R 251552Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
AMCONSUL FLORENCE 
AMCONSUL MILAN 
AMCONSUL NAPLES 
SECSTATE WASHDC 1822

UNCLAS ROME 000352 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KCRM PHUM PREF KWMN SMIG IT
SUBJECT: ITALY: 2008 TIP REPORT 
 
REF: 08 STATE 132759 
 
This is the 2009 Trafficking in Persons report for Italy. 
Answers are keyed to questions in Reftel. The Embassy point 
of contact is Political Officer Peter Brownfeld, telephone: 
39-06-4674-2054, fax: 39-06-4674-2623. 
 
¶23. A Sources of information include government and NGO 
officials, research projects contracted by the government and 
prepared by social research organizations, government 
statistics and reports, international conferences, and media 
reports. The Ministry of Equal Opportunity promoted the 
creation of a national observatory on TIP in cooperation with 
Transcrime, an independent research center. (see 24.D.) 
 
¶23. B. Italy is a country of destination and transit for 
internationally trafficked men, women and children. There is 
no evidence that Italy is a country of origin. 
 
NGO and government TIP experts agree that the number of TIP 
victims remained stable in 2008. According to NGOs and 
government officials, the majority of sex workers from 
Eastern Europe arrive and work voluntarily, and thus cannot 
be classified as TIP victims. More than one third of 
trafficked sex workers come from Romania, according to the 
Italian Ministry for Equal Opportunity. Other continuing 
trends include a large number of women who enter the country 
voluntarily, a continued decline in the average age of sex 
workers, and an increasing number of victims trafficked for 
labor outside of the sex industry. 
 
In May the government enacted a security decree which 
entitles mayors to adopt measures designed to limit street 
prostitution. These measures included barring individuals 
from congregating along certain streets and from dressing in 
provocative ways that were identified with prostitutes. Local 
authorities enforced such rules, especially in big cities. As 
a consequence, during the second half of 2008 some sex 
workers moved to nearby villages or to apartments and clubs. 
With prostitution increasingly hidden from the public eye, 
NGOs and independent experts maintain that abuse of sex 
workers is soaring and the identification of victims of 
trafficking is becoming more complex. 
 
According to PARSEC, the only social research institute that 
collects reliable statistics on TIP, there were approximately 
2,700 TIP victims in 2008. PARSEC asserted that there are 
approximately 25,000 sex workers (overwhelmingly foreign) 
working the streets, around 40 percent Romanian and 25 to 30 
percent Nigerian. PARSEC estimates there are approximately 
15,000 sex workers active in apartments or clubs. 
Approximately 5,000-6,000 sex workers move in and out of the 
country every year, especially in the summer. Traffickers are 
also moving victims more frequently within Italy, often 
keeping victims in major cities like Rome or Milan for only a 
few months at a time. Such victims are more susceptible to 
violence and other abuse. 
 
On September 11, the Council of Ministers approved a draft 
law designed to reduce street prostitution, which penalizes 
both sex workers and clients and stiffens penalties for the 
exploitation of minors. 
 
Minors represented 10 percent of the total number of victims. 
According to the Ministry of Interior, in 2008 about 400 
minors came ashore in Sicily, were hosted in centers run by 
NGOs and then disappeared. Some might have been trafficked 
for labor exploitation in agriculture or even organ removal. 
 
In 2007, 1,009 victims received residence permits, compared 
to 927 in 2006. In 2007, health care, shelter and job 
training services were provided to victims from Nigeria (42 
percent), Romania (26 percent), the former Soviet Union (11 
percent), Albania (5 percent) and other countries (16 
percent). 
 
There are no specific statistics for other trafficking 
victims, including forced domestic or agricultural labor for 
adults and trafficking in children. In general, a significant 
percentage of workers (10-15 percent) are hired illegally and 
a small percentage of them are exploited or trafficked. In 
2007, labor inspectors found 140,000 undeclared workers 
employed by some of the 342,000 companies under scrutiny. 
PARSEC estimates about 500 victims of labor trafficking for 
work outside the sex industry. Problems with forced labor 
occur primarily in the agricultural sector and mostly in the 
southern Italy where, according to the NGO Doctors without 
Borders, 90 percent of foreign seasonal workers are 
unregistered and about two-thirds are illegally in Italy. The 
top five source countries for agricultural workers are 
Poland, Romania, Pakistan, Albania and the Ivory Coast. The 
Ministry of Equal Opportunity in cooperation with the 
governments of Poland, Romania and Portugal and the 
International Labor Organization promo 
ted a study on labor exploitation and best practice of 
assistance to victims. Training sessions for labor inspectors 
will follow in 2009. 
 
In some cases, prosecutors are not able to prove the crime of 
trafficking in persons for lack of evidence and charge 
offenders with other crimes, such as abetting illegal 
immigration. In most cases, laborers receive some payment for 
their work, though they generally cannot refuse to work. 
There are also reports of smuggled immigrants who enter Italy 
freely to obtain seasonal employment and become trapped after 
exploiters confiscate their passports. 
 
In the "Terra Promessa" operation in 2006, a Carabinieri unit 
freed 113 Polish tomato pickers in Puglia during raids that 
revealed prison-like labor camp conditions. Italian and 
Polish authorities exposed an international criminal gang 
which smuggled an estimated 1,000 Polish workers into Italy. 
The 19 individuals arrested and tried were sentenced in 2007 
and 2008 to four to ten years' imprisonment. 
 
¶23. C 
Most children and women are trafficked into commercial sex 
slavery. Exploiters often seize their documents and most of 
their earnings. Victims are segregated and obliged to work 
long hours and move frequently to other cities or abroad. Men 
are trafficked into low-paid hard jobs in agriculture or in 
the service sector and are subject to debt bondage and 
slavery. 
 
Social workers reported that in big cities there were 
isolated cases of male children rented out to clients who pay 
in advance a fee to traffickers. 
 
Chinese men and women are exploited in Italy as forced labor. 
They usually arrive in Italy via Russia into Greece where 
they board small ships that also carry drugs into Italy. 
Chinese women are separated during these trips and usually 
end up performing forced labor in Milan and Florence. 
 
Polish victims are frequently enticed via the Internet to 
Italy with promises of legitimate employment and end up as 
forced laborers in agricultural fields in the South. 
 
¶23. D.  Persons trafficked to Italy primarily come from 
Nigeria, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine, and Albania. 
Other countries of origin include Russia, China, Uzbekistan, 
East and North African countries and South America 
(particularly Ecuador, Peru, Columbia, Brazil, and 
Argentina). Most trafficked Nigerians enter northern Italy 
legally, via air, from other EU countries. Their estimated 
cost of travel is approximately 6,000 euro. Victims from 
North and East Africa arrive illegally, via sea routes, 
especially from Libya, where the journey costs approximately 
2,500 euro.  Trafficked children work primarily in the sex 
industry and as beggars. Overall, women and children are more 
at risk for sexual exploitation than men. 
 
In 2008 36,900 immigrants came ashore illegally from African 
countries, a 75 percent increase compared to 2007. According 
to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), about 75 
percent of them requested asylum or refugee status. Hunger, 
wars and lack of jobs drove these immigrants to leave their 
countries. They were allowed to stay in temporary centers 
around the country and wait for a final decision. Some, who 
fled the shelters, were at risk of being trafficked for 
sexual or labor exploitation. In January, the Interior 
Minister announced that foreigners who arrive in the island 
of Lampedusa will be repatriated after being identified. The 
UNHCR, along with the Red Cross, Amnesty International and 
Save the Children called for better measures to ascertain 
immigrants' nationalities. 
 
PARSEC estimates that 30 percent of women involved in the sex 
trade are Nigerian. The vast majority of victims of 
trafficking in general are Romanian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian and 
Moldovan. Data on the origin of victims who receive temporary 
resident permits and services provide a general sketch of the 
trafficking situation. 
 
As the majority of trafficked victims in Italy are women and 
female children forced into prostitution, they face all the 
attendant risks of unsafe or unprotected sex. The majority of 
Nigerian women arrive willingly, often unaware of actual 
working conditions. Eastern Europeans often arrive in search 
of legitimate jobs but find themselves in debt and exploited 
by the co-nationals who loaned them money for the trip. 
Traffickers enforce compliance by seizing the victims' 
documents and subjecting them to imprisonment, beatings and 
rape. Increasingly, Eastern European sex workers are arriving 
and working voluntarily, especially those from Romania and 
Bulgaria. 
 
On January 31, police in cooperation with local authorities 
and NGOs, arrested two Nigerians suspected of having 
illegally smuggled some women and a minor from Nigeria and 
then exploited them as sex workers in Rome and Latina. 
 
Nigerian minors are subject to voodoo rituals, and police 
report that some Nigerian parents sell their children into 
slavery. The number of sex workers working on the streets is 
decreasing while the number working in private residences 
where it is more difficult to monitor or to assist victims is 
growing. 
 
¶23. E. Victims from the Balkans and Eastern Europe are 
controlled by organized crime groups, frequently from Romania 
and Albania. Eastern European young girls are generally 
forced into prostitution by Albanian clans. Although Albanian 
groups continue to participate heavily in trafficking in 
Italy, their role as middlemen has diminished as Romanian, 
Moldovan, Bulgarian and Ukrainian crime organizations traffic 
in their co-nationals. Increasing numbers of women from 
Eastern Europe are involved in the recruitment and 
exploitation of women from their home countries. 
 
According to NGO and police sources, individual unaffiliated 
smugglers from Eastern Europe often traffic women one at a 
time, replacing some of the larger criminal organizations 
that were easier to target because of their size. Each 
trafficker usually has the support of one or two accomplices 
and exploits three or four victims. These women from Romania 
and Bulgaria do not need a residence permit in order to stay 
in Italy and frequently do not cooperate with police 
investigators. 
 
On February 11, police arrested three Romanians and an 
Italian on charges of having trafficked, raped and abused a 
Romanian girl, who they had convinced to leave her home to 
move to Sicily with the prospect of employment as a domestic 
worker. The Romanians held her for 20 days, seized her 
passport, and raped her. Then the Italian men abused and 
exploited her as a sex worker in the province of Palermo. 
 
Victims are more reluctant to report crimes and to accept 
assistance, based on Article 18 (see 26.A and 27.A) because 
the smuggler is more likely to be someone she knows from her 
country of origin. Italian analysts expect a decrease in sex 
workers coming from Eastern Europe as a result of improved 
economic conditions in Eastern Europe, especially countries 
now in the EU. 
 
According to government and NGO sources, organized 
traffickers are increasingly sophisticated in the way they 
routinely move victims between cities and regions within 
Italy, as well as between European countries. Trafficking 
organizations mostly use three north-south axes (focused 
along the Adriatic and Tyrrhenian coasts) and three east-west 
axes to move their victims. 
 
Italian organized crime has not traditionally been involved 
in trafficking, except for providing logistical support and 
lodging. Routes and operations tend to follow established 
methods and organizations for moving illegal drugs, weapons 
and other contraband. Sex workers coming from southern China 
work also in massage and beauty parlors frequented by 
Italians. Although their numbers are growing, the authorities 
do not consider the majority of these Chinese women to be 
victims. According to PARSEC, Chinese sex workers coming from 
northern areas of their home country in most cases work on 
the streets and are more vulnerable. Nigerian sex workers 
work individually or are controlled by a Nigerian madam, 
usually a formerly trafficked person, who holds the lien on 
the loan paid by the victim. Victims from Africa and the 
Middle East usually are controlled by small, freelance 
operators who generally smuggle individuals for a one-time 
fee. 
 
¶24. A. The government recognizes the problem and has devoted 
significant resources to combating trafficking in persons. In 
2008 the Ministry of Equal Opportunity launched a study on 
trafficking for labor exploitation. 
 
¶24. B. In 1998, Italy established an inter-agency committee 
to coordinate the fight against trafficking. Government 
agencies involved include the Ministries of Interior, Equal 
Opportunity, Justice, Labor Social Affairs, Family, and 
Foreign Affairs, as well as an anti-Mafia prosecution unit. 
Regional and municipal governments are also actively engaged 
in efforts to combat trafficking, often with funding from the 
central government. 
 
¶24. C. In May, the government adopted new measures designed 
to combat illegal immigration, smuggling and trafficking, 
including the deployment of about 3,000 troops and extra 
resources for law enforcement agencies. Funding made 
available to help victims, about 10 million euro, by 
national, regional and local authorities is adequate, 
according to independent observers. 
 
¶24. D. Italy does not systematically evaluate the results of 
its anti-trafficking policy. In 2008, the Ministry for Equal 
Opportunity awarded a grant to Transcrime, an independent 
research center that is implementing an appraisal system at 
both national and regional levels. In 2007, the Ministry for 
Equal Opportunity collected entry and exit records of 
assisted victims to evaluate the effectiveness of assistance 
programs, but that data is not yet available. 
 
Various government agencies collect national data on TIP 
arrests and prosecution, victim assistance programs, number 
of illegal immigrants intercepted, issuance of temporary 
residence permits, and calls to a victim hotline. Most 
national funding is disbursed through grants to NGOs. 
Regional and local governments also fund programs. However, 
there is no central mechanism for monitoring these 
activities. 
 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶25. A. The most recent anti-trafficking law was enacted in 
¶2003. It specifically prohibits trafficking in persons; 
trafficking previously had been prosecuted using other 
sections of the Penal Code. The law provides for increased 
sentences of 8-20 years imprisonment for trafficking in 
persons and for enslavement. For convictions in which the 
victims were minors destined for prostitution, sentences are 
increased by one-third to one-half (to 12-30 years). The law 
applies special anti-Mafia prison conditions to traffickers 
designed to limit criminals' ability to continue operations 
from jail. The law also mandates strong penalties (4-12 years 
imprisonment; fines up to 15,000 euro for each alien 
smuggled) to combat alien smuggling and human trafficking. 
 
¶25. B. See 25.A. 
 
¶25. C. Labor trafficking is covered under the 
anti-trafficking law. 
 
¶25. D. The penalty for rape or forcible sexual assault is up 
to 12 years imprisonment. 
 
¶25. E. Italy's anti-TIP law does not require the government 
to maintain statistics on prosecution; however, the Ministry 
of Justice provides national data on investigations, arrests, 
prosecutions and convictions. 
 
Investigations and arrests: According to the Ministry of 
Justice, in 2007, authorities investigated 2,296 people for 
trafficking and arrested 513. Trial courts convicted 178 
people and appeal courts convicted 104. 
 
Prosecutors are often able to collect evidence and charge 
defendants with other crimes, such as participation in 
criminal association to exploit prostitution, abetting 
prostitution, illegal immigration, etc. The Ministry of 
Interior reported a 17 percent increase in the number of 
people accused of exploitation of prostitution between 2004 
and 2006. 
 
¶25. F. The Ministries of Interior and Defense include 
specialized training on identification of victims and 
investigation of trafficking and exploitation in the regular 
curriculum for law enforcement agencies. In 2008, the GOI 
implemented a "train the trainers" program for magistrates, 
law enforcement agents and NGOs who work with victims of 
trafficking funded by the European Union. 
 
The Ministry for Equal Opportunity distributed a booklet 
outlining the provisions of the anti-trafficking programs and 
participated in training programs for magistrates and police 
officers. The Ministry of Interior regularly updates a book 
for law enforcement officers on TIP laws and best practices 
for assisting victims. 
 
¶25. G. The government cooperates with other governments in 
investigating and prosecuting trafficking cases. In 2008, the 
government signed an agreement with Libyan authorities aimed 
at fighting illegal immigration, smuggling and trafficking. 
In 2004, the anti-Mafia unit of the MOJ signed an agreement 
with the Nigerian MOJ to improve the exchange of information 
on investigations under the aegis of the United Nations 
Interregional Crime and Justice Institute, Italy actively 
participates in EU-wide initiatives to share information on 
law enforcement, especially cross-border crimes, but 
differences in legal systems, law-enforcement organization, 
and criminal statutes impeded cooperation. 
 
In May, Italian police worked with their counterparts in 
Greece, and Bulgaria to arrest six Nigerians who established 
a criminal organization that had trafficked about 100 
Nigerian girls in the three countries. In 2006-07, the 
Italian Central Operations Division of the Ministry of 
Interior's Anti-Crime Directorate cooperated with colleagues 
from Romania to conduct "Operation Spartacus," aimed at 
stopping trafficking in persons and illegal immigration. 
 
¶25. H. Italy has not been asked to extradite people charged 
with trafficking in other countries, nor has it had any cases 
requiring extradition of one of its own nationals charged 
with a trafficking offense. The 2003 law provides a new legal 
basis for such extraditions. 
 
¶25. I. There is no evidence to indicate government 
involvement in, or tolerance of, trafficking on a local or 
institutional level. However from time to time there are 
media reports on cases of alleged visa fraud. In September 
2007, an officer of the Italian consulate in Kiev was 
arrested and accused of abetting illegal immigration along 
with some other people accused of trafficking in young girls 
exploited as sex workers in clubs and discos. 
 
¶25. J. See 25. I. 
 
¶25. K. Prostitution is legal in Italy. The security package 
enacted in May and the implementing regulations approved in 
August entitled mayors to adopt measures to prevent and 
combat offences against public decency, including street 
prostitution and begging. Major cities implemented zoning 
by-laws and fined clients who in violation with such 
regulations negotiate with sex workers on the streets. In 
August, authorities of some cities started enforcing these 
new rules. A law approved in 2006 raised the legal minimum 
age for a prostitute from 15 to 18 years of age. Prostitution 
is not formally regulated. Sex workers do not face criminal 
charges for their activities, but authorities use other 
administrative regulations (i.e., loitering and traffic laws) 
to discourage their activities. The law criminalizes 
organized prostitution. Brothel owners/operators and pimps 
face criminal charges. 
 
¶25. L. There are no reports of involvement of troops and 
social workers in trafficking related cases. Soldiers 
deployed abroad receive human rights training including 
sessions on trafficking. 
 
¶25. M. The NGO ECPAT Italy estimated that 80,000 Italian men 
travel to Kenya, Thailand, Brazil, Latin American countries, 
and more recently to the Czech Republic for sex tourism every 
year. According to a 2006 UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) report, 
18 percent of clients of sex workers in Kenya were Italian. 
 
Under current law, domestic courts may try citizens, and 
permanent residents who engage in sex tourism, including 
outside the country, even if the offense is not a crime in 
the country in which it occurred. The country has a code of 
conduct for tourist agencies to help combat sex tourism. In 
November, the Undersecretary for Tourism launched a program 
to fight sex tourism including: certificates of Responsible 
Tourism issued to networks of travel agencies, tour operators 
and airports which reach out to clients to try to prevent 
crimes committed abroad, and a communication campaign to 
promote awareness among potential clients. 
 
On May 28, a man charged with sex tourism committed in 
Thailand and Cambodia, was sentenced to 14 years' 
imprisonment. On March 6 an Italian tourist was arrested in 
Cambodia and accused of abusing six minors. 
 
On December 4, a police operation called "White Souls" led to 
five arrests and investigations of 36 men on charges of child 
pornography and the seizure of hundreds of videos in 14 
regions. Investigators believe that they also took part in 
sex tourism. 
 
In January, ECPAT Italy which assists 1,000 sexually abused 
children in Burma, inaugurated in Laos the first 
rehabilitation center for up to 80 underage victims of sexual 
exploitation. In June, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 
ECPAT Italy organized a training course for diplomats on 
preventing sex tourism and on domestic and international 
criminal law. 
 
The law punishes with imprisonment and/or stiff fines crimes 
relating to child prostitution and child pornography, even 
when the offense is committed abroad. This law also applies 
to Italian military and police participating in overseas 
operations. 
 
PROTECTION OF AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
 
¶26. A.  The government protects victims and witnesses. 
Victims are enrolled in programs run by NGOs or religious 
communities that provide shelter and support. 
 
¶26. B.  Article 13 of the Law 228/2003 provides for three to 
six months assistance to victims while article 18 of Law 
286/1998 guarantees shelter benefits for another twelve 
months and reintegration assistance.  Moreover, victims 
usually obtain temporary residence/work permits that can lead 
to permanent residency.  In fact adults who are identified as 
trafficking victims are granted a six-month residency permit, 
renewable if the victim finds employment or has enrolled in a 
training program, and are sheltered in special facilities. 
Minors receive an automatic residence permit until they are 
18, and they are hosted in separate centers. NGOs run these 
services with funding provided by national, regional and 
local authorities. 
 
¶26. C. In 2007, 1,009 victims obtained temporary residence 
visas.  The government provides legal and medical assistance 
through NGOs as soon a victim has been identified. 
Assistance programs are carried out mainly in larger cities, 
such as Rome, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Florence and Naples, where 
the majority of victims are concentrated. 
 
In 2007, NGOs assisted approximately 9,300 victims.  Services 
included health care (55 percent), legal advice (22 percent), 
psychological support (12 percent), social counseling (10 
percent) and other services (1 percent). 
 
In 2007, under Article 18, about 2,000 victims, including 198 
minors, entered social protection programs. Of the victims 
placed in social protection programs, approximately 37 
percent were from Nigeria, 23 percent were from Romania, 
about 4 percent were from Morocco, Senegal, and Rwanda 
combined, another 4 percent were from Moldova, and the rest 
came from various countries in Central and Eastern Europe, 
Central Asia, and South America.  Of the 190 underage girls 
placed in social protection programs, 74 percent were from 
Romania, and 13 percent from Nigeria. 
 
The majority of victims were housed in shelters, while others 
lived independently with support. Other funded projects 
included reintegration, assisted repatriation, victims' 
assistance and job training programs. NGOs, with government 
funding, provided literacy courses for 588 people and 
vocational training for 313; helped 436 victims find 
temporary employment and another 907 individuals find 
permanent jobs. 
 
¶26. D. See above. Almost all assisted victims are foreign 
nationals. 
 
¶26. E. Under article 13 of the Law 228/2003 the Ministry of 
Equal Opportunity provides three to six months assistance to 
victims. Under article 18 of Law 286/1998 guarantees shelter 
benefits for another twelve months and reintegration 
assistance. 
 
¶26. F.  Article 18 provides for the identification and 
transfer of victims placed under protective custody to NGOs 
that provide transition, reintegration and/or repatriation 
services to victims.  NGOs that receive victims are 
registered by the Ministry of Labor and Welfare and monitored 
by the Ministry for Equal Opportunity. The Ministry of Equal 
Opportunity promoted a study on labor trafficking that was 
coordinated by an independent expert, with the aim of 
developing proposals on the identification of and assistance 
for victims. 
 
¶26. G. In 2007, NGOs, with the support of the Ministry of 
Equal Opportunity, assisted 1,974 people; 1,009 obtained a 
residence permit as victims of trafficking; 588 were enrolled 
in educational institutions; 313 were enrolled in training 
courses, and 907 received job offers. 
 
¶26. H. There is no standard mechanism for screening for 
victims among people involved in the sex trade. The Ministry 
of Justice has proposed to other ministries and NGOs to agree 
on a memorandum of understanding regarding common guidelines 
on the identification of victims. 
 
In 2007, the Ministry of Interior strengthened identification 
procedures used by law enforcement, especially for illegal 
immigrants arriving from Africa, as recommended by an 
independent commission established in 2006. 
 
In 2007, the Ministry of Equal Opportunity asked NGOs to 
contact workers in the sex industry and provide advice on the 
services available. This experimental initiative was 
implemented in Rome, Milan, Turin, Naples, Venice, Bologna 
and Palermo. In the same cities, social mediators conducted a 
public awareness campaign on prostitution and trafficking. 
 
¶26. I.  Victims in Italy usually do not face prosecution for 
other laws they may have broken if they file a complaint 
against a trafficker. 
 
¶26. J.  The Government encourages victims to assist in the 
investigation and prosecution of trafficking through the 
offer of a temporary residence permit.  Italian law does not 
allow victims to seek redress or compensation through civil 
court proceedings. A victim who is a material witness in a 
court case against a former employer is allowed to obtain 
other employment.  Under a victim restitution program 
monitored by the International Organization for Migration, 81 
victims were repatriated in 2008. These victims were given 
500 euro by the Government for repatriation, up to 1,600 euro 
for resettlement in their home country, and reintegration 
assistance for six months. 
 
¶26. K.  The Ministry of Interior trains police officers in 
victim identification and victim assistance.  The Ministry of 
Equal Opportunity promotes training initiatives and an 
exchange of best practices for experts and social workers 
every three months. Special training programs were 
implemented to improve operational capabilities in southern 
regions. Since Italian citizens generally are not trafficking 
victims, Italy does not provide training to its embassies and 
consulates and does not need to provide assistance to 
repatriated nationals. 
 
¶26. L.  Italian nationals generally are not victims of 
trafficking. 
 
¶26. M.  There are over 200 domestic and international NGOs in 
Italy that work on the trafficking issue.  The most notable 
include: 
 
(a) PARSEC.  This is a social research institute that 
collects the most reliable data on trafficking in Italy.  It 
also operates several mobile assistance units and works 
closely with local governments. 
 
(b) On The Road Association.  Located in the Marche, Abruzzo, 
and Molise regions, it provides legal, medical, social, and 
psychological assistance through its mobile units, shelters 
and safe houses.  It also has an employment program that 
provides victims with jobs and pays them for their work. 
 
(c) CARITAS.  This is a large lay Catholic association that 
works with the needy in numerous shelters throughout Italy. 
It collects statistics on and works with immigrant 
communities providing food, shelter and assistance. 
 
(d) ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Pornography and 
Trafficking) and Save the Children.  Both work with other 
NGOs to ensure that police treat juvenile sex workers as 
trafficking victims, not criminals. 
 
(e) Gruppo Abele and IROKE in Turin, the Orlando Association 
in Bologna, and Progetto Arcobaleno in Florence also have 
multiple projects to assist trafficking victims. 
 
PREVENTION 
- - - - - - 
 
27.A.  The Ministry for Equal Opportunity has the lead in 
funding public awareness programs. NGOs continue to 
distribute materials updated on a regular basis, including 
brochures, posters, bumper stickers and TV/radio ads 
providing information and assistance to victims.  A new ad 
campaign started in 2007.  Equal Opportunity also established 
a toll-free hot line in 2000 to provide information and 
assistance to victims.  -In 2008, the hotline received almost 
16,000 calls, 25  percent of which were relevant to the 
hotline's intended purpose. 
 
In 2007, the Ministry for Equal Opportunity identified 14 
focal points nationwide to implement public awareness 
campaigns for informing victims of protection programs and to 
solicit citizens to report trafficking cases. Social workers 
started calling sex workers and other potential victims to 
provide information about assistance programs. 
 
The Ministry of Equal Opportunity and some regional 
administrations completed two international projects designed 
to improve victims' assistance in Romania and Nigeria. In 
July, the Ministry signed an agreement with Romanian 
authorities aimed at promoting common initiatives to 
reintegrate victims in their local communities. In 2008, the 
Ministry of Interior implemented an outreach/information 
campaign in Albania and Greece targeted at high school 
students and local authorities.  The Ministry of Interior 
also distributes a manual for law enforcement officials on 
TIP laws and best practices for dealing with victims. Italy 
combats trafficking through its law enforcement activities 
and funds numerous national and international projects aimed 
at helping victims. 
 
¶27. B.  With over 2,000 miles of coastline and geographic 
proximity to both North Africa and Eastern Europe, Italy has 
become a major frontier for illegal immigration. Large 
numbers of immigrants particularly arrived after transiting 
Libya and Tunisia. (see 23. D.).  The Government has 
responded with both bilateral and international initiatives 
to control illegal immigration.  On August 30, it signed an 
agreement with the Libyan authorities designed to reduce the 
flow of illegal immigrants and to improve border security; 
the agreementhas not yet been fully implemented.  Italy 
successfully conducted joint border patrols with and provided 
immigration control training to Slovenia and Albania, efforts 
that dramatically cut trafficking flows across the Adriatic. 
 
In 2007, the Ministry of Interior improved the screening 
process of illegal immigrants for asylum seekers and TIP 
victims and allowed international organizations and NGOs to 
inspect facilities and interview aliens. 
 
¶27. C.  The Ministry for Equal Opportunity leads an 
inter-ministerial committee charged with monitoring 
trafficking and coordinating government activity to combat 
it.  Other members include the Ministries of Interior, 
Justice, Labor and Social Affairs, and Foreign Affairs, as 
well as a special anti-Mafia prosecutorial unit.  The 
government works closely with over 200 NGOs involved in 
anti-trafficking initiatives that offer advice on prevention 
and enforcement of legislation. 
 
¶27. D.  Italy does not have a national action plan to combat 
trafficking.  There is a national action plan for assisting 
victims.  The inter-ministerial Committee Against 
Trafficking, led by the Ministry for Equal Opportunity, is 
responsible for coordinating policy at the national level. 
The Ministry regularly works with NGOs to coordinate and 
implement anti-TIP initiatives. 
 
¶27. E.  One of the first initiatives taken by the current 
government was the adoption in May of a security package 
which allows mayors to limit street prostitution and to fine 
clients. Authorities of some cities, including Milan, Rome, 
Verona and Florence, enforced these new rules and punished 
some clients. (See 25.K.) The fourteen regional focal points 
established by the Ministry of Equal Opportunity (see 27.A.), 
promoted demand-reduction education campaigns at the local 
level in cooperation with municipalities, police, social 
services and NGOs. The Ministry of Equal Opportunity 
distributed a video aimed at informing potential clients of 
the risk of becoming accomplice of horrible crimes. 
 
¶27. F. See 25.M. 
 
¶27. G. The Center of Excellence for Stability Police Units 
(COESPU), created by the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation 
with the U.S. government in 2005, regularly organizes 
training sessions on human rights and trafficking for 
civilians and military personnel who serve in international 
missions. 
 
The armed forces regularly organize training on exploitation 
of children and sex workers for troops deployed abroad. 
 
 
DIBBLE