One quarter of suspected and identified victims of human trafficking in Europe are children, and the main objective of human traffickers is sexual abuse.
Protection for refugee children
Migration into Italy has increased considerably due to the various refugee crises around the world. In 2017, more than 15,000 unaccompanied minor refugees reached the Italian border. These children need to be protected since they are exposed to many dangers. Our project contributes to the protection of refugee children and child trafficking victims.
Children also need to be safeguarded in Europe. We therefore run a project in Italy which consists of two components: Protecting children in refugee situations, and safeguarding and reintegrating victims of human trafficking.
We apply similar strategies to both components, that is, to “refugee children” and “human trafficking”. On one hand, we cooperate directly with those affected, whilst on the other hand, we strengthen the competencies of local stakeholders and do advocacy work – we raise awareness of the topic and inform the public.
The majority of the victims are Nigerian girls who are lured to Italy under false pretences.
As part of our outreach programme we contact those potentially affected and distribute information materials.
Protection for refugee children in northern Italy
Italy is a destination and transit country for several migration flows. Every year, several thousand minor refugees reach Italy. They need protection because they are exposed to numerous risks.
Our project comprises a broad range of activities that aim at safeguarding children on their journey and at reducing their risk of being exploited, abused and marginalised. All activities are conducted by a mobile unit, which will also go to reception centres and work on the ground.
Goals for safeguarding unaccompanied minor refugees in northern Italy:
- To raise awareness among unaccompanied minors of their rights, opportunities and risks;
- to strengthen unaccompanied minors’ psychosocial well-being and to promote their right to be heard and to participate in the matters concerning them;
- to strengthen the transfer mechanism with local authorities and services;
- to increase staff capacities on the front line and with key players.
Child trafficking in Italy
It is our special concern to protect Nigerian girls who are exposed to human trafficking. These girls are at risk of being abused or forced into prostitution on a daily basis. An estimated 80% of Nigerian women and girls who arrive by sea fall victim to human trafficking or sexual abuse in Italy or other EU countries.
An estimated 1660 human trafficking victims live in Italy. The number of minor victims has risen from 9 to 13 percent within a year. This growing trend has also been confirmed by our project “Vie d’Uscita – Exit Routes”, which intercepted 2210 child trafficking victims, who were either minors or just 18 years old, in five regions in 2018. This number was 58% higher than in 2017, when the estimated number of victims was 1396.
In 2018, Vie d’Uscita supported 32 individual cases to enhance the autonomy of victims who had escaped the system of exploitation.
Within the project’s framework, we are continuously developing new ways to contact and establish a relationship of trust with the victims. This is especially necessary if they are diverted to less visible routes or are increasingly relocated from one city to the next, or even to another European country, in order to make them untraceable. We also develop ways to socially integrate the victims after their rescue, so that they receive continued support.
Every fifth victim is younger than 15.
Sexual abuse is present in 9 out of 10 cases.
It is often difficult for those affected to seek help because they are frequently plagued by strong feelings of guilt. In many cases, the women, who are mostly young, do not contact us until they suffer an emotional breakdown, which is frequently connected with a realisation of the situation in which they find themselves.
Self-reliant children like Lisa from Nigeria are the most vulnerable to traffickers. Some are forced into manual labour, domestic work, drug smuggling and prostitution.
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