UNHCR, Caritas Italy and the Communitas Consortium have launched a project in Italy called 'Family First' which aims to support family reunification of refugees in Italy.
The UN Refugee Agency UNHCR, together with Caritas Italy and the Communitas Consortium, is working to help refugees with family reunification through a project called "Family First". The initiative will focus in its initial phase on research of current practices in Italy to understand the procedures more clearly and how current mechanisms can be improved and made more efficient.
A second phase will implement an information campaign to increase public and political awareness on the topic.
'Devastating consequences' of separations
"It is universally recognized that the family is the fundamental unit of society and has the right to protection by society and the state," the organizations said in a statement. "Following the separation caused by forced displacement, as in cases of persecution and war, family reunification is often the only way to ensure refugees the right to family unity". The organizations said that separation of family members when they flee can have "devastating consequences" on their well-being and their ability to rebuild their lives.
Improving reunification procedures
The organizations said that when people flee, they are often forced to leave without ensuring their family's safety or knowing whether their family is safe. "Many are forced to make the difficult choice to leave their own family to search for protection in another country," they said. This is why UNHCR, Caritas Italy and the Communitas Consortium want to "improve and facilitate the procedures and mechanisms for family reunification in Italy for international protection beneficiaries."