Trafficking in Women to Italy for Sexual Exploitation [antikvár]

This exploratory study is one of the first to examine the growing problem of trafficking in women to Italy. In previous reports, MIP has studied trafficking in women from Central and Eastern Europe to countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria. In this report we focus on a somewhat different phenomenon. Although women are trafficked from Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs) to Italy, a distinctive feature of the Italian case is the trafficking of women from Nigeria and Albania within the CEECs. The study describes how women are trafficked to Italy for sexual exploitation. The ways in which these women were recruited and transported to Italy, and the methods which are used to control and exploit them are discussed. The role played by traffickers is examined. The study is based on interviews with 50 women who were identified from a variety of sources, as victims of trafficking in women. The interviews were conducted in 7 regions of Italy during the period March to April 1996. Women from several countries were interviewed, including women from Albania (26), Nigeria (10), other Central and Eastern European countries (9) and Latin America (5). Special attention was given to trafficking in women from Albania because of recent reports of a significant growth in such activity. Interviews were also conducted with many experts and representatives of agencies which are concerned with the issue of trafficking in women, such as the police, social workers, NGOs and government officials. Analysis of existing Italian laws shows that there is no specific legal definition of trafficking in women in Italy. It is therefore extremely difficult to find any official statistics on the extent of trafficking in women. Using a method developed for this study it was therefore decided to try to estimate first, the number of migrant prostitutes in Italy and second, the proportion of trafficked women among this group. For Italy as a whole it is estimated that there are between 19,000 to 25,000 foreign prostitutes and of these, it was calculated that approximately 2,000 have been trafficked. Findings from the interviews with trafficked women provide an indication of the profile of victims of trafficking. Particularly alarming is the fact that some of the victims were mere teenage girls, aged as young as 14, when they were trafficked to Italy. And many of the victims interviewed are today aged between 17 and 20. Educational levels vary. Some, particularly girls from Nigeria, have never attended school; others, especially the older women, have university degrees. The majority of the women and girls reported that they had not engaged in prostitution in their home country. Entry into Italy was usually legal on a tourist or entertainment visa. Albanians were usually recruited informally by friends and relatives. Well known smuggling routes from Albania to Italy were used to transport the women to Italy. Trafficking from Nigeria seems to be especially well organized, and centres around a female figure called "Mama" who plays a key role in persuading young women to leave their homes for Italy.