Reggio Calabria, 1 August 2024 — The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) partners with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Italy to safeguard the most vulnerable individuals arriving at Europe’s shores and provide them with essential information about their rights and obligations in Europe.
The team of roving cultural mediators and protection experts operates in Sicily, Reggio Calabria, and Lampedusa, in support and close coordination with UNHCR teams, offering guidance on rights and asylum procedures to newly arrived individuals at the port, those in transit, and those staying in reception centres in the southern part of the country. The team focuses on identifying specific needs, particularly among women, children, families, presumed trafficking victims, survivors of gender-based violence, persons with disabilities and those who have endured torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment. These individuals are then connected with relevant support services in coordination with UNHCR and local actors.
Camilla Romano, Project Team Leader with the IRC, said: “As we face another summer when people are seeking safety and protection in Europe, we also encounter another season of heightened humanitarian needs. We see people arriving in Italy completely exhausted, often in a very bad mental and physical shape. It’s crucial to support them from the moment they arrive, ensuring they understand their rights, have access to asylum and international protection, and receive any necessary specialised assistance.
“Addressing the humanitarian situation in Italy requires long-term solutions to protect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers. Crossing borders to seek asylum is a fundamental right – it is essential to ensure the right to seek safety for all individuals on the move, without discrimination.”
Filippo Ungaro, UNHCR spokesperson, said:
"We are happy to welcome the IRC into our intervention in southern Italy as a further partner who, with its skills and proven experience, will help guarantee initial assistance, cultural mediation, and correct legal information to asylum seekers and migrants arriving on our shores. Refugees and migrants continue to face extreme forms of risk, violence, human rights violations and exploitation not only at sea but also on land routes across the African continent to the Mediterranean coasts. This is partly the result of deteriorating situations in countries of origin and host countries, with new conflicts flaring up in the Sahel and Sudan, the devastating impact of climate change and disasters on new and protracted emergencies in the east and the Horn of Africa, as well as manifestations of racism and xenophobia affecting refugees and migrants.
"Welcoming them in a dignified manner and providing them with all the services and information to guarantee the right to submit an asylum application or request various forms of protection remains an absolute priority and fundamental job.”