The Right to Citizenship, as reflected in the Charter of Palermo, affirms that citizenship must be grounded in equal dignity, participation, and presence within a community rather than restricted by bloodline or nationality. The Charter calls for pathways to citizenship that are transparent, accessible, and free from discriminatory barriers.

As discussed on the summary findings page and other pages of this website, in the twenty-first century Italy and the European Union have increasingly limited pathways to asylum and other forms of long-term or permanent legal status for migrants.  And Italy lacks a policy of birthright citizenship, even if a national movement has emerged to promote it in recent years. Citizenship and the rights it affords, therefore, remain out of reach for many migrants and even for their children born in Italy. 

Participants in the photo-voice interviews for this research repeatedly voiced critiques of these trends and the human rights violations produced by Italy’s denial of legal status to so many migrants. The Charter of Palermo and other efforts by the administration of former Mayor Leoluca Orlando sought to cast all residents of Palermo, no matter their legal status or identity, as citizens of Palermo. But as documented throughout this website, in their everyday experiences, many migrants and their children continue to face barriers to genuinely realizing the rights of citizenship.