We are saddened to note a growing hostility towards the humanitarian commitment of associations and groups of citizens engaged in saving human lives in the Mediterranean Sea and other “hot” places on the borders of the European Union. On the one hand, government policies inspired by ideologies that claim to want to restore a lost national sovereignty and act in defense of the borders of their homeland from alien invasions, and on the other hand, the amplification, often distorted, of facts presented to discredit the entire community of so-called Non-Governmental Organizations operated by authoritative (perhaps) newspapers on various communication channels, are mounting with great emphasis and intensity. There is much to tell and testify about the nature and work of NGOs, and equally about the remote and current causes that generate the epochal migratory phenomena we are witnessing; but it would also be useful and necessary to shed light on the opaque and well-ramified interests that hide behind human trafficking and their merciless exploitation, but in many ways convenient and sometimes well integrated into our productive and economic system. We leave this part to future insights and comments, while at the moment We believe it is important to highlight the firm position of the Italian NGO community expressed by Silvia Stilli, spokesperson of the Association of Italian Organizations for International Cooperation and Solidarity (AOI), at the following links: Attack on NGOs: Interview with Silvia Stilli on Radio in Blu
NGOs take self-defense legal action to defend the sector’s reputation With the hope that with the new year, sincere dialogue and listening between the many actors involved allow us to overcome partisanship and controversy in favor of solutions oriented towards the Common Good, serious and sustainable, fair and respectful of the dignity of each party involved, so that future generations will not have any reason to condemn what is happening in these years of difficult transition. (Stefano Comazzi, AMU president)
