IRCT REGIONAL REPORT 2016 Settimo Torinese, Italy - July 2015: A Red Cross reception centre becomes a temporary hub for refugees arriving in Italy. © MikeDotta Legally, asylum seekers have equal access to the Italian National Health Service as soon as they have filed the asylum claim. One of the main challenges for the National Health Service is the lack of interpreters and translators to transmit information and diagnoses to asylum seekers. CIR took part in a project titled the Italian Network for Asylum Seekers who Survived Torture (“NIRAST”), which ran from 2007 and ended in 2012 due to lack of funding. The project trained asylum authorities, staff at reception centres and medical staff in the National Health Service, to identify and treat torture victims and to draft MLRs. Torture victims are able to request and receive MLRs in practice but this is dependent on them having access to an NGO that can provide this service, which means that not all torture victims have access to MLRs. According to LD 142/2015, the asylum authorities may request MLRs if there are signs indicating past persecution or harm. “Under the NIRAST project, we noticed a marked improvement in how authorities and health workers dealt with vulnerable asylum seekers. There were positive steps in how health professionals, civil servants and staff of the asylum authority reported on torture victims and how frequently they referred people to our services. Since the project ended due to a lack of funding, we have noticed that standards have dropped again.” ~ Christopher Hein page 31