Trafficking in persons never stops. It thrives, it diversifies itself, it changes to meet the needs of different local and global markets and to counteract the law enforcement action. Human trafficking is a constituent part of or it is intertwined or confused with other phenomena, including smuggling of migrants, irregular immigration, international protection, labour exploitation, forced labour, prostitution, begging. It camouflages itself in the urban landscape or it settles in the well-established places of exclusion, thus, contributing to creating a toponymous of marginalization that does not appear in any official map but it is clearly present in the work plans of the organizations providing support to migrants.

Since the early 1990s, human trafficking has gradually moved up the agendas of national, European and international institutions and organizations. Over the last twenty years, legislation, action plans, multi-agency referral systems, cross-sectorial interventions, operational tools, local and transnational memoranda of understanding, research, and budget lines have been put in place to prevent and fight trafficking and provide specialized support for thousands of women, men, boys, girls and children trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labour, illegal activities, forced begging, or organ removal. . Yet, this does not seem to be enough. Human trafficking continues to be among the most lucrative criminal businesses and one of the finest mechanisms of systematic violation of the human rights of its victims. Why, then, have the efforts made so far been inadequate to counteract trafficking in persons?

In Italy, despite the 20-year anti-trafficking system and the 20-year system of protection for asylum seekers and refugees are fully functioning and able to assist thousands of people, the same gaps continue to persist, as the GRETA and IOM latest reports (2017) clearly highlight. For example, identification skills are still lacking, reception facilities are insufficient and their diversification is limited, long-term inclusion programmes are insufficient, unaccompanied migrant children continue to flee from the safe houses shortly after their arrival and the measures aimed at them are inadequate, and the inter-agency coordination is not fully operationalized. Furthermore, updated research on human trafficking is lacking and no coordinated crosscutting policies capable of responding to the complexity of highly interrelated phenomena are in place.

“Beyond the Midlands³” intends to be an opportunity to discuss how to re-orient and improve the programming and the implementation of policies and measures to prevent and counteract human trafficking, and to support and protect potential, presumed or identified victims. Starting from questioning the role of data on trafficking, clarifying the on-going confusion between phenomena and persons involved (trafficked persons, international protection applicants, refugees, irregular economic migrants), highlighting the daily struggles faced by anti-trafficking workers, the conference aims to broaden the view to understand how to combine the protection of trafficked persons and the enactment of national, European, and international respectful and responsible migration legislation and policies. It also intends to offer the opportunity to exchange knowledge and know-how by sharing practices implemented in different parts of the world, from Nigeria to Peru, from the United States to Nepal, from Mexico to Egypt, to prevent and counteract different forms of trafficking that, in some cases, are unknown in Italy.

MONDAY 29 JANUARY 2018

• Giovanna Boda, Head of Department, Equal Opportunities Department under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers
• Vincenzo Castelli, President, Associazione On the Road
• Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children
• Mike Dottridge, International expert on human trafficking
• Pina De Angelis, Associazione On the Road
• Katharine Bryant, Research manager and author, Walk Free Foundation
• Michäelle De Cock, Senior researcher, International Labour Organization
• Mariarita Peca, National projects coordinator, Doctors for Human Rights (MEDU)
• Corallina Lopez Curzi, Program Coordinator Cild/OpenMigration
• Giorgia Serughetti, Researcher, University of Milan Bicocca
• Salvatore Fachile, Lawyer, ASGI
• Helena Behr, Senior Protection Associate, UNHCR
• Fabio Sorgoni, Associazione On the Road
• Claudio Donadel, anti-trafficking expert
• Giuseppe De Mola, Researcher, Doctors without Borders, Italy, Advocacy Unit
• Laura Bartolini, Researcher, IOM
• Mario Palazzi, Public Prosecutor, Rome

TUESDAY 30 JANUARY

• Isabella Orfano, Human rights and anti-trafficking expert
• Mark Latonero, Professor, University of Southern California (TBC)
• Debra Budiani-Saberi, Director, Coalition for Organ-Failure Solutions
• Norma Negrete Aguayo, Director, EDIAC/ECPAT Mexico
• Pedro Córdova, Capital Humano y Social Alternativo
• R. Evon Idahosa, Executive Director, PathFinders Justice Initiative
• Norbert Cyrus, Senior Researcher, Europa University Frankfurt/Oder
• Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator, La Strada International
• Alberto Andreani, OSCE Programme and Capacity Building Officer
• Vincenzo Castelli, President, Associazione On the Road

ACCESS: Free entrance with compulsory registration.

LOCATION: Sala della Regina – Chamber of Deputies, (Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome).

DRESS CODE: Formal attire. Men are kindly invited to wear suit.

WITH THE SUPPORT OF: Chamber of Deputies, Equal Opportunities Department under the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, CIDU interministerial human rights committee, AICS Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development and U.S. Embassy to Italy.

LANGUAGES: ​ Official Languages will be Italian, English and Spanish. A simultaneous translation service will be available.

ACCOMMODATION: Registrants can take advantage of discounted rates at the Hotel Trevi to be agreed directly with the hotel booking office.

ATTENTION! THE EVENT IS SOLD OUT
Unfortunately, we had to close the application form, due to the very high number of people applying. Thank you very much for your interest in our work. Stay tuned on upcoming events!