European Committee Orders Italy to Take Immediate Measures to Protect Evicted Romani Families in Giugliano, Campania
17 July 2025
Brussels, Rome, 17 July 2025: The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) and Associazione 21 luglio welcome the European Committee of Social Rights' (ECSR) decision to declare the collective complaint against Italy (No. 244/2025 European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) v. Italy) admissible and, crucially, to grant the request for immediate measures to protect Romani families facing homelessness and severe health risk in Giugliano in Campania (Naples). The complaint filed on 11 March 2025 argues that Italy’s repeated forced evictions of Romani families, its persistent failure to provide adequate alternative housing, and its ongoing systemic discrimination violate Article 31 (the right to housing) and Article E (non-discrimination) of the Revised European Social Charter. The Italian Government has been instructed to provide immediate safe and adequate temporary accommodation, with access to essential services such as water, sanitation, heating, waste disposal, and electricity to the 120 families living in via Carrafiello.
“This decision sends a clear message that Romani families in Italy cannot be left in conditions that endanger their lives and violate their rights. Italy’s policy of ‘overcoming the system of camps’ - camps which were often illegally created in the first place - must not mean the wanton eviction of Romani families without proper safeguards for their rights and welfare. We welcome the Committee’s swift action and urge the Italian authorities to implement these measures without delay” said Đorđe Jovanović, President of the ERRC.
According to Carlo Stasolla, president of Associazione 21 luglio, "Italian authorities are now called upon to provide a real and sustainable response to the dramatic conditions of the families living in the Via Carrafiello settlement. In the coming weeks, we will present a detailed report on the condition of these communities. This could certainly be a valuable tool for initiating sustainable processes of housing inclusion."
The complaint concerns the situation of approximately 550 Romani individuals who had been living in a camp in Via Carrafiello, Giugliano in Campania, until a court ordered their eviction by April 30, 2025, and Italian authorities failed to provide adequate safeguards or alternative housing. To avoid yet another eviction from their homes, most families left before the deadline and moved to nearby land where living conditions are even more severe. Residents, including children and adults with chronic illnesses, live in tents and shacks without access to electricity, sanitation, and safe water, and are exposed to serious health risks. A particular concern is that part of the land within the “Terra dei Fuochi” is known to be contaminated with asbestos, a material highly hazardous to health. Some families include individuals who have diabetes and cardiovascular disease, as well as two children with tumours. Additionally, the location of the land has forced several children to stop attending school.
The ERRC, supported by Associazione 21 Luglio, provided additional information in the complaint relating to previous evictions of Romani families from other locations in Giugliano in Campania, as well as the attempts by local authorities to provide alternative housing to the families, which proved unsuccessful. The ERRC and Associazione 21 Luglio asserted that the situation of the Romani families in Giugliano, who have been living there for more than 40 years, exemplifies the ongoing failure of Italian authorities to ensure equal access to adequate housing for Roma, worsening homelessness, and perpetuating systemic discrimination and segregation.
Immediate Measures Ordered
On 2 July 2025, the Committee ruled that the complaint lodged by the ERRC (No. 244/2025) is admissible under the European Social Charter and instructed the Italian Government to take urgent action to safeguard the rights of the affected Romani families. The Committee found that the situation poses a risk of serious and irreparable harm to the health and dignity of Romani families. The Italian Government has been ordered to provide safe and adequate temporary accommodation immediately, with access to essential services such as water, sanitation, heating, waste disposal, and electricity. Italy has until 15 September 2025 to make written submissions on the merits of the complaint and to report on the measures taken to comply with this decision. The ERRC will then have an opportunity to respond.
The ERRC and Associazione 21 luglio will continue to monitor developments closely and work alongside Romani communities to ensure that Italy complies with the Committee’s decision and moves toward lasting, lawful housing solutions.
This press release is also available in Italian.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact:
Senada Sali
Legal Director
European Roma Rights Centre
senada.sali@errc.org
+32 497 67 60 12
Rosi Mangiacavallo (in Italian)
Human Rights Monitor for Italy
European Roma Rights Centre
rosi.mangiacavallo@errc.org
+39 328 9420 715
Barbara Battaglia
Ufficio Stampa
Associazione 21 luglio
bbbarbarabattaglia@gmail.com
+39 366 6292 992
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