Sanika Deshpande
Published On: October 23, 2021 at 12:00 IST
A Federal Court ruled that authorities in Switzerland can now resume the practice of sending rejected Asylum seeker families back to Italy.
The question was earlier put on hold because of the concerns regarding child welfare.
The Court ruled on Friday, 22nd October related to a mother and her underage child who were earlier in March 2019 refused Asylum in Switzerland.
By rejecting their claim, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) wanted to send them back to Italy.
But a 2018 decree by the previous Government in Rome had toughened conditions for Asylum seekers, especially with the accommodation.
The “initial reception centres” in Italy where the returned refugees were housed were “Over-populated and poorly equipped to meet the needs of the particularly vulnerable,” the Court said. They were concerned about families, especially with children and their bad health.
On October 22nd, the Swiss Refugee Council criticised the latest ruling, saying it went against the research and information available to it. Conditions are “more precarious than ever” for asylum seekers in Italy, it said.
The council called on the Swiss Authorities to not resume the practice of sending such people back over the border.
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