We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. Text by Carmela Fiorini Photos by Matteo Fieni 1 GentleBooklets We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. #20. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. Text by Carmela Fiorini Photos by Matteo Fieni 2 3 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. GentleBooklets It is a series of long-form articles written by different authors. The booklets, designed for a quick read, feature texts and images. We have kindly asked to the authors to comment on the term “kindness.” Authors and photographers have donated their work. The motivations behind the project are the same as those of Gentletude, the desire to spread awareness about the need for “kindness” in our society, a society too focused on personal success to remember the basics of everyday living and respect for the environment that hosts us. Our decision to present these ideas in a series of publi- cations is due to the awareness that, in order to stimu- late people to think about these issues, it is necessary to present some concrete examples. In this case, the ex- © 2016 Editions Gentletude amples are provided in the texts written by the authors. Via Dufour, 2 CH-6901 Lugano [email protected] www.gentletude.com Translation from the Italian by Emanuela Rosa Passerini ([email protected]) Distribution by www.gentlebooklets.com The duplication and use of GentleBooklets is possible after written permission and by citing the source. If necessary, please print on recycled paper or FSC certified. 4 5 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The migratory phenomenon …from migrants for economic reasons The first, large block of contemporary mi- gration goes back to the 50’s, just after the end of WWII: the rebuilding of Europe started the European economic boom, that had positive consequences for Switzerland, too, because, as a neutral Country, it of- fered jobs to many foreigner workers. In Switzerland came many economic mi- grants, especially Italian, who joined the native manpower. At those times Switzer- land needed “arms” to fill those jobs that natives, with the raising wealth, tended to leave vacant. …to migrants for political reasons The first political refugees arrived to Swit- zerland during the first 70’s: the Chilean revolution prompted a large group of mi- grants, escaping Pinochet’s regime, to find protection in Switzerland. A few years later came the migrants from Sri Lanka, and in the 90’s, when the Balkan War exploded, a large exodus of refugees scored a record in asylum requests in the whole Switzerland. 6 7 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. 8 9 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The historic evolution life. The fluxes of today, at the contrary, are permanent. I strongly doubt that peo- In the past, the European Governments ple coming from Syria may go home; and took advantage from a largest legislative even those coming from Eritrea can’t re- freedom, that allowed them to adapt laws to turn there, as they’d be sentenced to death the work market and the migratory fluxes, as renegades. The permanence of moving depending on the trend of their own econo- flows is the great difference with the past. mies. This “supremacy” granted them flex- The migrants, by means of the economic ibility, and their citizens a feeling of “safe- helping they get from Europe, finance the ty”. well being of their relatives who remained. The birth of EU, and the signature of bi- Their contributes are even larger than lateral agreements, as far as Switzerland those paid by the “industrialized” Countries is concerned, produced a legislative rigid- to the developing ones. Once they can pay ity that reduced the maneuvering margins. the fare, the relatives leave for Europe, Furthermore, the effects of economic boom too. What’s more, in my opinion, the glo- are over, since long; Europe can’t grant any balization contributes even further to the more the working conditions of the past, permanence; different from the World War having to face its own problems of inner end, when things resolved by themselves, unemployment. Nevertheless, in the col- America and Russia entered in the Syrian lective imagination of many migrants, it conflict, that thus became almost global. remains a shelter, even from the financial That’s why I think that it’s very unlikely that point of view. Syrians may go home. In my opinion, the largest difference is the The Swiss approach time factor. When you escape from a war, you think that after a certain time you’ll go We are living the largest mass relocation, back to your Country and rebuild your own after WWII. The Syrian war, the African 10 11 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. 12 13 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. guerrilla warfare, and the still-standing tyr- too, feel suspicious towards the foreigner, annies, force millions people to leave their as if it could be a menace to that “well be- home, and even if many refugees stop their ing” status so hardly obtained in the past. run in the Middle East and African camps, others search shelter in Europe, crashing Institutionally, Switzerland has to check with a reality that often doesn’t match their the request of anybody seeking asylum, no expectation. matter how many, or any other constraint; the country’s Migration Secretary verifies Switzerland is proud of a long time standing if the applier fulfills the requirements set humanitarian tradition of sheltering, and of by Federal law for asylum, to see if the re- a spirit naturally inclined to multi culture, quester really needs political asylum. as a consequence of its historical origins: After a first acceptance in one of the col- a country born from the unity desire of its lective centers managed by the Confedera- inhabitants, that goes beyond its inner va- tion, the seeker is assigned to a Canton, riety of language and religion. while the examination process is complet- Fundamentally, Swiss people is well dis- ed. Each Canton is supposed to participate. posed towards foreigners, even if in re- The share set for each Canton depends on cent years, as social-economic conditions the density of the resident population; Can- changed, this attitude has been partly mod- ton Ticino has a share of 3.9% of all the ap- ified. Could it be because of the financial plications in the whole Switzerland. crisis of the banking system, or - particu- larly in the Ticino area - because of the The Cantons are requested to find struc- progressive replacement of the native man- tures to host applicants, to grant them Pub- power (especially in the Service Industry) lic Health Care, and to supply assistance. with “frontalieri” (NdT: people living in the The real integration starts when the appli- nearby Italy, and coming everyday to Swit- cant receives the permission to remain on zerland only to work), now Swiss people, the Helvetian territory. 14 15 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. 16 17 We are all migrants. We are all migrants. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The kind meeting between Them and Us. The review of the Law concerning asylum How the acceptance works points now to accelerate the decision (max. 140 days after its presentation), in order to The seeker reaches the Swiss boundary avoid that people have to wait for too a long and declares to the Police Officers that he/ time to know about its future, because that she wants to ask for asylum. He/she is then way integration becomes harder. The idle- accompanied to one of those centers man- ness and project lacking period, as much as aged by the Confederation and placed next the incertitude, brings the applicant to an to the boundaries (one is near Chiasso); apathy status difficult to exit. Furthermore, here he/she undergoes a medical exami- in this phase, it’s not uncommon that the nation aiming to exclude any contagious applicant looses his/her own self-esteem, disease. The fingerprints are recorded in and, perhaps, even the personal determi- an European Data Base, called Eurodac, nation to find a new, safe place, far from adopted as a consequence of the Dublin’s his/her home. Agreement, ruling the fact that the request- Even when the are no juridic reasons to ac- er may only appeal to one of the participat- cept the asylum, if the repatriation is out ing Countries; should he/she ask to another of question because it would put at risk the Country, the competence would remain in life of the seeker, the Confederation may charge of the first. Later, if time and bor- grant permission on humanitarian bases der pressure allow it, the Confederation set to remain on the Swiss territory, the so- a first hearing, in order to understand the called temporary admissions.