In recent days: 238 people have arrived in Lampedusa and over 130 in Roccella Jonica. They came from Libya and the Middle East, traveling on boats in extreme conditions. Pregnant women, unaccompanied minors, young people and men from Bangladesh, Egypt, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Iran, Afghanistan.

“The figure speaks for itself,” says Agostino Sella, president of Don Bosco 2000. The migration phenomenon is by no means decreasing, but continues to manifest itself in waves, with peaks that put the reception system to the test. This is why we need a system that is always ready, humane, organized, capable of welcoming and accompanying those who arrive with dignity and respect”.

Migratory routes change, but the causes remain: wars, poverty, persecutions, environmental disasters. And the number of migrants from Bangladesh, one of the first countries in the world for emigration, is growing, with half a million people now residing in Europe.

“A migration policy based on dialogue between states and on concrete support for those who work in reception centres every day is urgently needed,” Sella continued. We cannot allow this emergency to become normal without a collective awareness. Welcoming is not only a humanitarian act, but a civil and moral duty”.

Press Office