Born Italian, but citizenship only at 22: Victoria Karam's fight for belonging

Victoria Karam, a 30-year-old Italian citizen born to Brazilian parents, is challenging Italy's citizenship laws, arguing that they create an unnecessary bureaucratic and identity "no man's land" for young people.

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I was born in Italy to Brazilian parents. My father arrived in Italy at 16 to play professional hockey, my mother joined him shortly after. I grew up between Veneto and Emilia: Bassano, Vicenza, Bologna. My life has always been here: school, friends, university.

Karam, who lives in Vicenza and works as a European policy coordinator for the Democratic Party, was born in Salerno. Her father, a professional hockey player, and mother moved to Italy from Brazil. She grew up in the Veneto and Emilia regions, attending Italian schools and universities, and considers herself Italian.

However, she only obtained citizenship at age 22. Italian law allows children of foreigners born in Italy one year, between ages 18 and 19, to apply for citizenship. Karam missed this window while focused on university and faced a three-year wait for the ordinary process. "I never experienced a process of integration," Karam stated. "I never had to integrate into anything. I was born here, grew up here. That's why I say: I don't feel integrated. I belong. It's different."

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No. And that's the point. I always felt Italian, but for the state, I wasn't. I was born in Italy, grew up here, but only became an Italian citizen at the age of 22.

This experience inspired her social project "Volti italiani" (Italian Faces). The initiative aims to humanize the issue by showcasing the stories of young people who grew up in Italy but remain in a bureaucratic and identity "halfway house." Karam wants to counter negative narratives by presenting these individuals as Italian, sharing their dialect, their support for the national sports teams, and their academic pursuits.

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The Italian law grants children of foreigners born in Italy a very narrow window: only one year, between 18 and 19, to apply for citizenship. I didn't know. I had just arrived in Bologna for university, with my head full of exams and the future. When I submitted the application, the response was glacial: too late. I had to go through the ordinary process. Three years of waiting. Three years to get recognition for a belonging I had always felt was mine.

The project highlights stories like that of Samir Ahmed, who arrived from Egypt as a teenager and became a guide for a blind athlete. Despite winning national titles and qualifying for the Paralympics, a bureaucratic decree prevented him from competing because he lacked Italian citizenship. Karam seeks to break down the "victim narrative" and challenge perceptions, urging people to look at these individuals and see their Italian identity.

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The paradox. Because I never lived a process of integration. I never had to integrate into anything. I was born here, grew up here. That's why I say: I don't feel integrated. I belong. It's different.