An Italian medical charity, Doctors for Human Rights (MEDU), has expressed "deep concern for the health of migrants" living in the Vicofaro parish church in Tuscany. They say they haven't been provided with "dignified lodging," and called on Italian institutions to intervene.
On March 10, the medical charity Doctors for human rights (MEDU) expressed concern in a statement for the living condition of dozens of migrants who are staying at a parish church in Vicofaro, in the Tuscan province of Pistoia.
Migrants staying at the church came to the attention of the authorities after a fight broke out in the church-run hosting center at the end of February. One of the migrants, originally from Nigeria, staying there is alleged to have stabbed a second migrant, originally from Gambia, in the center, seriously injuring him. The suspected attacker was arrested on March 3, on attempted murder charges and is in pre-trial detention.
MEDU has been providing healthcare to those in need via its mobile clinic 'A camper van for rights' since 2018. It operates outside the parish church to help some 150 people living in Vicofaro to get information and receive assistance from local health authorities.
The group of about 150 people currently living in the parish church mainly hail from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa and are mostly between the ages of 20 and 35, said MEDU.
Read AlsoMigrant workers in southern Italy continue to face exploitation, MEDU warns
'Any project abandoned'
MEDU said the "situation at Vicofaro was increasingly tense after any project of intervention seemed to have been abandoned, in particular the conclusion of a joint project proposed" by Tuscany's regional healthcare body Società della Salute (Society of health) in 2023 after an eviction order.
The medical charity said local authorities failed to intervene for a long time except regarding short-term projects to respond to emergencies and had an inadequate hosting system.
The association recalled that mobil clinic operators have assisted people "with serious medical conditions, including chronic deseases like diabetes, epilepsy and respiratory issues, conditions that require an adequate hosting soluton that guarantees well-being and adequate treatment. There are moreover people with psychological vulnerabilities that remain invisible and forgotten", MEDU said.
In addition, the parish church is hosting others who have been unable to renew their job permits and are allegedly being exploited at work.
"The housing emergency also does not allow foreigners to find adequate housing even when they have an open-ended contract", noted the organization.
Read AlsoItaly's MEDU publishes migrant abuse report on World Torture Day
Association urges institutions to intervene
MEDU launched an appeal to Italian institutions, urging them to take the residents of Vicofaro under their care, in particular fragile residents who need the care of social services and local healthcare facilities, and a place in more permanent housing that takes into account their specific psychological and health vulnerabilities.
The group also asked for a transfer operation, that began over the past few days to CAS emergency reception centers in Tuscany to be planned around promoting the migrants' inclusion by involving local services and authorities as well as NGOs.
The gradual transfer of dozens of migrants who have been staying at the parish church managed by Father Massimo Biancalano, the parish priest of Vicofaro known as the "parish priest of migrants", was decided during an online meting on March 6 between the central government, Tuscany's regional government, the prefecture and the municipality of Pistoia. The meeting was called following episodes of violence reported at the hosting center at the end of February.