Sri Lankans in Italy

There are over 100,000 Sri Lankans in Italy. Many are permanent residents or have moved there in search of work.

Sri Lankans in Italy
Total population
109,968 (2016)[1]
Regions with significant populations
 Lombardia30,000[2]
 Lazio[2]
Southern Italy[2]
Languages
English · Sinhala · Tamil · Italian
Religion
Buddhism · Hinduism · Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Sri Lankan

History

Sri Lankans started to migrate to Italy in the 1970s. Italy was attractive to the migrants due to perceived easier employment opportunities and entry, compared to other European countries.[2] The first immigration waves during the second half of the Eighties consisted mainly of Tamils, followed by Sinhalese at the beginning of the 1990s.[2]

In the late 1970s, Catholic women migrated to Italy to work in elderly homes. Many Sri Lankans have also illegally migrated to Italy, mainly through the Balkans and Austria. Admission acts also encouraged more Sri Lankans to migrate to Italy. For example, the Dini Decree in 1996 made it easier for Sri Lankan workers to bring their families to Italy. In Rome, Naples and Milan, the Sri Lankans have built up "enlarged families", where jobs are exchanged among relatives and compatriots.[2]

Demographics

Sociologist Enrica Morlicchio estimated in 1992 that 2/3rds of the Sri Lankan population in Italy was Sinhalese and Tamils constituted 1/3rd.[2] The major Sinhalese communities in Italy are located in Lombardia (In the districts Loreto and Lazzaretto), Milan, Lazio, Rome, Naples and Southern Italy (Particularly Palermo, Messina and Catania). Most Italian Sinhalese work as domestic workers. But they have also opened businesses such as restaurants, cleaning enterprises (e.g. Cooperativa Multietnica di Pulizie Sud-Est), call centres, video-shops, traditional food shops and minimarkets.

Community

The major community organisation representing Sri Lankans in Italy is the Sri Lanka Association Italy. Smaller community and political organisation exist in areas with a sizable Sri Lankan population such as the Sri Lanka Association Florence, Coordinamento Tamil, Centro Culturale Tamil, Sri Lanka Women’s Association Napoli and Associazione dei Tamil in Italia. Several other organizations are based in cities including Naples, Bologna, Lecce, Reggio Emilia etc.[2]

Notable Sri Lankan Italians

See also
  • Global Sri Lankan Forum
  • Italy – Sri Lanka relations

References
  1. (PDF) http://www.integrazionemigranti.gov.it/Areetematiche/PaesiComunitari-e-associazioniMigranti/Documents/ES_SRILANKA_en.pdf. Retrieved 15 October 2018. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. The Sri Lankan Diaspora in Italy (PDF). Berghof Research Center. 2004.
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