The Praesidium Project Consolidating reception capacities in respect of migration flows reaching the island of Lampedusa and other strategic border points on the Sicilian costs
Migration flows towards Italy and Europe Mixed flows potential asylum seekers and economic migrants; Majority is composed of men; Age between 20 and 30 y.o.; Majority has a basic level of education; Significant increase of unaccompanied minors;
The routes of irregular migration Main destinations in Europe from Africa: Canary islands (Spain) Sicily (Italy). Main departure points in Africa: Western coast (Mautitania, Sahara Occidentale e Southern Morocco) and Libya and Tunisia. Routes of migration are very complex and change continuously. Recently Egypt - Sicily. Besides, when controls are enhanced by a State along one border, migrants find other routes, always more dangerous.
The routes
The cost of the trip The price paid to traffickers Sea route: Euro From Africa to Canarie islands: 1.000-1.500 From Libya to Italy: 1.000-2.000 Ground route: Through the Shahara desert: 1.700-3.400 Air/fground/sea: From Asia to Europe: 5.000-10.000 Stop by stop
Migrants arrived in Lampedusa and Sicily report that: Most of them depart from Libya (90%, Tunisia 10%) from Tunisia only small boats. In Libya: Long periods (from 1 week to 1 year) confined in closed houses. Smugglers use to split the migrant based on the nationality in order to avoid tensions between different ethnic groups. Migrants are fed by smugglers, in no case can go out of the houses. Sub-Saharan migrants are particularly discriminated, because of the color are more visible and traceable, therefore exposed to blackmailing. Besides the ones who live in the closed house there are plenty of people that can be defined as transit migrants.
In general: Decreasing phenomenon Total 2006: 18.350 - Total 2007:12.169 Arrivals per Month 2006-2007 2006 2007 3490 3386 2419 2187 2293 2276 2490 1890 1637 1583 1248 1182 467 467 394 194 626 84 0 796 646 126 297329 January February March April May June July August September October November December
350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0 3 1 2 0 0 2 1 2 0 1 3 0 303 210 125 87 11 17 Women arrived in Lampedusa 2006 (tot.667) 2007 (tot.889) 286 152 166 38 1 6 10 3 3 2 1 2 21 2 0 1 1 3 36 12 1 0 3 4 2 2 8 10 22 A l g e r i a B a n g l a d e s h B e n i n B u r k i n a F a s o C a m e r u n E g y p t E r i t r e a E t h i o p i a G h a n a I r a q I v o r y C o a s t L i b e r i a M o r o c c o N i g e r N i g e r i a P a l e s t i n e S e n e g a l S i e r r a L e o n e S o m a l i a S o u t h A f r i c a S u d a n T o g o T u n i s i a N o r e c o r d o f a t i o n a l i t y / g e n d e r 2006 2007
Arrivi mensili di Minori a Lampedusa 2006(1048) - 2007 (1264) Nationalities: Algeria, Bangladesh, Benin, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iraq, Ivory Coast,Lebanon, Liberia, Lybia, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia 350 313 300 282 250 200 234 212 2006 2007 150 157 146 168 156 125 114 100 86 81 59 71 50 0 38 25 20 10 10 5 0 0 0 0 JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
Upon departure Migrants wait untill are called by smugglers: during the night they are taken to the shores. Very delicate moment. Family can be separated and women subject to violence. Main departure points in Libya (beside Zwara): Abu Kammash, Sbrata, Zat Alimab, Tripoli, Abul Nour, Al Jarabowli, Al Khemes, Zwara.
The Trip Some women are subject to violence upon departure (most of them however during the stay in Libya). We had to follow some Somali women that, arrived in Italy, decided to interrupt pregnancy. The trip lasts from 15 hours to 2/3 days. If it lasts more it means that the migrants are lost or something happened to the compass or to the engine. In the latter case they arrive in desperate conditions (if they are individuated by Coast guards). In some cases rubber dinghies just deflated. No traffickers on boat. Traffickers are present only on big boats (100 to 500 people in one boat). In general drivers are people without experience that pretend to know how to drive and are given a free lift. Sub-Saharan migrants are easily sacrificed. They are generally provided with unsafe boats or rubber dinghies. In most cases they are the ones who are sent first to check sea conditions.
What happens when they arrive in Lampedusa/Sicily? IOM assistance: - Assistance upon landing of migrants; - Legal counseling to migrants on consequences of irregular entry. - Identification of vulnerable groups such as victims of trafficking and unaccompanied minors, people in need. - Counseling on family reunification, if feasible. - Referral to competent authorities (police, judicial authority). - Monitoring of reception centre conditions and general migrant s treament;
Upon migrant s landing Monitoring of first aid assistance; Monitoring of migrant treatment at the pier (ensure a dignity treatment, privacy, etc); Referral of needy cases (medical care, special cases, etc); Support to family identification; Providing of first information as to the basics procedures (transfer/police identification ex. Eritreans -, etc...) and inform about IOM, UNHCR and Red Cross presence in the camp;
Vulnerable groups victims of trafficking Early identification in Lampedusa and Sicily; Ad hoc counselling, trust bulding with the victim and case assesment; Referral to police and judicial authority in Lampedusa and Sicily; Referral to medical/psyco support when requested or needed; Request to the competent authority to trasfer the victim in a protected enviroment and follow up of the case with the social workers; Thecnical assistance as to the legal status of the victim to social workers, police and judicial authority; Request to the police and the judicial authority the release of residence permits ex art. 18 Italian Immigration Act; Advocacy with the judicial authority (Palermo Anti Mafia District Prosecutor) as to the correct identification of the crime of trafficking in human beings;
Vulnerable groups - non accompanied minors IOM: Monitors the phenomenon - increasing: Follows the transfer of minors from Lampedusa to specialized reception centers in Sicily; Provides technical assistance to social workers of the centers as to legal aspects of migrant s stay; Monitors reception facilities and refer to competent authorities; Ensures coordination with police and judicial authority (Guardianship judge) to overcome legal problems that might arise as to the legal position of minors;
Vulnerable groups- others Identification of other vulnerable cases such as exploited migrants and request of art. 18 (Italian Immigration Act); Identification of migrants that need special care or assistance and follow up; Support to family reunion through early referral to police; DNA testing for family reunification (Libya- Italy) or upon judicial request;
IOM Staff In Lampedusa: 1 Field officer 1 Cultural mediator In Rome: Project coordinator Legal expert In Sicily 1 Field officer 1 Cultural mediator All IOMers are always in contact to ensure follow up and monitoring
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