ITALIE | Romanians in Italy : in or out ?

04/05/09 | Cristina Barbu

Never before has Romania felt more the consequences of being a small country whose people wrongly understood the freedom that came with joining EU on January the 1st 2007, as it does at the present moment. The illness of Communism has left us with scars that we try to hide, no matter if we are politicians or regular people, as the doctrines continue to make the object of everyday life. Following the 1989 revolution, Romania has experienced many changes, just like a teenager does after leaving his childhood home: corruption cases, criminality as well as freedom of speech, the possibility to travel without restrictions all around the world, more chances for young people to develop as professionals. Still, the safe but small paces this country does in its development as European country, have taken a toll on its people, who tries to make a living outside the borders. Italy, one of the countries that once used to receive us with open arms, is now making charges on Romanians, blaming them for the high rate of crimes that take place in the Peninsula, especially in Rome.


Truth or dare?
It is said that the truth is always in the middle, and we should not tend toward extremes when judging certain facts, no matter how they are presented by others. Titles like: “Two Romanians have killed a woman in Rome”, or “Romanians accused of violating a young girl” are very common in some Italian newspapers. In the context of severe xenophobic acts committed against Romanian citizens in the Peninsula - stores belonging to Romanians in Rome devastated, or women beaten because they were heard speaking Romanian –, Romanian newspapers give a great deal of attention to the subject. So where is the truth behind all that? Are some newspapers reliable when it comes to presenting the situation of Romanians? Or are they just factors of disseminating information in a certain form in order to catch the eye of the reader? Are they to be blamed for releasing all these acts of discrimination and violence against a minority? The answer can be found when confronting all the violent facts we often hear about with reality.  

Never judge a book by its cover
According to the Immigration Report, elaborated by Caritas and Migrantes Foundations, in 2007, Romanians hired legally were producing more than 11 billion dollars from the Italian GDP without taking in consideration the number of people working illegally, which is more than 40%.  The number has increased significantly until today, when Romanians' number is much larger. “Italians belonging to the higher society state that Romanian students are very appreciated for their high level of knowledge, while the Romanians working in multinational firms have also a very good image” , as the student in Rome, Carmen B. points out.  On the other hand, in the constructions field, where most Romanians activate, the workers often live in poor conditions and, despite the fact they constitute the main workforce, they have to deal with the bad reputation of some other few Romanians. It is also the case of most women coming from the north of Romania, who work as maids, taking care of old people: “It is very hard for me to walk on the street right now, as I try to be as quiet as possible so that people don’t notice my accent. It is not fair to be misjudged like that. Why do I have to suffer because of what a stupid man did? ” says Maria M. As a Romanian on the streets of Rome, you always have the feeling of being watched, even if it is not the case. You turn around and you see newspapers on the stand, with big headlines that depict crimes committed by other Romanians.                         

The truth                                                                                         
Rita Bernardini, member of the Justice Chamber Commission in Rome, has admitted in an interview for Agerpres, that there’s a constant manipulation of media regarding the problem of Romanians in Italy: “It has to be taken into account the following premise: the political regime in Italy, that owns most information media, has discovered a few years ago the fact that it could lose or win the elections by adopting the public safety theme.  ” Indeed, the problem of Romanians seems to be more a way of hiding the incapacity to deal with the economic crisis. What better way to distract people’s attention from the real problems than creating the impression of defending public safety? There are many Romanians in Rome, and throughout Italy, who work hard and try to give their children a better future. The same way as Nigerians or Albanians do. Of course there are bad people too among them, but you cannot judge an entire nation because of a few cases over discussed by media. Can you?

Rédacteur :
Cristina Barbu, Craiova Roumanie