by Nina Vaclavikova
Interview: Gianfranco Schiavone, President, ICS (Italian Consortium of Solidarity)
Migrant arrivals in Trieste, a key gateway on the Balkan migration route, have risen sharply this year even as fewer newcomers choose to remain in the city, according to local humanitarian organizations.
Aid groups including ICS, Diaconia Valdese and Linea d’Ombra say only 28 percent of migrants arriving in Trieste now intend to seek asylum there, down from 50 percent a year ago. They estimate that roughly eight people file asylum applications in the city each day.
The organizations accuse the local police headquarters of delaying asylum registrations through administrative practices they say are not required under Italian law, including requests for passports and the use of temporary forms that leave migrants outside the formal asylum system. They argue that the delays prevent applicants from accessing reception services and relocation programs.
The groups say those left without assistance include an increasing number of vulnerable migrants, among them Nepalese nationals reportedly exposed to labor exploitation and 165 women traveling alone who have arrived since the beginning of the year, many considered at risk of human trafficking.
Overall, migrant arrivals during the first five months of the year increased by 46 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the organizations.
The Trieste police rejected the criticism, saying vulnerable people—including unaccompanied minors, women and families—receive immediate assistance. Officials said the disputed forms are part of a pilot online appointment system intended to reduce long queues outside police headquarters, particularly during periods of extreme heat, and that the system will be shared with aid organizations once testing is complete.
