by VS
Yesterday afternoon, the issue of Silos and the broader migrant scene in Trieste took center stage in a bustling debate at the University of Trieste. The session, titled “We Give a Damn,” was orchestrated by a squad of university students from the Sant’Egidio Community, teaming up with the Student Council. Bishop Enrico Trevisi was front and center for the discussion.
In a passionate push for change, members of the Sant’Egidio Community in Trieste, led by student volunteer Meriem Bozrati and Community president Paolo Parisini, are shedding light on the dire living conditions of young migrants, particularly at the controversial Silos facility and Campo Sacro.
Bozrati emphasizes the need for a more humane approach and calls for a new reception center to replace Silos. The bishop, Enrico Trevisi, acknowledges the urgency but highlights logistical challenges in creating a new facility. The debate, aptly titled “We Give a Damn,” unfolded at a lively university gathering, where young voices and the bishop’s observations underscored the pressing need for tangible solutions to address the migrant crisis in Trieste.
“We set out to shine a light on the living conditions of fellow young migrants,” Meriem Bozrati, a student and volunteer with the Community, reveals. “Whether they’re at Silos or Campo Sacro, these are stories we unearth through our work with the Sant’Egidio Community. At the gathering, we shared our tales, like the Italian language school hustle we’re pulling off at Campo Sacro. It was pretty cool to see a bunch of students keen on joining in to get the lowdown. As for Silos, we’re convinced that the migrants are left high and dry, literally freezing. That can’t be the ‘home’ for these kids. It’s like they’re invisible there; basic humanity is a no-show. Opening a first-stop center or a spot where these kids can catch a break after the long haul is crucial.”
Trieste’s Sant’Egidio Community president, Paolo Parisini, is on a mission to find a fitting joint. “Silos is a health hazard and has turned into a hotbed for small-time crime, hitting the most vulnerable migrants who end up getting robbed,” Parisini asserts. “We’ve been knocking on the authorities’ door, and now even the bishop made a personal visit to Silos. What bothers us more than Silos closing is where these people will end up. We’re expecting a real fix for initial reception. I’m dead certain a new facility is a must because you can’t let migrants just hang out in some corner of the city until a spot in the welcome wagon system opens up, as we all wish. There’s this expanding gray zone – a kind of suspended animation, sometimes a lengthy one, where people are left without a place due to logistical headaches or lack of space. Sure, the transfer system needs to click, but migrants are rolling in daily – sometimes a handful, sometimes a hundred. So, a basic reception joint is a must; Silos needs to be replaced by a place where dignity and oversight are non-negotiable. Because, as the Sant’Egidio Community president puts it, that massive warehouse is a lawless zone.”
The bishop was blown away by the massive turnout of young folks at yesterday’s university meet. “It’s genuinely awesome to see a swarm of young minds giving a damn,” Bishop Trevisi comments. “Listening to them was powerful stuff. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – life shouldn’t be a gamble where someone’s birthplace is a luck-of-the-draw scenario. Taking charge based on what life throws at us is what makes us real men and women.”
As for creating a new setup, the bishop clarifies that the Diocese can’t carry that weight, having just opened new digs for hospitality. “We’re juggling a bunch of facilities already, including a fresh spot for transients,” Trevisi notes. “The city’s already playing host to a boatload of folks. Transfers need to go off without a hitch because even if we pop up with more facilities, the same old problem will crop up again.”
