Gianguido D'Alberto: 'Diffuse centres to get out of the emergency perspective
For the mayor of Teramo and Anci delegate for immigration, resources must be shifted from Cas to Sai and training and assistance services must be implemented
Moving away from the emergency perspective, rebalancing the territorial distribution of the accommodation facilities and strengthening the Sai (Reception and Integration System) network, which is headed by the municipalities. This is the direction to follow according to Gianguido D'Alberto, mayor of Teramo and Anci (National Association of Italian Municipalities) delegate for immigration.
Question: The summer landings have led to an increase in the number of unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy, which at the end of October numbered more than 18,000 (+9.5% compared to June). However, places continue to be in short supply and the municipalities are in difficulty...
ANSWER: Resources must be shifted from the Cas, the first reception facilities managed by the Ministry of the Interior, to the Sai, which guarantee not only board and lodging, but also training and assistance services and therefore social inclusion. This does not mean cutting the Cas, but getting out of an emergency logic and strengthening the ordinariness of the system. The new EU directive on reception that Italy must implement takes up the spirit of the Sai centres, which is widespread reception. The shift to the Cas centres decided in previous years has not worked. The worst situations are mixed facilities, where adults are also present and for minors there is a real security risk. Reception in small facilities not only reduces the risk of these children being recruited by the criminal world, but also has the advantage of counteracting depopulation of the territories.
D: Most foreign minors living alone are accommodated in Sicily (26.8%) and in large cities, especially in Lombardy (12.7%). What can be done to make the distribution more homogeneous?
A: We must get out of the pattern of a few centres concentrated in certain areas and push for widespread reception. Where new Sai are enlarged or built, the Cas must be reduced. The safeguard clause according to which the municipalities that adhere to the Sai network are excluded from further forms of reception must be reactivated. It is also important for the Sai centres to become all-round welfare services, also capable of responding to the labour needs of companies.
