Doris Ospelt, programme officer Europe at Save the Children Switzerland, recently visited a multifaceted project in Italy. In this interview she describes what she learned about human trafficking and children on the move.
Doris Ospelt, programme officer Europe at Save the Children Switzerland, recently visited a multifaceted project in Italy and talks about her expiriences.
Mrs. Ospelt, you were recently on a project visit to Italy. Can you tell us what you did there and what kind of project it was?
Together with our head of child protection, Sofyen Khalfaoui, I visited a project containing two components: Protection for children on the move and protection and reintegration for victims of human trafficking. This project takes place in different parts of Italy, for example the trafficking component is implemented by seven local NGO partners in seven regions of Italy. However, we were not able to visit all of them in five days and focused on the project offshoots in Padua, Veneto and Rome.
What did your days look like?
During our project visit, we exchanged a lot with the local teams – employees of Save the Children Italy, our partner organisations and also with children who had benefited from the project.
But we were also allowed to accompany the teams directly in their work on the street. In outreach, potentially affected people are approached and information materials distributed to establish the first contact. They are shown how we can help and are offered legal advice or psychological support, for example. We also continue to refer them – for health problems, for example, and we also have childfriendly spaces where children can stay and are protected.
Our strategies are similar in both components ‘children on the move’ and ‘human trafficking’, as we work directly with those affected, but also strengthen the skills of local actors and advocacy – we raise awareness of the issue and inform the public, e.g. with this report.
It must of course also be considered that this is long-term work and that the effects are not immediately apparent. Trust must be built up and the people affected encouraged again and again. That takes time. It is therefore also difficult to provide concrete figures or to interpret them differently from, for example, short-term humanitarian operations. For the children and young people, our work in this project has in any case very large, even life-changing effects.
How will the victims of human trafficking receive actual help?
As I said, the outreach service is used to establish contact, where we offer help and also distribute a free emergency number. If a person responds, it is imperative that they can reach someone at any time of the day or night. Different phases follow; the person concerned is first in a safe place, can decide whether and how he wants to be helped and can weigh up the different options.
It is often difficult for the person concerned to get in touch, as this is associated with very strong feelings of guilt. Especially girls and young women in forced prostitution struggle strongly with themselves, due to binding rituals and psychological manipulations that have taken place. They are used to prevent them from telling their family about the events, let alone from resisting or breaking out. In most cases, the majority of young women come to us only after an emotional breakdown, which is often related to the recognition of their situation.
It is shocking to hear that human trafficking happens in Italy.
Well, human trafficking unfortunately occurs everywhere in Europe, including Switzerland. There are figures that say that today more people worldwide live in slave-like conditions than at the time of slavery. Unfortunately, that is a reality.
What personal impressions do you have of the project?
On the one hand, it was a positive experience to see how organised and professional our Save the Children teams and partner organisations are on the ground and with what perseverance they have been working for the victims for many years. On the other hand, it also touched me a lot on a personal level. These are incredibly difficult, challenging realities. It is also completely different to speak directly to a person affected on the spot.
You have spoken to various people who have been victims of human trafficking – can you give us some insight here?
I had the opportunity to talk to those affected, who have experienced quite different things. These were people from forced prostitution, but also those who were forced to commit criminal acts. It was very touching for me when they told me about their dreams and desires – for example, a boy admonished himself with the words “piano, piano” (“slow, slow”): we have to take one step after the other. Especially impressive was the meeting with two young women who, thanks to our project, are now able to work in a hotel and lead an independent life.
About “Via d’Uscita” and Save the Children Italy
Given the general situation of migratory movements, Nigerian girls exposed to trafficking are of particular concern. Despite the general decline in the number of migrants arriving by sea to Italy in 2017, their situation in Italy remains precarious.
In Italy, Save the Children has identified 1660 victims of human trafficking, including a growing number of minors. This increase was also directly observed by the operators of our “Via d’Uscita” project, which caught 2210 victims of child and youth trafficking in 5 regions by 2018. Compared to the previous year, this figure grew by 58 percent.
There are figures that say that today more people worldwide live in slave-like conditions than at the time of slavery. Unfortunately, that is a reality.