Human trafficking Italy is at the center of these business billionaires

In world some country has long been a favorite destination of human trafficking; a phenomenon that affects all migrants and that uses legal methods to let the victims

Rome : The trafficking of human beings is the most abhorrent form of slavery in recent years and, with a profit of tens of billions of dollars, is in third place among the international criminal phenomena, just behind drug trafficking and weapons. The human traffickers moving people by force or deception to exploit them once you arrive at your destination, but the business begins with the journey, for which whole families into debt. Then potentially the victims are all migrants, not only those traveling without documents but also those who enter legally and those who ask for refugee status.

Exploitation submerged and widespread. In Italy the victims sexually generally come from Romania, Brazil, Nigeria, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, but there are also cases among Roma, nomadic Italian. The disabled, forced into begging or petty crime, originate mainly from Romania. Finally forced labor - construction, agriculture, trade, domestic - are instances of exploitation most submerged and widespread. According to Save the Children, Italy has the dubious distinction of the highest number of victims of sexual exploitation as a rough estimate talks currently more than 30,000 victims of trafficking in minors.

The regulatory gaps: Italy is at the center of the phenomenon not only for its geographical location but also because of loopholes that allow traffickers from using legal methods. With flows for seasonal work in fact the victim enters with proper documents but does not show up at work or is recorded in the police station: soon become illegal. On the contrary the under 18 enter with their parents or by sea, if only and no papers. Less common is the racket of fake passports, which mainly affects men and women from West Africa, while the Chinese use of documents that countries do not need visa as Singapore and South Korea.

It 'requires a transnational network. The organizers are abroad, generally in third countries such as Turkey, Greece, Russia, and Africa. The key issue is the mediator, which is in contact with the community residing in Italy and indeed often it belongs: remedy useful documents and coordinates the tasks of each. In the country into action one or more recruiters, who make contact with the victim, they do have the documents and rely on the smuggler to bring it to Italy. No less important is the one who must accommodate the victim in Italy. The price ranges from six thousand euro when traveling without documents, to 10-12 thousand euro with seasonal contract: the controls are now intense but in New York until recently a company took 3 thousand euro and especially in the agricultural sector of the coast was not difficult to find one.

The case of M. emblematic case of M., a boy of Sri Lanka from 9 months to Rome: he arrived in Italy with a direct flight Colombo with an entry visa valid for 25 days for business got even with the involvement of an Italian company. An entrance perfectly legal, but M. is a victim of human trafficking. It has paid about EUR 6,000 to a broker for visa and ticket, obtained by a company in Sri Lanka. Came into Italy, he did not attend the firm nor recorded his presence; past 25 days, has disappeared underground. Now she works as a cleaner in extreme conditions. I dismiss asking me not to call, if they hear my phone ringing are problems. It is not isolated: the majority of immigrants relies, consciously or not, to the traffickers. According to Alex van Arkadie, Avis coordinator for Asian migrants in Rome, many are turning to intermediaries also because they often do not know the laws and conditions in their favor. And I keep seeing more new cases despite the crisis.

The training of criminals: And here comes another paradox: contact mediator is basically seen as the safest way, to the point that now is a modus institutionalized in the case of family reunification, which is a right acquired. But so it ends up favoring not only the racket but also the training of criminals operating in the informal economy and they are a kind of legitimacy to the popular level. On the occasion of the International Day of the Migrant the UN reiterated in a statement that respects for human rights must be at the heart of every immigrant and that all are protected by international law. However, concludes Francois, special commissioner for immigrants, there is still a reluctance to make the UN forum for migration policies.