Italy's regional governors have told a parliamentary committee that facilities for asylum seekers are not up to standard and described conditions for children and teenagers as 'completely inadequate.'
Governors from the Italian regions, in a report to a parliamentary committee in charge of oversight of the Schengen agreement, have condemned conditions in asylum reception facilities, especially those for unaccompanied minors.
Nunzia Albano, a member of the regional administration of Sicily, highlighted the fragmentation of asylum facilities, which she said had the effect of "making it difficult for institutions to manage the issue."
"(This) has an impact on the streamlining of the protection and inclusion path for minors," Albano said.
Impact of Ukraine arrivals
The report said there were 23,531 unaccompanied minors in Italy as of September 30, 2023. "This figure has significantly increased when compared to the numbers registered in 2022 (18,801) and in 2021 (9,661)," said Albano.
She explained that the increase is in large part due to the arrival of a significant number of minors from Ukraine.
Of greatest concern to the regional governors are the conditions for minors in the initial reception centers, which the report called "completely inadequate ...[according to] basic qualitative standards set by law."
"Due to the lack of places in the hosting centers, minors are put on a waiting list and are nearly deprived of any type of shelter, or are placed in precarious situations with relatives or fellow nationals," the report said.
"The significant increase in the number of unaccompanied minors was not met by an increase in the available places in shelter facilities for minors," it continued.
In Italy, most minors (70%) are sheltered in initial reception facilities, while 23% are hosted in private accommodation. A large number of the minors who are taken in by families come from Ukraine (92%).
Problems with age determination of migrant minors
In the report, the regions also underscored the difficulty in verifying the ages of minors. Appropriate protocols are often neglected because "few regions have medical facilities" with a multidisciplinary medical team. A lack of money was also cited as a reason for the failure to follow protocols.
Albano highlighted that in the majority of facilities "staff are forced to change jobs due to the delay in payment of salaries, with the consequent risk of burnout and lack of stability for the team."
To address these issues, regional leaders called in the report for pressure to be reduced on sites such as Sicily and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. "It is imperative that a ban be enacted in these regions against the transfer of foreign unaccompanied minors from other regions," it said.
"Minors should not be transferred [to these locations] from other regions, but it should rather be the other way round," said Albano.