Turin's CIE - International University College of Turin

More simple problems such as dirty blankets and mattresses can exacerbate an already stressful
environment:
“There is a new Albanese guy who came and they gave him a dirty blanket. The Red Cross
gave him trouble when he wanted to change it. He had to wait for one day for them to
bring him another blanket and the second blanket was dirty anyway” (Interview 21);
“The bed is made of iron, the mattress has probably been used by one hundred people, the
bedspread and the pillowcase are too thin and you get microbes” (Interview 17);
“[The mattresses and blankets] are disgusting. They are so dirty. Many people have used
them before you and they never get cleaned” (Interview 18).
5. FOOD
When evaluating detainees’ responses to food, it is important to remember that detainees are
inside administrative detention and as such legally they are not in CIE to be punished.
Moreover, Turin’s CIE is not a short-term stop over: it is quite common for a person to be living
there for months and months. The lack of dining space inside CIE was frustrating and degrading
for several detainees: “It’s terrible! We eat on the ground. In the room where we eat, there are no
tables or seats so we have to eat on the ground or on the bed” (Interview 26).
On the other hand, the food itself is dealt with quite consciously in the CIE. Detainees do have a
chance to change their ration according to their religious beliefs or health problems: “I went to
the doctor because I do not eat tomatoes and they gave me a white diet. There are people from
other religions who do not eat certain meats and they give them other things” (Interview 11). This
demonstrates that food habits are respected in some way. In contrast, a number of detainees
also expressed frustration with food: “Every day it’s always the same food” (Interview 18); “Since
I am Muslim I eat tuna every day” (Interview 20). Some detainees questioned the condition of
their food: “Sometimes it’s good, but sometimes food arrives cold or has a bad smell” (Interview
14).
6. ACTIVITIES
Activities are vital for all human beings. Yet, our research indicates that there are insufficient
activities for CIE detainees. There are activities that sporadically occur and offer detainees a
couple of hours of distraction. However on the whole, the twenty-four hours a day of
monotonous immigration detention is perhaps best summed up in the following short
quotations: “Detainees’ days are empty” (Interview 1); “I’m forced to take medication because
otherwise time does not pass” (Interview 25); “You never know what to do. Nothing is certain and
nothing to do” (Interview 23).
Volunteers understand the difficulty of filling the empty days inside CIE and they do an amazing
job trying to help detainees:
“I brought books inside CIE - dictionaries and note books. I also began Italian classes but I
was alone. For one year I was the only one who was entering inside CIE, so I could either
teach Italian or talk to them, and I understood that what they needed most was somebody
to talk to. I had to limit the activities I could do with them because there was not enough
time to do everything. But I also brought them games, like cards, draughts and so on and
magazines and newspapers” (Interview 2);
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