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FRA visits Sicilian reception facilities

From 7 to 12 January, FRA visited reception facilities for new arrivals in Sicily, including Lampedusa. The main purpose of the visit was to collect information about good practices and challenges in preparation of the implementation of the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact.

Identification and referral of vulnerable people was one of the priorities during the FRA visit. As a promising practice, the handbook on vulnerabilities, published by the Italian authorities in 2023, resulted in enhanced cooperation and collaboration between the different actors involved and consequently to more efficient identification and referrals. 

Apart from new arrivals, FRA also learnt that many foreign nationals live and work in the agricultural area in Southern Sicily under exploitative conditions and accommodated in substandard housing. This is similar to what FRA documented when it researched unaccompanied Pakistani children in Greece.