The Associazione Avvocato di Strada Onlus was created in 2001 in Bologna, but today it has 20 offices throughout Italy. With no need to arrange an appointment and without the involvement of social services, the volunteers working for the association, who are all professional lawyers, receive in these offices those who need their help. Therefore, it is possible for anyone to have legal advice and, if necessary, be represented in court. These lawyers deal especially with issues related to pensions, eviction orders, residence permits, the small and big problems of street people. We discussed about the role of this association with the lawyer, Andrea Pique, coordinator of the office of Rome.
More than 2000 years ago an important lawmaker said: “Law is like a spider’s web”, it catches only small insects because the big ones break the web and remain free. On the basis of your experience, do you think this statement is true?
Yes, I perfectly agree with this statement. It is certainly more difficult for the most vulnerable, those who live in very poor social and economic conditions, to defend their rights. This is due to a number of factors: the difficulty in communicating their problems, the distrust toward those who listen to them and the society in general, the fear of retaliations, the incapacity to contact professionals able to help them concretely. This is the reason why they may be caught in the web of law.
Recently, maybe because of a misunderstood concept of security, the Italian Government and local authorities have passed excessively restrictive norms, especially for foreigners. Do you believe that Rome is less welcoming for street people?
Well, actually I do not think so. It is true that there exists a growing concern regarding the increase in crimes related to those who live with inadequate means of subsistence, but it is important to say that these people are often victims of these same crimes.
How are private and public agencies for the homeless organised in Rome?
In Rome there are lots of associations providing social and health care for the homeless. I think it is necessary to improve the coordination of all parties involved.
Your Association is the perfect example of what is called “voluntary work of professionals” and it is similar to the work of doctors operating in developing countries. What do you feel when you work as volunteers?
We are proud of helping those who, otherwise, would not have the opportunity to contact a lawyer. Our group is made of lawyers specialised in particular matters such as immigration. A deep sense of empathy develops between us and those seeking our help. The results we are obtaining in terms of bigger inflow of people and successful court proceedings support our engagement and give us the strength to go on with determination and professionalism.
Could you please tell us about one case in particular in your experience of “street lawyer”?
I remember a teenage Moroccan boy, arrived in Italy when he was six. He feels one hundred percent Italian. His studies, friends, relatives and interests are in Italy. His father had a residence permit that included him too. The permit is not renewed and the boy, before turning 18, loses his right to remain in Italy. This episode should make us reflect about the possibility to grant Italian citizenship to immigrants’ children and their future generations.
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