Asylum seekers and irregular migrants are most at poverty risk all over Europe. Many governments tend to adopt policies that discourage them from staying there and hinder their integration. This was suggested by a Caritas Europe report that was presented in Brussels today, called "Migration: a poverty-bound journey?”. It gives a picture of the living conditions of the 56.1 million immigrants that are in Europe today and the about 5 million ones that are estimated to be irregularly staying there. The Report is the fruit of research and fieldwork by the 48 national Caritas branches in Europe and their regional, diocesan and parish branches. They surveyed five areas: work, housing, health, education and involvement in public life. The Report shows that "migrants work beyond the bounds of legality for a scanty salary and with no insurance or welfare coverage". In Italy, for example, while occupational accidents have decreased by 1.1% for Italian workers, they have risen by 6.6% for migrant workers. (to be continued)
