How Are Milan Evictions Enforced?
Milan Evictions Enforced
The ECHR and ICESCR clearly state that forced evictions should be avoided and alternatives should be provided for those who are being evicted. This includes the right to genuine consultation, reasonable notice of eviction, and access to legal remedies.
Forced evictions are often carried out without any notice, and sometimes with little or no proper consultation or in some cases even after people have been denied adequate alternative accommodation. They can leave many people without housing or with no means to find it.
Several NGOs have reported a number of forced evictions over the last few months in Milan and the surrounding area. Some of these have taken place in Roma settlements, while others have targeted families with children who are deemed to be too vulnerable or poor for public housing.
For example, a family with six members including two children was living in a very poor apartment in the North of Milan, with a lot of problems in the building including no lighting and electric wiring that caused serious fires. The city council did not provide a solution, and the family was forced to live in a hotel.
How Are Milan Evictions Enforced?
Bailiffs play a professional role in carrying out evictions and also act as mediators between the parties involved in a forced removal. This is a social function that reflects their capacity to understand the economic winds in a locality and the ability to determine the least harmful form of intervention.
They have a very high degree of expertise in their area of operation. They are able to assess the risk of violent conflict, and also to identify the presence of weapons that can be used for self-defense.
In addition to this, they are highly trained in negotiating and mediation with the authorities of a municipality.
This professional role and knowledge can be a valuable resource in helping the most vulnerable to avoid becoming victims of evictions, because they are well versed in the legal framework that governs these proceedings. This can help to ensure that evictions are executed in the most humane way possible and do not have negative impacts on people’s health or safety.
However, a large number of evictions are still not being conducted in a humane or fair manner and some residents are being abused by bailiffs and police officers. This can include violence against them, as was the case in the eviction of a family on 19 August.
As a result, the ERRC is filing legal challenges against these evictions and will continue to monitor them.
Some evictions are being done without any proper consultation, and some families with children are being left with no place to live. This is in violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which protects the right to adequate housing for all.
The ERRC is calling on the Italian authorities to provide meaningful assistance to victims of evictions.