The opportunity to visit one of the Roma camps
where the Naples stateless legal clinic operates
was a privilege and was the highlight of my
overall Fellowship experience.
The Italian Roma community is one of the
largest ethnic minorities in Italy. Though the
exact size of the community is uncertain, it is
estimated that there are between 120,000 and
180,000 Roma in the country, a significant
proportion of whom lack Italian citizenship.
Many are concentrated in settlements on the
periphery of cities, where they are at risk of
eviction or targeted attacks.cxxxi In 2015 the
Roma population in Naples was estimated at 3,000.cxxxii
Scampia Camp, Naples, Katie Robertson, 2023
The Roma Camp in Scampia is home to approximately 700 people. The camp is poorly equipped
with limited access to running water, sewers, garbage disposal or proper heating and cooking
facilities. The camps were intended to be temporary, housing more than a thousand displaced
Roma from Serbia and Montenegro, who arrived in Italy during the Yugoslav Wars in the ‘90s.
Far from being temporary, I met with members of the camp who have been there for two or three
generations. I was lucky to meet with one of the senior members of the camp, who kindly gave me
a tour. He informed me that the camp is
currently home to about 50 families and 120
children – many of whom live within large
mounds of garbage and waste. Makeshift houses
have been assembled from materials sourced
from the rubbish piles but were lovingly
assembled to exhibit pride and a sense of
homeliness. The camp elder advised me that
living conditions were fairly cramped, with up to
15 family members sharing a single bedroom
dwelling. He advised me that the main challenge
the members of the camp faced was in accessing
Katie Robertson stands next to the rubbish left by the
documents.
local council to accumulate within the Scampia camp,
Naples, Italy.
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