Dozens of events in Italy planned for World Refugee Day
The UN Refugee agency UNHCR is promoting dozens of initiatives across Italy for World Refugee Day on June 20. The goal is to share refugees' stories through art, music and gastronomy.
Italy
Theater helps refugees recover their identity
The play "Io ero io" (I was me) tackles trauma and identity. It was inspired by the experiences of 15 refugees. "I was me" was created through a theater project in Milan, Italy, which brought together refugees, playwrights, directors, and actors.
Migrants’ doctor Pietro Bartolo: From Lampedusa to Brussels
After spending 27 years as the first doctor to examine migrants reaching Europe’s shores, Pietro Bartolo is now about to take over as a member of the European Parliament in Brussels. InfoMigrants caught up with Bartolo on Lampedusa and asked him about the Italian government's policies vis-a-vis NGO migrant rescue ships and his hopes as an MEP.
Housing project launches in Lucca, Italy
Looking for housing in Lucca, a city in the central Italian region of Tuscany? The project "Aggiungi un posto in casa - Abitare solidale' (Add a place at home - supportive housing) might help. It connects students, migrants and the elderly who are looking for a place to live with those who offer housing.
Southern EU leaders criticize migrant rescue ships
Leaders of southern EU states tried to develop a common political and economic stance ahead of an EU summit. Migration was one issue on the agenda, with a call for rescue ships to give way to the Libyan coast guard.
Italy allows 10 migrants to leave German Sea-Watch ship
Italy has allowed 10 rescued migrants on the Sea-Watch 3 to leave the vessel. Two pregnant women and two sick men are among those who have been given permission to disembark.
Fact Check: The Salvini decree explained
How does the Salvini decree effect asylum seekers and refugees in Italy? Our latest #FactCheck video explains just that.
Italy: Nigerian group involved in human trafficking dismantled
Italian authorities have arrested four people on suspicion of human trafficking and aiding prostitution. The arrests also lead to the dismantling of the group that was allegedly operating in Nigeria, Libya and Italy.
Mediterranean: Over 1,100 migrants dead in one year, MSF and SOS Mediterranee say
It's been one year since Italy announced it was closing its ports to humanitarian vessels. Since then, at least 1,151 men, women and children have been reported dead while over 10,000 have been forcibly taken back to Libya and exposed to further suffering, SOS Mediterranee and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) say. They want EU states to change their policies.
Italy: Sharp drop in migrant arrivals
There's been a sharp drop in migrant arrivals in Italy by sea this year, according to the Italian interior minister. There's also been a drop in asylum requests in the Southern European country.
Frontex: Migration situation has improved significantly
The illegal immigration situation in the EU has "significantly improved," with 30,000 irregular crossings of EU borders since the start of 2019, Fabrice Leggeri, the director of the European Union border agency Frontex, said in a recent interview.
Hate speech against certain groups in Italy growing
The "Map of Intolerance," a project by Vox-Italian Observatory on Rights, revealed an increase in hate speech on Twitter in Italy against migrants, Muslims, and Jews.