Protection of trafficked people in Italy: policies, limits and challenges

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/JMLC-01-2014-0001
Date05 January 2015
Pages52-65
Published date05 January 2015
AuthorLetizia Palumbo
Subject MatterAccounting & Finance,Financial risk/company failure,Financial compliance/regulation
Protection of trafcked people
in Italy: policies, limits
and challenges
Letizia Palumbo
Department of European Studies and International Integration,
University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of the article is to analyse the Italian anti-trafcking system by examining its
effectiveness in the protection of trafcked people.
Design/methodology/approach – The article examines the protection of trafcked people in Italy,
focusing in particular on the implementation of Article 18 of the “Consolidated Act of Measures
Governing Immigration and Norms on the Condition of Foreign Citizens” (Legislative Decree n. 286/
1998), which provides victims with protection and a residence permit independent of their cooperation
with the competent authorities in criminal proceedings against offenders.
Findings The article demonstrates that, though the Italian legal framework on trafcking is
considered one of the most innovative and advanced, especially in the area of victim protection, a
number of inadequacies in its implementation undermine the effectiveness of the measures aimed at
protecting trafcked people. These concern the absence of a clear and appropriate victim identication
procedure; the lack of adequate training in trafcking among professionals; the incomplete application
of a procedure called the “social path” for the issuing of the residence permit; the narrow interpretation
by competent authorities of the requirements for the residence permit granted to victims; the long lapse
of time for the issuing of the residence permit; difculties in the conversion of the residency permit
granted to victims into a work permit; and the scarcity of economic resources.
Originality/value – The article contributes to scientic and political debates on the effectiveness of
anti-trafcking policies.
Keywords Anti-trafcking policies, Human rights, Trafcking in human beings,
Victims’ rights protection
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Over the past 15 years, increasing political and public attention has been directed
towards trafcking in human beings. This has prompted substantial investment in
anti-trafcking interventions by states, civil society and intergovernmental
organisations. Nevertheless, despite important steps forward in human rights and
international cooperation, the issue of human trafcking is still tightly linked to the
question of national security and migration management, at the expense of prevention
strategies and protection of victims’ rights (Chapkis, 2003;Aradau, 2008). This is now
compounded by the current economic crisis, which affects migrants’ opportunities,
trafcking patterns and funding of anti-trafcking programmes.
According to the denition offered by the 2000 United Nations (UN) Trafcking
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafcking in Persons, Especially Women and
Children, trafcking in human beings involves:
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/1368-5201.htm
JMLC
18,1
52
Journalof Money Laundering
Control
Vol.18 No. 1, 2015
pp.52-65
©Emerald Group Publishing Limited
1368-5201
DOI 10.1108/JMLC-01-2014-0001

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