Psychosocial Notebook - IOM Publications - International ...

Psychosocial Notebook, Volume 2, October 2001
Instead, of choosing their country of asylum, then, the immigrants have
been forced to remain in Italy, unable to see their relatives because they
could not be included in the “familiar kinship” definition as it appears in
Article four of the Dublin Convention. Frustration about this has flavoured
many narratives. To these interviewees, causes of discomfort oscillate
between the violence of past conflicts and the violence of their lack of
freedom and recognition today.
Question: Have you seen your parents again? Would you like to visit
them?
Ornela: Yes; I want to go to Germany, but without the documents it’s
impossible, and they can’t come here.
Question: Then with the refugee visa you can’t go to Germany?
Ornela: No.
Almost all of the stories told by the interviewees described the impossibility
of moving freely. Such is the strength of these existing, but often
hidden, boundaries; they can often be crossed only by taking great risks.
Some interviewees described the humiliation of failing in this crossing,
and of being sent back to Italy in compliance with Article 92 of the
Schengen Treaty:
Article 92: The Contracting Parties shall set up and maintain a joint information
system; hereinafter referred to as the Schengen
Information System, consisting of a national section in each of
the Contracting Parties and a technical support function. The
Schengen Information System shall enable the authorities designated
by the Contracting Parties, by means of an automated
search procedure, to have access to reports on persons and
objects for the purposes of border checks and controls and
other police and customs checks carried out within the country
in accordance with national law…
We first arrived in Italy, and from here we left to Luxembourg. We stayed
there for a very short time, but we got sent back, they sent us back to
Italy… they told us that the first place we got [to] was Italy, that’s the
only place we can stay. [Ardita]
Question: Where do you envisage your future, where would you like
to go?
Ardita: I cannot say, it does not depend on me… I could go back to
my homeland, I would like that so much but the situation is
very hard, very tense… therefore they won’t let me, I must
stay here… We are forced to stay in this reception centre,
with Don Cesare, once again I would like to thank him, we
don’t have relatives or friends in Italy, thus we have to stay
here.
185