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Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Italy (RATIFICATION: 1934)

Other comments on C029

Observation

2023

Direct Request

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The Committee notes the observations of the Italian Union of Labour (UIL), the Italian Confederation of Workers’ Trade Unions (CISL), and the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), communicated with the Government’s report.

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. Trafficking in persons. 1. National Plan of Action. Implementation and monitoring. The Government refers in its report to the adoption of the new National Action Plan Against Trafficking and Serious Exploitation of Human Beings (NAP) 2022–25, which was elaborated with the participation of representatives of trade unions and relevant social service providers. The Government further indicates that, like the previous one, the Action Plan sets out multi-year strategies and actions to foster awareness and promote prevention, escape from exploitation and ensure social integration of victims. It is also built on the four guiding principles applied internationally to combat trafficking in persons: prevention; protection, prosecution, and partnership. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken for the effective implementation of the National Action Plan. Please also provide summarized information on any assessment of the results achieved and the difficulties encountered in combatting trafficking in persons, undertaken by theDepartment for Equal Opportunities (DEO) of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, which is responsible for coordinating, monitoring and evaluating the outcomes of the policy.

2. Identification and protection of victims. The Government indicates that protection and assistance are provided to victims of trafficking, in accordance with the Council of Ministers’ Decree of 16 May 2016 establishing a “Single programme for the emergence, assistance and social integration of victims of trafficking and exploitation”. In line with this Decree, the DEO annually issues a call for proposals to finance projects aimed at providing assistance to victims of trafficking. 21 projects run by public bodies or associations specializing in combatting trafficking will be funded by the DEO for the period October 2022 – February 2024, with the total amount of €27 million. The Committee observes from the Government’s information that in 2021, 1,908 victims benefited from assistance services, including legal support, housing and labour integration measures whereas in 2019, 2,177 victims received assistance. The Government also indicates the continued functioning of the National anti-trafficking toll-free hotline which received in 2021 a total of 1,359 calls representing a slight increase in comparison with 2020 (1,126 calls).

The Committee encourages the Government to continue its efforts to ensure that appropriate protection and assistance is guaranteed to all victims of trafficking for both sexual and labour exploitation. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide detailed information in this regard, including on the number of residence permits granted to victims of trafficking as well as compensation as provided for insections 74 and 75 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and section 12 of the Act No. 228/2003 on Measures Against Trafficking in Persons.

3. Prosecution and penalties. The Committee notes the Government’s indication that according to the data from the Ministry of Justice, in 2021, under section 601 (trafficking in persons) of the Criminal Code, in 2021, there were 44 registered cases against 92 persons; 23 cases of prosecution against 60 persons; and 15 convictions, involving 38 persons, handed down by first instance courts. The Committee notes the observations of the UIL, CISL, and the CGIL indicating the need to strengthen inspections with a view to ensuring the punishment of perpetrators for trafficking in persons and increasing the protection of victims of trafficking.

The Committee requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to ensure that all cases of trafficking in persons, for the purpose of both labour and sexual exploitation, are properly identified and subject to prompt investigations, so as to facilitate the prosecution and imposition of effective and dissuasive penalties on perpetrators. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on the application of section 601 of the Criminal Code in practice, particularly the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions as well as the specific penalties applied.