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I'm Yusuf, I come from Somalia and I'm 23 years old.
I studied at university for two years,
then I interrupted it and I ran away to Lampedusa.
That part of migrants, the refugees,
that people who run away from their countries and families because
their life is in danger, they've all rights guaranteed in Italy.
This is established by law, by the Constitution.
The civilization of a country can be read in its Constitution.
In Italy, from that side, we don't miss anything.
When in June 2008 I moved here in Turin,
June the 30th, the first day, I went to the immigration office
to ask for a place to stay and sleep and they said:
"We have no time, we have no places to sleep, you have to wait for it one year".
The fact that a migrant, which has been recognized as a refugee
in Sweden, in Finland, in Norway, in the United Kingdom,
spends a night on the street is a great absurdity.
In that countries this is an unacceptable situation.
One day I decided that I couldn't remain on the road, or into the railway station...
And so I went to Holland, I travelled around there.
Often happen that the refugees who give fingerprints
to the Italian authorities, for example to the Public Safety,
then they insert them into a database,
when they arrive and receive these documents, they leave for the rest of Europe.
I arrived to the Dutch refugee centre where I asked once again for asylum
and after ten months they finally said to me:
"We can't give you the asylum because
you already have it in Italy, and so you can't live in Netherlands".
Italy is an important country with a great civilization;
yes, Italy signed all the laws to give necessary safeguard and protection.
When a migrant escapes from his country to come here,
the Italian authorities immediately give him documents and send him to a refugee centre
where he remains for a six months period, sometimes renewable once.
I decided to return in Italy. I came back on June 19th 2009
and I began my regular life in Turin. I lived in Peschiera Street
and then I was transferred by the local administration to Asti Street.
In Europe there are many refugee centres, obviously a refugee doesn't need
to go in a luxury accomodation. No, he doesn't.
He has to go in a welcome centre and he needs to be guided.
When I was in Asti Street, I started to learn Italian
and I also began to attend a computer science course.
After that, I was transferred to an ARCI social club located in Bengasi Square,
on April 9th 2010, and I've lived there until now.
The refugee starts to speak the local language, he begins to attend a professional course,
he starts to do all these things, anyway
he has to get out from the refugee centre,
he needs to have an adress in the city, he must live inside society.
I found a granted job, since December 1st 2010 until now.
The local administration is helping me with this job,
even if the contract lasts only three months.
After that I really don't know what I'll do.
Someone who comes from Africa, who doesn't speak Italian, who is penniless,
even if he's maintained into a refugee centre for six months, for one year...
there's no guarantee that he can reach independence... if he doesn't find a job.
My first interest is to study at university
and I also would like to find a job as soon as possible.
If I won't find a job... I've got a lot of thoughts...
because if you don't work, if you didn't sleep well...
I'll have to run away once again and come back.
If at the institutional level doesn't change much, the centres alone
can't do enough
because to keep up with the other European countries,
to comply with all the Conventions signed by Italy...
surely the governors have to allocate resources to these centres,
to these migrants, to these people running away from war.
These guys don't come here just for economical purposes,
they come here because they want to live.
If there will be peace I'm going to come back immediately...
within one month. If this month there will be peace, even only
in the Mogadishu area, the capital city, I must return immediately
because I've been away for a long time, almost three years.
I must return to my country, to my homeland,
to hug my family again
and then live together, in Somalia.