The camp is located in the open countryside, about 15 km from the center of Parma, in the spaces of the former disused Columbus factory. Containers have been set up in the yard, each with the capacity for 6 people. The bathrooms are outside, in other containers. There is a single covered common area, a tensile structure, where meals are served and any other group activities are carried out (e.g., some Italian courses taught by volunteers). There is also a container used as a Red Cross clinic. The first bus stop to Parma city center is more than a 2 km walk away. People sometimes reach the city on foot, facing dangerous and unlit streets. Since its opening inside the camp, unaccompanied minors also live in promiscuous conditions with adults.
For weeks, the people accomodated there were not identified and they had no appointments at the Questura to express their willingness to seek asylum. Thanks to the intervention of CIAC, together with Ausl within the framework of the Interdisciplinary Social and Health Coordination for the Emergence of Vulnerability, a partial restoration of conditions of legality was made possible. A procedure was also established for eventual transfer to CAS/SAI of the most vulnerable cases.Sources
Institutional documents:
Press: