To Better Know A Country: Human Trafficking in Italy

by Amanda Kloer · 2009-08-05 06:48:00 UTC
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Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking.  Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added.  This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country.  For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here. 

This Week's Country..... Italy

Basic Stats

  • Ranking: Tier 1

  • Status: Transit and destination country for trafficking victims

  • Political Stability: Stable, as long as there's not a recent football loss

  • Cash Flow: Can you say "Ferrari"?

  • Do I Think They Care?: They hate human trafficking even more than boxed Chianti...yuck! 

Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?

  • Girls: Commercial sex, forced begging, and forced labor

  • Boys: Forced begging and forced labor

  • Women: Commercial sex and forced labor

  • Men: Forced labor

What Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going?

  • Victims are trafficked from Nigeria, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Albania, Poland, Pakistan, Ukraine, South America, Russia, Africa, the Middle East, China and Uzbekistan to Italy. 

  • Foreign victims are trafficked internally.

What's Gotta Happen?

  • Increase outreach to and identification of trafficked women and children in commercial sex.

  • Increase identification of trafficking victims among undocumented immigrants.

  • Create more public awareness campaigns about demand for commercial sex.

What Can I Do?

  • You can support the Italian Bishop's Conference, which is one of the largest Italian organizations which works to prevent human trafficking and protect victims. Note: The site is in Italian, but Google will translate most of it.

In summary, Italy's got their act pretty well together.  Trafficking sure seems to be a priority, and they've got the cash and resources to address it.  However, I'd still like to officially offer to travel to Italy, should the Italian government ever want to fly me there in order to help them out.  And if they insist, they can put me up in a great hotel in Florence, stock my room with some local wine and pasta, and lend me a Vespa.  But only if they insist. 

Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic
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