QUADRI - Presentation Italy - Valerie Quadri - Council of Europe

operation to the investigation in consideration that victims can more effectively cooperate when
they are in a position of security and when they are aware of being the true holders of rights.
It is important to focus the attention that from 2007 onwards it will be possible to insert in the social
protection projects the “…citizens of EU member states who happen to be in conditions of
seriousness and actual danger”, according to the new paragraph 6-bis of art.18, as it has been
modified by the Legislative Decree n. 300 of 28.12.2006.
The proposal for granting a residence permit can be made both by the District Attorney
(Procuratore della Repubblica), if a prosecution has already been started, and by the Local Bodies
or associations’ social services, by institutions and other organisms in charge of social protection
projects. Afterwards, the Police Commissioner (Questore) issues a residence permit for reasons of
social protection which is valid for six months, may be renewed for one year or for a longer period
(in case of particular judicial reasons) and grants the access to assistance services, education and to
dependent employment.
2) Law n. 228 of 2003 “Provisions against the Trafficking in Human Beings” provided the
Italian legal order with an upgraded definition of a few criminal acts, in particular the ones of
reduction to slavery condition, trafficking in human beings and trade of slaves, and introduced some
new offences. The law considers different forms of exploitation: sexual, labour, forcing into
begging or removal of organs.
For these offences the law foresees a heavier punishment corresponding to eight to twenty years
imprisonment, with an increase of one third to half of the imprisonment period when the victims are
under 18 or, more frequently nowadays, when reduction to slavery or servitude condition aims at
further sexual exploitation or removal of organs.
The repression of offences and the forms of punishment, which implements the provision of
Palermo Protocol, considers trafficking in human beings as a specific and autonomous crime
hypothesis.
Article 13 of Law 228 of 2003 foresees the establishing of a Special Fund for the implementation
of an assistance programme granting temporary adequate accommodation, board and assistance
conditions for the victims of such offences as reduction to or maintaining in slavery or servitude
conditions and trafficking. On the basis of Article 13, the Department for Equal Opportunities
issued from 2006 to 2010 five calls for the implementation of projects devoted to these victims.
The Department has so far approved and co-financed n. 124 projects, involving more than 1000
assisted victims of THB.
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