A few days ago, in the refugee reception center where I work, I welcomed about ten people from different continents, including an Egyptian boy of around 35. After I recorded his personal details on the reception forms, I showed him the place he had read about him and handed him change. A few hours later, while I was alone in the office sorting things out for work, I saw him come back to me and he handed me a knife saying to myself: “I kept this knife with me during the trip for my defense in case of danger, but now I no longer need it because I feel protected in a safe place”.
Every year on June 20, the world celebrates the World Refugee Day to honor the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of people who have been forced from their homes by conflict, persecution and violence. This year it is important to reflect on the recent tragedy that occurred on June 15th in Greece, where a boat crowded with refugees capsized in Mediterranean waters, 78 dead. This accident led to loss of life innocenthighlighting the urgency of addressing the refugee crisis.
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With around 500 people still feared missing, according to The Guardian new survivor accounts indicate that women and children they were forced to travel in the hold and that some nationalities have been condemned to the most dangerous part of the fishing vessel. According to leaked testimony told by survivors to the coastguards, the Pakistanis were forced out below deckwith other nationalities allowed on the upper deck, where they had a better chance of surviving a capsize.
Evidence suggests the women and children were indeed “locked” in the hold, ostensibly for “protection” by the men on the overcrowded ship. The Observer learned Pakistani nationals were also kept below decks, with crew members who he was abused when they appeared looking for fresh water or trying to escape.
Over the past decade, thousands of people have lost their lives trying to reach Europe across dangerous journeys by sea. These people, often despair and with no alternatives, they rely on overcrowded and insecure boats, risking their lives in order to seek hope and a new opportunity in Europe. It is a sad tribute to the inhumane conditions and danger facing refugees seeking safety.
Throughout my experience working in refugee reception centres, I have seen firsthand and continue to see the challenges and difficulties we face in providing care to those who have lost everything. Humanitarian organizations and volunteers are also doing their best to respond to this humanitarian crisis, but without adequate support it is difficult to guarantee a dignified life to refugees.
Today we are in a state of emergency refugees, and every week there are new landings even if they are not talked about enough in the newspapers or on TV.
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It is essential that Italy, together with other European countries, commits itself more to addressing this crisis as soon as possible. We must understand that the refugee crisis is no longer a temporary “emergency”, but one normality. The number of people fleeing war, hunger, climate change and persecution continues to increase, and we must be ready to meet this challenge in a more sustainable and human. According to the World Bank, up to 143 million people currently living in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and Latin America could be forcibly displaced by 2050. Instead we continue to call it an “emergency”.