JRS head: protect dignity of refugees

(Vatican Radio) Italy has launched an inquiry into the treatment of migrants at a reception centre on the island of Lampedusa, after a video emerged that appears to show detainees being forced to strip and being hosed down. The centre houses people from Africa and the Middle East who attempt to reach Italy by boat – thousands of whom have attempted the extremely dangerous crossing recently in the wake of regional unrest.

The head of the Jesuit Refugee Service’s international office, Fr Peter Balleis, SJ spoke with Vatican Radio about his hopes for improvement in the situation at the island centre. "Everyone was pleased with the visit of the Pope to Lampedusa this past year, and it has drawn great attention to the place," he said, adding, "there were also promises made, that things would improve." Fr. Balleis, SJ went on to say, "We hope and wish that the message [of] Lampedusa, as a symbol, is so strong that it changes [that] situation," at the centre itself.
So far this year more than 13 thousand people have sought asylum after reaching Lampedusa by boat, including refugees from Syria, North Africa and sub-Saharan African countries. The Lampedusa centre is designed to hold around 250 people but often four or five times that many people are housed there.