Migrant riots against work exploitation and harsh living conditions in Rosarno
Timeline
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Violent confrontation between migrants and the local population in Rosarno
On the 7th of January 2009, two separate drive-by shootings, the second of a Guinean, led to a protest by African seasonal migrant workers, who marched in rage through the town to denounce their inhumane living conditions and economical exploitation. During the protest, there were several violent episodes, such as setting fire to cars and clashing with riot police. The next day, local residents set up an informal road-block and occupied the local town hall in protest: migrants were reportedly beaten w...
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Institutional and civil society reactions to Rosarno riots
Referring to the violence in Rosarno after a special session of the council of ministers in Reggio Calabria on January 28 2009, Berlusconi said his government had achieved positive results in its fight against irregular immigration and that "a reduction in the number of foreigners in Italy means fewer people to swell the ranks of criminals". At the height of the violence in Rosarno, Interior Minister Roberto Maroni blamed the situation on excessive tolerance of "illegal immigration"...
A riot exploded in the town of Rosarno in January 2009, with a violent confrontation between migrants and the local population, which brought to light the high level of discrimination and exploitation of migrants working as seasonal workers in the agricultural sector. Moving around Italy, according to the product to harvest or pick, they work 14 hours a day for an unfair pay, live in degrading conditions with no access to health services.
In-depth studies of seasonal migrant workers in the agricultural sector describe conditions of extreme and systematic exploitation, almost slavery. Medicines sans frontieres has denounced for years their situation in Southern Italy and the last report indicates that 90% of workers do not have a labour contract and, 16% have been victims of violence. The living conditions of seasonal workers in Southern Italy are inhumane: 65% live in poor housing with no access to water, 62% have no access to toilets and 76% have chronic illness, mostly linked to working conditions. The pay for 14 hours of work per day is about €25. Workers complained that they were being blackmailed by their employers, that there were delays in payment, that there was no respect for the safety of the workers when using pesticides. Another study pointed out that seasonal agricultural workers are forced to move from one place to another, living in the countryside where they work with no contact with local services and the local population. Their chances of forming a family or integrating are inexistent; on the contrary, their irregular situation in the labour market exposes them to illegal exploitation and conflicts with the local population.
Source:
Amnesty International Italia ” Tutti i migranti devono essere protetti dallo sfruttamento”, 12.01.2010 - http://www.amnesty.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/2981, Date of access: 04.11.2011
Migreurop - Violence, racism and lies, from Rosarno to Bari, 20.01.2010 - http://www.migreurop.org/article1609.html, Date of access: 04.11.2011
Medici senza fontiere - Una stagione all'inferno - Rapporto sulle condizioni degli immigrati impiegati in agricoltura nelle regioni del Sud Italia, 2009 - /resources/toolip/doc/2011/11/04/msf---una-stagione-allinferno---2009.pdf, Date of access: 04.11.2011
Istituto Nazionale di Economia Agraria (INEA), Cicerchi M., Pallara P., Gli immigrati nell' agricoltura italiana, 2009 - /resources/toolip/doc/2011/11/04/inea---gli-immigrati-nellagricoltura-italiana---2009.pdf, Date of access: 04.11.2011
CGIL - Diritti dei migranti: l’ILO invita il governo a valutare la revoca del reato di clandestinità - http://www.cgil.it/dettagliodocumento.aspx?ID=13225, Date of access: 04.11.2011
