The Italian authorities cannot solve the problem of the extremely large flow of migrants from North Africa who are trying to take refuge in the Apennine Peninsula in search of refuge. According to an official government press release, today the Italian naval forces saved about a thousand immigrants from Syria and other African countries in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
According to the Italian naval forces, today four boats overcrowded with over 800 people were found off the coast of the country. Moreover, another boat with 200 illegal immigrants was also seen in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was later towed to the island of Sicily. The country's navy recently stated that it was mainly African people on board the ship, whose influx into Italy increased significantly due to the numerous conflicts on the Arabian Peninsula, overwhelmed by its poverty and low standard of living.
Not so long ago, a big scandal erupted in Italy regarding the conditions in which illegal migrants from Africa are detained. A video appeared on the world network that clearly demonstrates the terrible conditions in which immigrants from the Arabian Peninsula are imprisoned. As a rule, the majority of illegal migrants arriving are sent to special camps for temporary detention.
Last month, authorities conducted a thorough check of such a camp on the island of Lampedusa, after which a decision was made to eliminate this temporary refuge for illegal immigrants.
UN observers
The UN Commission on Affairs has previously repeatedly criticized Italy for its poor treatment of migrants from Africa, as well as for the fact that the authorities tried to send the Africans who arrived in the country back. In a statement, the United Nations called on Italy to improve the conditions of illegal immigrants in special camps, arguing that the assistance provided to refugees from Africa is “below acceptable standards”. The UN also stated that each country has an obligation to respect the rights of migrants and not to apply any violence to them.
Economic situation
An excessively large influx of illegal immigrants affects the situation in the economy. The past year 2013 was marked by one of the most difficult for Italy: the country was not in such an economic recession during the Second World War. Unemployment among the population has reached a critical level of 40 percent. Italy alone can no longer solve the migration problem, therefore, the country's authorities turned to the EU for help, which has already decided to send about 30 million euros to resolve the refugee situation.
Refugees from African countries, as a rule, arrive in the Mediterranean Sea, which often ends in disastrous and tragic situations for them. So, in early October, near the Italian island of Lampedusa, a ship sank transporting about five hundred illegal migrants. As a result of the crash, hundreds of immigrants from the Arabian Peninsula died, and the Italian authorities later decided to create special units, whose task is to patrol the country's coast, aimed at avoiding such cases.
