Refugees in Italy: a pilot study of their reception and integration process

This paper represents the preliminary analysis of a pilot research carried out by CIR and the Department of social Studies of the University of Rome “Sapienza” (together with Italian non-profit organisations) on the level of integration of beneficiaries of international protection (both refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection) who had been living in Italy for at least 3 years. The pilot research described has been conducted under the Project “Le strade dell’integrazione” (The integration paths), co-financed by the European Union and the Italian Ministry of Interior under the European Refugee Fund 2010 – Action 2.1.A. Individual interviews and focus groups have been carried out in 7 different Italian territories, involving both beneficiaries of international protection and operators working with them. Questionnaires have been administered at national level. The preliminary analysis presented in this paper refers to some territories and to the partial material available. In the conclusion, results are discussed and recommendations for the final analysis are offered.