The recent riots between Africans and locals in the Calabrian town of Rosarno have sparked nationwide outrage. Whilst some blame racism, the appalling exploitation of migrant workers and a mafia wage levy are likelier causes.
“They are beasts. We have always helped them ... we do not want them here anymore” One of the townspeople points at the destruction left in the wake of the riots. Whilst the rest of Italy is quick to brand the locals as racists, the migrants’ growing frustration with their low pay and poor living conditions is the actual source of discontent. To make matters worse, workers must hand in up to a quarter of their earnings to the local mafia head. Journalist Domenico Mammola also blames the lingering economic crisis: “A huge problem is the dismal economic situation. For this reason you can no longer pay people properly”. With the Mafia exploiting the situation to its advantage, it is unlikely to improve nor Rosarno to remain an isolated case.
ORF
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Colombia - Faces of Colombia's War
- 22' min [8 February 2010]
Possibly the most downplayed conflict of today, the forty-year-old Colombian war shows no signs of ceasing. It’s fed by a billion dollar drug trade, political division and an international land battle.
“The conflict is no longer about ideology. It’s a battle of powers, a battle for territory”. It began as a war between left-wing guerrillas - hoping to establish a communist state – and right-wing paramilitary groups funded by the wealthy. Yet both sides lost support when the violence intensified. “I lost my entire family”, says Anna, whose town was hit by forty guerrilla bombs. Those who weren’t killed were evicted from valuable land and sent to ‘urban slums’. ‘Accion Social’ – the government’s aid program for the displaced - has done little to help. And the US’s half a billion dollars a year in aid may have indirectly funded the paramilitary ‘death squads’ associated with President Uribe. With cocaine production still on the rise and much of the land claimed by paramilitary groups now used by international agribusinesses, could there be a financial incentive for the ongoing war? “Paramillary narco-trafficking has never ended, because the government is supporting them”. And as an even more violent paramilitary rise to claim their piece of the profits, it’s only the 4 million displaced Colombians, who stand to lose.
Lagan Serbert, Huffington Post Investigative Fund
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Haiti - Rescued but not Saved
- 12' min 48'' sec [8 February 2010]
Every so often there is a glimmer of hope in Haiti, as amongst the bodies an unexpected survivor is pulled from the rubble. But what happens after the happy ending? Does rescued necessarily mean saved?
Thirty three year old Paula and her two-year-old daughter Juliana were rescued after being trapped for four days. Both Paula and the Dutch rescue team are overwhelmed at this extraordinary result; “God sent the Dutch to save me”. “This is a true miracle, isn’t it? Truly amazing! This is why we work so hard.” Yet after the hiatus comes the grim reality of spending nearly a week under the rubble. Paula has blood poisoning and must have both legs amputated. Juliana hasn’t spoken since the disaster, and is in constant pain. Doctors at the Russian emergency hospital aren’t hopeful. Paula doesn’t survive her injuries. Whatever the ending to Juliana’s story - it won’t be a fairytale.
EO
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