Responding to humanitarian needs resulting from human trafficking

Actions taken:

The phenomenon of human trafficking can affect any person but among the potential groups most at risk are refugees and asylum seekers. The migratory path puts them face to face with countless challenges due to their condition of vulnerability. Migrants and refugees are far from a community they belong to and a support network, they find themselves in a state of illegality without documents, having difficulty integrating and finding regular work, they also face a lack of access to basic and/or specialized services (e.g. health support) due to poor knowledge of the language or for fear of being reported to the authorities, these preconditions exponentially increase the possibility of being intercepted by criminal groups and ending up in the network of exploitation.

The humanitarian needs of victims of trafficking are multiple as they are deprived of the possibility of accessing their fundamental rights. The Italian Red Cross is committed to strengthening its response capacity in order to align with the objectives of this pledge.

The Italian Red Cross is committed to achieving the objectives of the pledge presented in 2019 “Responding to humanitarian needs resulting from human trafficking”. Taking up the points of the Action Plan, ItRc has:

1. strengthened cooperation, and collaboration in finding effective support methodologies, and sharing of knowledge and good practices by participating in the European Red Cross Action for Trafficked Persons Network (ATN). Furthermore, ItRC has strengthened the response to the phenomenon and support for victims through participation in transnational projects, financed by the European Commission’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund, as lead partner. The projects managed from 2019 to today are the following: Pathways, FAST and DIRECT. Some National Societies such as the British Red Cross, The Netherlands Red Cross and the Spanish Red Cross participated in the various consortia. In addition to the National Societies, very important associations and bodies in the framework of supporting victims of trafficking such as IROKO, International Rescue Committee, Save the Children Italia, Greek Council For Refugees, Snowdrop, CNOS FAP, ECPAT, FairWORK also participated. Thanks to participation in these transnational projects, new tools and innovative methodologies have been developed regarding support for victims of trafficking, such as the development of workshops aimed at the empowerment of victims of trafficking (Life Skills Workshops).

1. The Italian Red Cross, taking into consideration the main trends of the phenomenon, has mapped the main needs of the victims and gaps in the response and developed an ad hoc action plan. In fact, ItRC has prioritized as a fundamental action the strengthening of the skills of staff and volunteers throughout the national territory, as they are the ones who come into closest contact with migrant people. ItRC has strengthened the skills of practitioners by developing an ad hoc training course (MIGR course) that deals transversally with the migration phenomenon, support and protection mechanisms; within the modules, migration practitioners also address the topic of human trafficking (the phenomenon, definitions, national legislation, the referral system, indicators, standard operating procedures, protection approaches and PGI). In addition, capacity-building activity has been strengthened over the years thanks to the transnational projects mentioned above. Within each project, increasingly specialized ad hoc training courses have been developed. In addition to training needs, ItRC assessed how in the Italian context it was essential to act in the development of ad hoc social and job inclusion paths. In fact, migrants and refugees are more exposed to the phenomenon when they find themselves in the absence of social networks and a salary income. Again, thanks to the Pathways, FAST and DIRECT projects, more than 100 potential victims of trafficking have been included in social and job inclusion paths.
2. The intervention strategies of the ItRC were developed taking into account primarily the mandate of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. In addition, ItRC’s intervention was shaped on the basis of its role of information and reporting. ItRC can, in fact, intervene in the pre-identification phase of the victim, through the identification of indicators or signals that suggest that a person assisted may be trafficked. In Italy, the formal identification and, therefore, the determination of the status of a “trafficked person” takes place by the specialized public and private social bodies authorized to carry out the emergency, assistance and social integration programs, referred to in the article 18 paragraph 3bis Legislative Decree 286/98.58. The ItRC is not among the bodies accredited for the implementation of programs for the protection and assistance of victims of trafficking, therefore it does not manage cases of potential victims, but its staff and volunteers can report or inform a person regarding his rights and the services of assistance available in the context of the National Anti-Trafficking Plan. The anti-trafficking bodies will put the official or formal identification mechanisms into action, introducing the person to the protection service. Despite the specific role of information and reporting, ItRC is committed to strengthening the prevention and response system, as a fundamental actor that provides support to the category most exposed to this phenomenon: migrants. Thanks to this positioning, as an actor involved in the system of assistance and protection of migrant people, the Italian Red Cross, although it is not an anti-trafficking body, can still develop support paths for victims and potential victims of trafficking, “meeting” them in receptive places for migrant people. In the Lampedusa hotspot as in the reception centers, ItRC can come into contact with victims and P/Vots and provide direct support services, always in compliance with the PGI framework.

It is worth remembering that The Italian Red Cross is present and provides support in the places most involved in the reception of migrant people: at the borders, at the disembarkation points, along the migratory routes (humanitarian service points), in the reception centres and at a territorial level in general, offering support through the activities of the Street Units.

The Italian Red Cross provides the following direct services:

• supply of basic necessities
• language mediation
• psychosocial support
• legal support
• health support
• information on trafficking
• social and job inclusion
• Italian language courses
• empowerment courses
• awareness campaigns

1. Spreading awareness of the phenomenon among staff and volunteers represented the main objective of ItRC’s action. As stated in point 3 Italian Red Cross has developed a specialized training plan aimed at preventing the phenomenon and supporting survivors. In recent years, ItRC has trained staff and volunteers providing guidance on how to identify, support and who to refer trafficking victims. In addition to the objective of strengthening capacity, there was also an explicit intention to spread awareness of the phenomenon, both to staff and volunteers involved in the reception activities of migrant people and to staff and volunteers interested in the topic. The training and spread of awareness activity mainly affected the reception centres, humanitarian service points and Lampedusa hotspots.
2. As already mentioned, ItRC has strengthened the skills of staff and volunteers thanks to participation in transnational projects whose objectives included the development of new manuals and guidelines containing methodologies then used to strengthen the skills of staff and volunteers. For example In 2019 ItRC developed an “Anti-trafficking Manual” addressed to staff and volunteers containing the main indications on the response and support mechanism and on the referral system existing in Italy. Staff and volunteers are also informed about all existing services at a local level in order to create efficient referral paths. In addition, ItRC has created an ad hoc training course aimed at migration-practitioners containing an ad hoc session on human trafficking. Of note, thanks to the collaboration with the British Red Cross, ItRC has developed an online training course (MMPAT e-module) which can be consulted on the federation’s online training platform. Finally, in recent years, in order to strengthen the skills of its practitioners, ItRC collaborated with anti-trafficking associations and bodies specialised in the phenomenon. For example, in 2024 a collaboration was stipulated with the Proxima anti trafficking body, an association mainly based in Sicily, which trained all the operators of the Lampedusa hotspot.
3. The Italian Red Cross raised and spread awareness of the phenomenon among communities at risk through focus groups. The information activity is organised both individually and in groups. Sharing information regarding work rights and risky situations increases awareness and the possibility of self-determination. Information activities take place in the reception centres managed by ItRC. In addition to oral information, information tools aimed at increasing awareness have been created such as Contact-CARDS, flyers, brochures and posters. Furthermore, within these tools reference is made to useful numbers (Anti-Trafficking Toll-Free Number) to contact in case of need.
4. As mentioned in point 3 ItRC has an information and reporting role for victims of trafficking. Despite its specific role, ItRC manages reception centers and is involved throughout the country in support activities for migrant people. Within their centres, staff and volunteers often find themselves in contact with victims and potential victims of trafficking. it emerged that the fundamental needs of these people fall within the category of social-work inclusion but also within the framework of psychosocial support. Thanks to collaboration within transnational projects ItRC has increased its capacity to provide medium and long-term support to victims of trafficking. Potential victims of trafficking who join these projects are included in integration and support paths that include vocational training, empowerment workshops, psychosocial support, language courses.The framework of ItRC activities is developed on the basis of the victim-centred and survivor-centred approach. Thanks to the FAST and DIRECT projects, ItRC has created ad hoc paths to strengthen both its working and transversal skills. In parallel with this path these people receive psychosocial support. The support of the psycho-emotional sphere is fundamental as victims and P/Vot survive exploitation and violence, fear, isolation, inability to create bonds of trust, post traumatic stress disorders and so on. In building a life path away from violence and exploitation, victims must be supported in overcoming past events that have left wounds in the psycho-emotional sphere.
5. Finally, ItRC has a recognized role as a Humanitarian Actor in the country and therefore

• participates in thematic tables on the topic to share experiences and knowledge with institutional actors
• The Italian Red Cross dialogues with the Ministry of the Interior and civil society organisations to develop common methodologies aimed at aligning the response mechanism. Among the results of these collaborations, the development of the“Vademecum on vulnerabilities’ ‘ is underlined. It was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, UNHCR and other bodies which also deal with human trafficking. A document that intends to strengthen the humanitarian actors involved in the protection and assistance system in supporting the vulnerable migrant population.

Indicators for measuring progress

Number and type of practical measures strengthening the response to address the

humanitarian needs resulting from human trafficking:

• Training packages aimed at strengthening the skills of staff and volunteers
• Specialised capacity building addressed to  staff and volunteers
• Development of an online training module (MMPAT e-module)
• Provision of information on THB to migrants 
• Development of personalised social and job  inclusion paths and individualised psychosocial support
• Development of SOPs to support victims and potential victims of trafficking
• Development of a specialised manual on human trafficking addressed to ItRC operators: Anti-Trafficking Manual
• Creation of a manual of standard operating procedures to be respected in the management of a reception centre. Inside the manual there are indications regarding the operational procedures to be followed in order to best support victims and potential victims of trafficking: “CRI Reception Centres, Standard procedures for the management of CRI reception centres for migrant people”
• Development of information and awareness tools on human trafficking: brochures, flyers, posters, contact cards

The percentage of staff and volunteers who are trained on recognising the signs of Human trafficking has increased for the period of 2019-2023.

• In the period 2019-2023, approximately 15% of Italian Red Cross staff and volunteers were trained. The percentage achieved is a good result taking into account that ItRC has a volunteer community made up of more than 160,000 volunteers.

Actions taken to cooperate through bi-lateral peer support and/or sharing good

practice through networks and online platforms.

• Collaboration at territorial level between CRI and anti-trafficking bodies
• Participation in transnational projects aimed at supporting victims of trafficking
• Participation in the European Red Cross Action for Trafficked persons Network
• Constant dialogue with the Authorities regarding the protection and support system for victims of trafficking. As an example, ItRC cooperates daily with authorities and multiple agencies in Lampedusa Hotspot. If ItRC identifies victims or potential victims of trafficking, it reports the cases to the authorities, who include the people in the protection system.
• ItRC’s work is based on the multi-agency approach. . As a reference, in Lampedusa Hotspot ItRC cooperates with multiple agencies to best support migrant people: UNICEF, UNHCR, IOM, EUAA, Associazione Nazionale D.i.Re – Donne in Rete contro la violenza

Implementation completion: