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Italian model of integration appears comforting but is no different
By Antonio Fabrizio
Posted: Jan 1, 2007
Censis, an Italian socio-economic research institute, has recently diffused a study on immigrants in
Italy, giving information which may suggest that the Italian model of immigration is a positive case in
the European scenario. However, numerous situations nationwide show a different truth: in most
cases, in fact, immigration in Italy is a synonym for non-inclusion, discrimination and social alienation.
The Italian model – reported Censis – has some characteristics that help create a better background
for the integration of immigrants than other European countries have. Firstly, in Italy there are not
concentrations of immigrants in big cities (not more than 9 percent of the population in Milan and
Rome, the two main Italian cities, is represented by foreign people, whereas in London and Paris that
percentage is much higher).
Secondly, the high number of nationalities (more than two hundred in major cities, it is said) holds
back immigrants from creating consistent ethnic, linguistic or religious communities, which would
make harder to obtain a dependable cohesion with native inhabitants. Thirdly, the tax of inoccupation
among immigrants is quite low, and many foreign workers also own their own enterprises.
To some people these data have sounded comforting. However, they lay on an doubtful ground: the
problem is that, although Censis’ statistics in themselves are a valuable amount of information and
tell us many interesting things, someone – for various reasons – may exploit them to present a
situation that is far away from the real one.
Immigrants, for instance, may have high occupation, but their jobs are almost always linked to a few
restricted areas: house-cleaning, baby-sitting, carpentering and agricultural activities. Yet there is not
integration if only some jobs are allowed in effect, whereas other jobs are out of reach, because they
are typically reserved to Italian citizens. In this, Italy is certainly not having a better performance than
France, Netherlands or the United Kingdom, because it is much harder, in Italy, to find immigrants who
work as lawyers, managers, teachers, doctors, journalists and so on.
Also, the aspect that concentrations of immigrants in the same area have not occurred, seems to
suggest that, if that happened, things would be very different. It is like admitting that groups which try to
maintain their own culture could be a potential threat: and this is not a warm welcome of
multiculturalism, because cultural difference is not valued as a source for a mutual enhancement, but
as a risk factor for stability.
The truth is that perception of immigrants hasn’t changed so far: problems related to immigration
frequently occur and mass media tend to report negative facts and situations, more than the positive
ones. This has created, in public opinion, an imagine of immigration as a problem, more than an
opportunity.
Immigration-related problems are usually – in the Italian case – of three types. First, people arriving to
Italy from developing countries do not get adequate assistance when they arrive: they often come from
Africa or Asia, after sailing the Mediterranean sea on unsafe boats, through a perilous trip. They are
desperately ready to risk their lives, hoping to find in Italy and the rest of Europe a job, a house, and
“better opportunities” for themselves and their loved ones.
But often, since they are “illegal” – the laws require a working permit to stay, and most of them do not
have it – they are sent back to their countries of origin. In this case, however, it would not be fair to
blame only Italy for responsibilities that are somehow “continental”. Because of its position, Italy is
more exposed to immigration fluxes than other European countries, and needs therefore cooperation
from them, because it does not have enough resources to face an emergency that sees weekly, if not
daily, developments.
Secondly, the type of problems deals with those who manage to get into the country even if they are
illegal. Legal immigrants, as it is widely known, are only part of a greater phenomenon. Many
immigrants are ready and willing to remain as illegal people, instead of going back to the countries
they left. Nevertheless, since they are illegal, they cannot obtain a legal job: therefore some of them
become delinquents, whereas many others accept to work on inhuman conditions (endless hours of
work, low pay, inadequate housing and bad hygienic conditions) for local people who are ready to
exploit and take advantage of their desperation.
Finally, there are the legal ones. Something like 2.5 million people – reported Censis – in Italy, are
legal immigrants. They have jobs, houses, their children regularly go to school, just like every other
Italian citizen. Excepting that they are not citizens, and others often tend to remind them that this is how
it stays. The proposal from some politicians to allow them to vote, at least in local elections – since
they regularly pay taxes and contribute to the country’s economy – has been opposed by many political
leaders, mainly from the right-wing coalition, and recent a statement from the left-wing Minister for
Social Solidarity, Paolo Ferrero, has raised plenty of dissents in Parliament.
A meeting in Turin, promoted on November 24th by Italian and foreign journalists, highlighted the
responsibilities of mass media, which do not work enough to promote an inter-cultural dialogue. They
use, in fact, many stereotypes, and tend to report bad news associated with immigrants.
Obviously, a journalistic imperative is to report bad news, because to journalists “bad news are always
good news”, but this way immigrants are shown as mostly linked to illegal activities, such as drug
traffic, delinquency, violence and prostitution. Often disregarding that immigrants are essential for the
national economy and deserve, therefore, more consideration. Since mass media contribute to form a
public opinion and transmit ideas, they should remind that much of the responsibility in “educating”
people is up to them.
The other responsibility is up to politicians. It is necessary to find out parliamentary “instruments” to
facilitate inclusion and remove discrimination, as Fausto Bertinotti, the president of the Italian
Parliament, suggested on November 25th. This should include cooperation with those countries from
where immigrants come and policies of real integration, aimed at preserving everyone’s cultural
background but also at coexisting on the base of a mutual respect.
### ### ###
Antonio Fabrizio is a Global Affairs intern with The Atlantic Affairs.
By Antonio Fabrizio
Posted: Jan 1, 2007
Censis, an Italian socio-economic research institute, has recently diffused a study on immigrants in
Italy, giving information which may suggest that the Italian model of immigration is a positive case in
the European scenario. However, numerous situations nationwide show a different truth: in most
cases, in fact, immigration in Italy is a synonym for non-inclusion, discrimination and social alienation.
The Italian model – reported Censis – has some characteristics that help create a better background
for the integration of immigrants than other European countries have. Firstly, in Italy there are not
concentrations of immigrants in big cities (not more than 9 percent of the population in Milan and
Rome, the two main Italian cities, is represented by foreign people, whereas in London and Paris that
percentage is much higher).
Secondly, the high number of nationalities (more than two hundred in major cities, it is said) holds
back immigrants from creating consistent ethnic, linguistic or religious communities, which would
make harder to obtain a dependable cohesion with native inhabitants. Thirdly, the tax of inoccupation
among immigrants is quite low, and many foreign workers also own their own enterprises.
To some people these data have sounded comforting. However, they lay on an doubtful ground: the
problem is that, although Censis’ statistics in themselves are a valuable amount of information and
tell us many interesting things, someone – for various reasons – may exploit them to present a
situation that is far away from the real one.
Immigrants, for instance, may have high occupation, but their jobs are almost always linked to a few
restricted areas: house-cleaning, baby-sitting, carpentering and agricultural activities. Yet there is not
integration if only some jobs are allowed in effect, whereas other jobs are out of reach, because they
are typically reserved to Italian citizens. In this, Italy is certainly not having a better performance than
France, Netherlands or the United Kingdom, because it is much harder, in Italy, to find immigrants who
work as lawyers, managers, teachers, doctors, journalists and so on.
Also, the aspect that concentrations of immigrants in the same area have not occurred, seems to
suggest that, if that happened, things would be very different. It is like admitting that groups which try to
maintain their own culture could be a potential threat: and this is not a warm welcome of
multiculturalism, because cultural difference is not valued as a source for a mutual enhancement, but
as a risk factor for stability.
The truth is that perception of immigrants hasn’t changed so far: problems related to immigration
frequently occur and mass media tend to report negative facts and situations, more than the positive
ones. This has created, in public opinion, an imagine of immigration as a problem, more than an
opportunity.
Immigration-related problems are usually – in the Italian case – of three types. First, people arriving to
Italy from developing countries do not get adequate assistance when they arrive: they often come from
Africa or Asia, after sailing the Mediterranean sea on unsafe boats, through a perilous trip. They are
desperately ready to risk their lives, hoping to find in Italy and the rest of Europe a job, a house, and
“better opportunities” for themselves and their loved ones.
But often, since they are “illegal” – the laws require a working permit to stay, and most of them do not
have it – they are sent back to their countries of origin. In this case, however, it would not be fair to
blame only Italy for responsibilities that are somehow “continental”. Because of its position, Italy is
more exposed to immigration fluxes than other European countries, and needs therefore cooperation
from them, because it does not have enough resources to face an emergency that sees weekly, if not
daily, developments.
Secondly, the type of problems deals with those who manage to get into the country even if they are
illegal. Legal immigrants, as it is widely known, are only part of a greater phenomenon. Many
immigrants are ready and willing to remain as illegal people, instead of going back to the countries
they left. Nevertheless, since they are illegal, they cannot obtain a legal job: therefore some of them
become delinquents, whereas many others accept to work on inhuman conditions (endless hours of
work, low pay, inadequate housing and bad hygienic conditions) for local people who are ready to
exploit and take advantage of their desperation.
Finally, there are the legal ones. Something like 2.5 million people – reported Censis – in Italy, are
legal immigrants. They have jobs, houses, their children regularly go to school, just like every other
Italian citizen. Excepting that they are not citizens, and others often tend to remind them that this is how
it stays. The proposal from some politicians to allow them to vote, at least in local elections – since
they regularly pay taxes and contribute to the country’s economy – has been opposed by many political
leaders, mainly from the right-wing coalition, and recent a statement from the left-wing Minister for
Social Solidarity, Paolo Ferrero, has raised plenty of dissents in Parliament.
A meeting in Turin, promoted on November 24th by Italian and foreign journalists, highlighted the
responsibilities of mass media, which do not work enough to promote an inter-cultural dialogue. They
use, in fact, many stereotypes, and tend to report bad news associated with immigrants.
Obviously, a journalistic imperative is to report bad news, because to journalists “bad news are always
good news”, but this way immigrants are shown as mostly linked to illegal activities, such as drug
traffic, delinquency, violence and prostitution. Often disregarding that immigrants are essential for the
national economy and deserve, therefore, more consideration. Since mass media contribute to form a
public opinion and transmit ideas, they should remind that much of the responsibility in “educating”
people is up to them.
The other responsibility is up to politicians. It is necessary to find out parliamentary “instruments” to
facilitate inclusion and remove discrimination, as Fausto Bertinotti, the president of the Italian
Parliament, suggested on November 25th. This should include cooperation with those countries from
where immigrants come and policies of real integration, aimed at preserving everyone’s cultural
background but also at coexisting on the base of a mutual respect.
### ### ###
Antonio Fabrizio is a Global Affairs intern with The Atlantic Affairs.
| (c) 2006 New Criterion Foundation, London |
| Security. Ideologies. Multiculturalism. |