Milan, Italy, March 7, 2024 — This week, the British actress Adjoa Andoh visited the International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) humanitarian programmes in Milan and Trieste, Italy, meeting with refugees and asylum seekers who have fled conflict and disaster around the world - including from Ukraine, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bolivia and Nigeria.
Adjoa, an IRC high-profile supporter and acclaimed actress best known for her roles in Bridgerton, Invictus, and Doctor Who, took part in IRC’s emergency activities in local transit points and dormitories, visited women and girls’ safe spaces and had heartfelt conversations with people who had undertaken dangerous journeys to reach Europe, listening to their experiences and witnessing first-hand the challenges they encounter on arrival.
Reaching Europe is not the same as finding a safe haven; people on the move are often stuck in limbo, struggling with access to vital support and with meeting their basic needs. In Italy, accessing safe accommodation and obtaining international protection are especially problematic. For women and children there is always the added risk of violence whilst on the move. Yet, the fact that many people continue to come to Europe, despite these challenges, is a stark reminder of the severity of the harms they are fleeing; harms so great that they are prepared to face a wall of policies that prevent them from seeking safety and a hopeful future, exposing them to further harm.
It is time to shift the approach from walls to welcome. The IRC’s humanitarian programmes demonstrate what can be achieved when people are welcomed with dignity and provided with a safe space to heal. In Milan and Trieste, Adjoa visited women and girls in places created to make them feel at home. She also had the opportunity to see the silos - abandoned stone warehouses - where hundreds of people are forced to sleep outside in muddy insanitary conditions. Adjoa also spent time with teams providing emergency assistance in dormitories and places of transit in Milan and Trieste.
Reflecting on her experiences meeting with people on the move in Italy, Adjoa said:
“Imagine being unable to live peacefully in your home country, the constant anxiety about what's going to happen next - uncertain where you and your children will spend the night, going forward into the unknown, waiting for appointments, for your papers, living in constant fear; carrying all the stress, trauma, and grief that you have had to experience leaving your home, trying to keep your children safe and protected, while hiding your own fear from them. These are the stories of people I have met this week. Regardless of where they came from, they all have one thing in common: fleeing their home was their only choice.
“Trieste is a major entry point for people crossing the Balkans into Italy. It has a long history of welcoming people. In the early 1900s, it was home to many artists seeking the freedom to work, including James Joyce. The city sheltered hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the aftermath of World War Two. Now, in Trieste’s silos, and mirrored across all of Italy, every night, a distressing number of people, including unaccompanied children, are forced to sleep outdoors, exposed to cold temperatures and inhumane conditions. I met a thirteen-year-old boy from Afghanistan who was lucky enough to find a place for the night at a local dormitory. It is shameful that people, including children, are forced to squat in ruined buildings, waiting months to access their legal right for asylum and to find a temporary shelter.
“The train station in Milan is a large focus for the IRC team in the city. Here many migration journeys intersect, with the majority of people travelling up from the south and the Balkans. The team is small but determined to ensure that people on the move, often overlooked and forgotten by the authorities, know they are not alone, can have a cup of hot tea and critical information to take the next steps. The hours are long and the resources to support, such sleeping bags, dry clothes, hygiene kits and food are always in demand.
“The unspeakable experiences people endure on their journeys to find safety often break them, depriving displaced families and children of a fair chance at rebuilding their lives. In different circumstances it could be any of us; a few years ago, the women from Ukraine I spoke to did not expect that they too would be refugees, desperate for a safe haven. We all have the power to help our brothers and sisters in great need rebuild their lives through compassion and welcome.
“The IRC’s work shows how people seeking refuge can heal from their trauma, regain control over their futures, and unlock their potential to enrich our communities. What gives me hope is the courage that the people of all ages, from all over the world, whom I have met in Italy, have displayed in their determination to endure whatever they must to become their best selves and live fulfilled lives in the world.
“To see the humanity in each other is the most powerful thing that we can do, because once you recognise that shared humanity, you can’t look away. People need to be safe and to have hope. Leaving Italy, reflecting on my time with the refugees I met and those supporting them there, I am so encouraged to see what can be achieved when we act on our shared humanity and the good we can do, when we open our arms to support our fellow human beings in times of greatest need, and find the joy in taking care of one another.
“Together with the IRC, I would urge us all to re-energise our commitment to our shared humanity, to reflect on the fact that the need to flee could happen to any of us. Just as we may all one day need to rely on the welcome and the kindness of strangers, people seeking refuge deserve to receive the support and protection to which they are entitled.”
About IRC In Italy
The IRC has been on the ground in Italy since 2017, and has now reached over 270,00 clients since January 2022 through direct support to clients, working with local organisations, national authorities and institutions to improve the asylum system and humanitarian conditions. Actions cover the impacted regions of Lombardy, Sicily, Lazio, Piedmont and Friuli Venezia Giulia aiming to enhance refugees’ safety, power, education, economic empowerment and mental health – with a focus on the most vulnerable, including women and unaccompanied children (UAC). In the UK, the IRC also provide specialist services for refugees, asylum seekers, and other vulnerable migrants fleeing from war, violence and persecution, that will allow them to prosper in the UK.