00:00Under Italy's scorching heatwave, thousands of migrant workers are struggling to survive
00:06in a sprawling shanty town outside of Fujia.
00:10With little shade, limited access to water and makeshift shelters baking in the sun,
00:15many say they are forced to live in inhumane conditions
00:18while providing the labour that powers southern Italy's agricultural industry.
00:22It's hard. We live in containers.
00:26There's no water and no air conditioning.
00:29Some people go to work, come back and go to sleep without washing.
00:36The settlement has stood since 2005,
00:39swelling to nearly 4,000 seasonal workers each summer as harvest season begins.
00:48This settlement in Borgomezzanoni is famous for being the largest settlement in Europe.
00:53So this means that many people come here because they know this place.
00:57They know that here they can easily find work.
01:00They can find a community.
01:02But of course, these flows that increase during the summer period
01:06definitely worsen this situation of hardship inside the settlement,
01:10especially linked to hygiene issues.
01:13Let's remember that there are no toilets here.
01:18Doctors warn the desert-like settlement is putting migrant workers at serious risk of physical
01:23and mental health problems, as aid group InterSource provides critical medical support.
01:34Everything we see here can be considered pathogenic, meaning it can cause disease.
01:40A minor wound left in these conditions becomes an infection
01:43that often requires several cycles of antibiotics and visits to the emergency room.
01:55Italy forfeited 54 million euros in EU funding
01:59after failing to move migrant workers into proper housing before the deadline.
Comments