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Italy Urges Action on Slave Trade

Human slavery and trafficking is a growing problem in Europe, which must be tackled at a Europe-wide level, said Italian Equal Opportunities Minister Barbara Pollastrini.

Addressing a two-day seminar in Rome, organized jointly with the Council of Europe's Campaign to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, she said joint action was the only way to fight the problem. "Human trafficking is a repugnant practice that has become an enormous problem in Europe," she said . "The battle cannot be fought alone but must instead be conducted at a European level and with other countries around the world."

According to statistics published at the conference, more than 2.45 million people are trafficked around the world, the majority of them women and children. Most victims are either put to work in the sex industry (43%) or else as labourers (32%). The head of the Council of Europe's campaign, Jan Kleijssen praised Italy for its support in fighting the problem but said that countries around the globe needed to take tougher action.

The Council's 2005 Convention on Action in Trafficking in Human Beings was signed by 30 countries, including Italy, but Austria, Moldavia and Romania are the only three states to have ratified it so far. The convention provides for greater inter-state cooperation, compensation for victims and tougher fines for traffickers.

"But above all, it requires authorities to treat these individuals as victims rather than foreigners present in the country illegally," said Kleijssen. The conference comes a week after the Italian cabinet approved a decree implementing tougher penalties for traffickers bringing people into Italy. It raises jail terms from five to 15 years and abolishes fast track trials for traffickers, giving police more time to collect evidence and meaning a greater chance of securing a conviction.

Traffickers who exploit their victims for long-term gain, such as tricking them into prostitution or forcing them to work as slave-labourers, face much tougher penalties. "Italy is at the forefront of [anti-trafficking] legislation," Kleijssen commented. "It has always supported us and continues to do so." According to government statistics, between March 2000 and April 2005 nearly 10,000 trafficking victims benefited from Italian laws providing protection and assistance for individuals who turn in their exploiters. Around 7,000 have participated in training, work or education courses, while some 4,600 have been given work. But Catholic charity Caritas has stressed that many such initiatives fall short of their praiseworthy goals.

A key problem, in its opinion, is the small number of residency permits eventually issued to women who escape the sex trade. It estimates that traffickers smuggled more than half a million women into Italy to work as sex slaves between 2001 and 2005. Of these, almost 30,000 escaped and managed to contact authorities but fewer than 5,000 received residency permits. It also claims that a third of all women receiving social assistance are not accorded legal protection, leaving them liable to deportation and uncertain about their future.

The lack of safeguards means many are too scared to come forward, fearing they won't be protected from their exploiters and terrified about the treatment they may receive if they are sent back home.

Adapted from: Karma Hickman. "Italy Urges Action on Slave Trade." ANSA. 19 October 2006.