ISCRIVITI - Ti informeremo sulla nostra azione di cura e testimonianza
THIRD REPORT ON THE HUMANITARIAN SITUATION OF MIGRANTS IN TRANSIT ALONG THE NORTH-WEST BORDER OF THE ALPS
Oulx, 9 July 2021 – In the first five months of 2021 (January to May) the small town of Oulx, located on the Italian-French border in the Upper Susa Valley, continued to be an important crossroad of two migratory flows towards France, as already reported by MEDU in previous reports: one coming from the Balkan route with the intention of crossing by foot the Colle del Monginevro and the another one, with more varied origins and often constituted by people with a longer stay in Italy, trying to cross the Frejus.
As in 2020, also in 2021 the main countries of origin of those arriving in Oulx are Afghanistan and Iran, followed by Algeria and, to a lesser extent, Western Sub-Saharan African countries, arriving in Italy via the central Mediterranean route.
The characteristic feature of the flow from the Balkan route is the presence of many families, often large ones, pregnant women, unaccompanied minors and elderly people. Their journey is full of difficulties and violence and can last from 2 to 6 years and even up to 10 or 30 years. Crossing the mountains separating Italy from France puts people at serious risk, particularly in the Winter months due to snow and arctic temperatures as well as to the inexperience of migrants.
In the last few months of the past year, more than 4,700 people passed through Oulx, and in the first months of 2021 there were about 1,000 admissions per month, divided between two shelters: ChezJesOulx, an old canton house occupied by anarchists that provides assistance to people in transit, and the Rifugio Fraternità Massi, managed by the Talità Kum Budrola Onlus Foundation with the support of many volunteers
The eviction of the canton house by the police on 23 March 2021, without providing any alternative solution for the reception of people in transit, led to an inevitable situation of serious overcrowding in the only remaining shelter, forcing many people to remain on the streets. In the face of institutional silence and the increasing militarisation of the border, only the transnational work of solidarity has prevented more deaths at the border.
In view of the framework described, MEDU calls for:
– An assumption of responsibility by the institutions, in response to the worrisome, ongoing humanitarian crisis and the needs of people in transit.
– The strengthening and extension of low-threshold reception facilities and the opening of the Fraternity Massi-Talità Kum shelter in Oulx 24 hours a day.
– The setting up of a medical centre accessible to all migrants, regardless of their legal status, providing basic care as well as gynaecological and paediatric attention.
– The search for humanitarian solutions for the most vulnerable people who find themselves crossing the border in high-risk conditions in an attempt to evade border control devices.