1. Italian senate approves new immigration law
In spite of strenuous opposition by leftist minorities and civil society groups, the new law on immigration and asylum drafted by Marco Minniti and Andrea Orlando has landed on the Senate floor with no amendments and with the government’s vote of confidence. A bill that will cause damage to the rights system is about to become law: there is really no cause for celebrating. Read the explainer in Lenius.
2. EU values are drowning in the Mediterranean with the migrants
As deaths at sea are hitting record numbers, Europe seems incapable to take responsibility. But letting thousands of migrants drown in the Mediterranean is an intolerable violation of the most fundamental human values, on which the European Union is built. And so the EU values are drowning with the migrants. Read Judith Sunderland’s op-ed in EU Observer.
3. The human costs of Fortress Europe: asylum seekers suffer abuse along the Balkan route
A new report from Oxfam called “A Dangerous Game” describes the costs of strict border control, documenting the mistreatment suffered by hundreds of asylum seekers travelling along the Balkan route at the hands of Western border officials. Read Rachel Roberts’ article in The Independent.
4. The desperate journey of a trafficked girl
Every year, thousands of Nigerian teenagers endure forced labour and sex work and risk death on the route to Europe. Read about their desperate journey in the words of Ben Taub reporting for The New Yorker.
5. The journey of asylum seekers across the Mediterranean, in pictures
Italian photojournalist Giulio Piscitelli spent five years documenting the desperate struggle of refugees attempting to emigrate into Europe: see his panoramic portrayal in Newsweek.
6. The new arrivals
The refugee crisis seen through the eyes of its protagonists. “The New Arrivals” is an immersive story, a long-term project tracking migrants and refugees as they settle in Europe: 500 days, 25 lives, 4 newspapers in 4 different languages (British Guardian, Spain’s El Pais, France’s Le Monde and Germany’s Spiegel). You can start by reading the special on Ventimiglia in El Pais and the Guardian‘s story on the deeply unfair distribution of asylum seekers around Britain.
7. The consequences of relying on private citizens for refugee settlement
When governments fail, private citizens step in: we are witnessing a massive effort on the part of civil society to take in refugees, wherever government support is absent. One only needs to think of the successful Canadian model. But this kind of solutions, however important they are, cannot be enough. Read the analysis by Craig Damian Smith, Tea Hadziristic and Lina Alipour in Refugees Deeply.
8. Everyday border guards
Welcome to Britain, where borders are an everyday issue and everybody is expected to be an anti-immigration border guard. So much for a welcoming reception. Read the article by Georgie Wemyss, Kathryn Cassidy and Nira Yuval-Davis for The Conversation.
9. “Extreme vetting” is already the reality for refugees in America
The Trump administration has been calling for stricter checks for refugees entering the US. But Trump’s “extreme vetting” has been a reality for some time. This comic in Vox shows how.
10. Tales of Syrian refugees, in a comic
At a loss for words to tell the tragedy of the war in Syria and the tribulations of Syrian refugees? The story has now been turned into a comic by Marvel in collaboration with ABC News.
Translation by Francesco Graziosi.
Cover image: Kate Ausburn (CC BY 2.0).
