SOS CENTRAL STATION
1990-2000
Ten years on the outcast ways in
Milan
Images Gallery by
Isabella Balena
Gallery Sections:
The Station
SOS Central Station
Abject poverty and neglecting
Alcoholism and drugs
Foreigns
Security
Images commentary by
Maurizio Rotaris
Sos Central Station Manager
“The Central Station”
Every year, millions of persons
pass through Milan Central Station. Among them, a living people which wander
about aimlessly. Human beings mingle with the rich Milan running crowd,
and too often trapped in their own tragedies. Men and women which shock
very often passengers: they istintively drawn back from people staggering,
dirty and in raggs. They are usually homeless, ill, without aims. Young
subjects, old people, children who get Milan and live sometimes in it for
years completely alone and in dire poverty.
“SOS Central Station”
In 1990, father Antonio Mazzi and
Italian Railways set up SOS Central Station exactly to care these hopeless
and neglected people.
“Abject poverty
and neglecting”
In ten years, SOS contacted 4974
men and women among whom drug adicts, alcoholics, psychiatric patients,
misfits and old clochards, the most part of which coming from other lombard
cities, other italian regions and from abroad as well. None of them has
a home and not even a refuge for the night.
“Alcoholism and
drugs”
We are so speaking about hopeless
and neglecting people who is very often on drugs or on alcoholism, against
which brother Ettore, SOS, voluntary workers of movable Unities, City Angels,
and since february 2000 Town Council too are fighting to take them from
a degrade which becames worse and worse. Thanks to their first help, many
of them come back home, began therapeutic programs, accomodate in health
or rehabilitation instituitions, or, at least, improve their life standard.
Anyway, 54 of them died because of drugs or alcoolism deseases.
“Foreigns”
SOS Central Station has also noted
during last ten years foreign migrants. Since 1990, nord Africans, Albanians,
Rumanians, Bulgarians, Ucranians and Moldavians; thousand of people looking
for a job and dreaming integration who too often found poverty, social
and sexual exploitation, when not used in foreing criminal organizations
which take recently root in Milan. Central and local Authorities moved
in last years their attention from prevention and social help to security:
that is why difficult situations we described became even worse.
“Security”
A very dramatic picture all around
Central Station: citizens, Railways, travellers, institutions, all unanimously
ask for security; anyway, in ten years, SOS cecked without doubts that
police intervention alone ‘clean’ territory only by moving further that
wandering and disturbing people: who would probabily need to be welcome
and to be integrated using a true and reliable social plan instead of police
reports and deportation decrees.
Images Commentary by
Maurizio Rotaris
SOS Central Station Manager
Translation Claudia di Filippo
Thanks to
Isabella Balena
Webmaster Exodus Foudation
Ennio Porro