days he spent in the Chifali hotspot were slow, not knowing when he would be transferred,” and said that the ten people he met, He said the teenagers had expressed “fear and anger”.
“They fear being deported, fear an uncertain future,” and expressed “anger because they have been suspended in uncertainty for the past three months,” the group said.
“The property is in a very precarious condition, with no heating and only one hot shower for an average of 100 guests,” it added, adding that the property was “under constant surveillance by a critical contingent. “It was surrounded by high gates,” he said. Being a member of the security forces and the military, I could not easily leave.
Something like Libya in Italy
MEDU officials said many migrants recalled the abuse and torture they suffered on migration routes and in Libyan prisons, “as a result of which post-traumatic stress disorder developed or worsened.”
However, Italy does not have enough space for a minor player like J.Roger.
“As of October 31, 2023, there were 23,798 unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy with a total of 6,006 slots available in SAI (Integrated Hosting Services) facilities and FAMI (Fund for Refugee Migration and Integration) facilities. It is registered in hundreds of slots.
“Mathematically speaking, this means that only 25% of unaccompanied alien minors are able to find a place to stay in SAI or FAMI facilities, and the remaining 75% are partially hosted by family members. or they will be staying in licensed facilities under the responsibility of the region or municipality.
The organization said, “For more than three months, unfortunate people like Mr. J have been left immobile, sleeping in vast dormitories without heating, with no possibility of movement, and with an uncertain future.” I’ll have to,” he lamented. .
“MEDU urges governments to promptly transfer unaccompanied minors to appropriate detention facilities where they enjoy all safety measures provided by international treaties and national law,” the statement said. finished.