(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.