La nuova tratta

Albanian girls are back on the Italian streets after years in which, as an operator explains, "they were gone" (according to the latest report from the Anti-Trafficking Toll-Free Number, they are the most present nationality). It was thought that the country’s economic growth, information and advocacy actions would sever the solid correlation between poverty, trafficking and prostitution ... so why is there this growing presence of Albanian women in Italy?

According to Gazmir Memaj, operator project manager of Mary Ward Loreto: "traditional culture, the role of women, the sense of shame continue to create a favorable environment for traffickers. In the countryside the desire to escape has remained, families feel that an unmarried daughter at home is like a burden and a shame. Girls after the age of 14 stop going to school, the areas are depopulating and going to school is too high a cost, schools close and we should go to the cities, so the girls begin to stay at home, isolated and with children. years the desire to go away grows as long as it is ».

To facilitate the traffic there was the possibility for Albanian citizens to move freely in Europe: the border is no longer there so no more smugglers or false documents are needed, just recruitment is enough (there is it is also an internal traffic not only towards abroad that follows the countryside-city direction).

«For traffickers - explains Sister Imelda Poole - the risks are low, it seems to me that the number of arrested is around 1%, so there are more people interested in entering this type of market . As they say, you can only sell a gun once, but you can sell a girl again and again and again. ' The commitment continues, for Gazmir Memaj in recent years there have been various factors of progress: "collaboration between local authorities, police forces and associations has grown, but there is still a long way to go". The unawareness of the victims remains, the ease of always attracting new girls; weaknesses remain at the legislative level and the scarce ability to prosecute crimes, which even when identified, are easily classified as minor offenses and, above all, the ability to act on kidnappings is weak. Furthermore, the fact that prostitution in Albania is already a crime weakens the possibility of reporting victims who in turn could be subject to criminal consequences.

Supporting local networks is essential because when the person arrives in Italy he is already a victim, the damage has occurred, it is important to strengthen preventive capillary action between anti-trafficking bodies, Caritas, parishes and then follow the money of traffickers and proceed with the kidnappings.


Fabrizio Floris
NP August / September 2022