Modena Hosts Conference on Migrant Women and Healthcare
Donne migranti e salute
is the title of a scheduled conference taking place on Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Centro Multimediale Città dei Ragazzi in via Tamburini 106 in Modena. The event focuses on the intersection of migration, gender, and access to medical care in Italy.
The initiative is promoted by the pastoral care for health of the Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola and Carpi, alongside the Porta Aperta ambulatory clinic for undocumented migrants and unhoused Italians. The gathering forms part of the broader Festival della Migrazione.
Festival Della Migrazione Opens with Migrant Health Discussions
Proceedings begin at 9 a.m. with an introduction by Edoardo Patriarca, president of the Festival della Migrazione, and Dante Zini, interdiocesan lead for healthcare pastoral care. Don Riccardo Paltrinieri, director of the interdiocesan service for pastoral care of health, disability, and consolation, will then lead a prayer ahead of official greetings from local authorities.
At 9:30 a.m., the first session opens under the moderation of Dr. Rita Conigliaro. The discussion centers on the theme of migrant women and health realities in Italy and Modena. Maria Augusta Angelucci of the Italian Society of Migration Medicine – women will speak on culturally adapted healthcare pathways designed to guarantee the right to treatment. Angelucci brings experience as a former Senior Gender Advisor for the United Nations Development Program and a foreign ministry expert in Congo, Rwanda, and Mali.
Maria Paola Guiducci, representing the Local Health Authority (AUSL) of Modena table on migrant health and vulnerability, will follow by detailing local needs and services dedicated to migrant women in the Modena area.
The second session begins at 10:30 a.m., moderated by Dante Zini, and focuses entirely on direct testimonies from frontline workers and patients. Sister Cristina Tibaldo of the Reggio Emilia Houses of Charity, who has worked in first-stage reception on the pier in Lampedusa, will deliver a contribution titled “Un incrocio di sguardi sul molo di Lampedusa.”
Dr. Milena Greco, a physician at the Porta Aperta ambulatory clinic, will discuss her clinical experiences treating women arriving recently from the sea and the Balkans. Kindi Taila, a gynecologist and head of the consulting rooms for the AUSL Modena southern area, will offer reflections regarding the life stories of foreign women using Modena's family planning clinics.
Additional voices include Aoua Sangarè from Mali, a guest of the Fondazione Famiglia Materna in Trento, alongside healthcare cultural mediators and a medical student from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia who completed an internship at Porta Aperta. Monsignor Erio Castellucci, bishop of Modena-Nonantola and Carpi, will deliver concluding reflections at noon.
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