The plight of our compatriots in Italy

Our compatriots in Italy are facing difficult times in that European country.

Going by the news or reports of what they are currently facing there, it could be deduced that our people are having a hard time, as they continue to struggle to live under harsh conditions in Italy.

It has been reported that Italian natives of Via Giordano Bruno, the area of Torino with the highest concentration of African refugees and asylum seekers in Italy, are calling for the eviction and deportation of the African immigrants, including our own Gambians.

This situation has forced them to remain indoors, as protests by the indigenes continue.

Many undocumented Gambians who earn their daily bread in the streets are now indoors, not going for work, reports say.

Many of the immigrants said the move by the Italian citizens and authorities has racial connotations.

“We are humans like them; though we might be without homes, but that does not make us less human,” one Gambian immigrant said.

“Our situation should be put into consideration so that we can be free to live and work in Italy.”

This is a cause for concern, and we think something should be done about situation or condition of our people in Italy.

Indeed our people are human beings who must be treated as such, and with the consideration that no man is an island.

Authorities in both The Gambia and Italy should collaborate to find a solution to the plight of our people in Italy.

Every day we hear over the media the problems and mistreatment our African people are facing in Europe, especially in countries like Italy.

Their problems range from racial discrimination to lack of housing, employment and asylum papers. 

As a result, they go through very harsh conditions in countries like Italy, where our Gambian compatriots are going through hell on earth, if current reports from that country are anything to go by.

Recent reports by the BBC as regards the situation of African migrants in Italy, and the stance of the Italian government and people are giving a clear picture of what our people are going through in European countries like Italy.

It is reported that many Gambians have left their camps in Italy without proper documentation because of the cumbersomeness of the process of having papers, as police continue to hunt undocumented individuals and get them detained or deported. 

It is also reported that to find a regular job with decent wages is difficult for undocumented immigrants, and such people hardly report any case of abuse meted to them by their employers or the society since their stay is illegal.

So it is vital that our governments and the international community work in collaboration with one another to bring a better solution to the plight of our people in Europe.

“Their situation should be put into consideration so that they can be free to live and work in Italy.”

The Point