A community of around 1300 Romanian Roma, including hundreds of children, elderly, sick and disabled people, has been forcibly evicted on 7 April 2017 in violation of international standards (according to the municipality 850 people live in the settlement, but the community and NGOs provided higher estimate).
The Romani families were living in the informal settlement of Gianturco in the city of Naples, southern Italy. Some families relocated to Gianturco in 2011 after the camp they previously lived in was set on fire by unknown attackers, while other families arrived more recently.
A court order to evict the Roma from the privately owned land was issued in January 2016, calling for the eviction to take place within 30 days. Some of the families were notified of the eviction order, however many of the inhabitants explained that they never received any documentation related to it. The municipality confirmed to Amnesty International that only a number of residents were notified of the legal proceedings by the court. While the municipality managed to negotiate extensions of the eviction deadline with the judicial authorities, on 27 February 2017 the municipality told Amnesty International that no further extensions are possible and the eviction will take place imminently.
Despite having over a year to do so, no genuine consultation was carried out by the municipality to explore all feasible alternatives to the eviction and alternative housing options for all of the inhabitants affected.
The municipality is moving approximately 200 of the Roma inhabitants to a new segregated camp, built in Via del Riposo, also in the city of Naples, with funds provided by the municipality and the Ministry of Interior. The municipality stated that some small flats confiscated from organised crime networks will be used for rehousing some of Gianturco inhabitants. It is also offering a total of 75,000 euros as temporary support to rent privately, subject to certain conditions. However, the municipality has acknowledged that hundreds of people will not be provided with any alternative housing and therefore will be rendered homeless.
Please write immediately:
• Urging the authorities to ensure that nobody is left homeless as a result of the forced eviction occurred today 7 April 2017 in Gianturco and to open a consultation with the families affected by the eviction to look for adequate alternative housing options as soon as possible;
• Urging the authorities to ensure that any rehousing plans comply with the standards of adequate housing as outlined in international and regional human rights law and Italy’s National Strategy for Roma Inclusion.
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Daily life inside the Roma informal settlement of Gianturco, at risk of imminent forced eviction by local authorities. Gianturco, March 2017. © AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/CLAUDIO MENNA
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The settlement of Gianturco in Naples accommodates a big Romanian community since years. Now there’s a real risk of a forced eviction as the private land is being reclaimed. The local authorities plan to relocate 200 of the residents to a new segregated camp, while the remaining hundreds risk being rendered homeless. Naples, March 2016.. Gianturco, March 2017. © AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/CLAUDIO MENNA
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The settlement of Gianturco in Naples accommodates a big Romanian community since years. Now there’s a real risk of a forced eviction as the private land is being reclaimed. The local authorities plan to relocate 200 of the residents to a new segregated camp, while the remaining hundreds risk being rendered homeless. Naples, Gianturco, March 2017. © AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/CLAUDIO MENNA
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Portrait of a Romanian family who lives in the informal settlement of Gianturco, that has accommodated a big Romanian community for years. Now there’s a real risk of a forced eviction as the private land is being reclaimed. The local authorities plan to relocate 200 of the residents to a new segregated camp, while the remaining hundreds risk being rendered homeless. Naples, March 2016.Naples, March 2016. © AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL/CLAUDIO MENNA.