On March 8, 2017, an event titled "WOMEN VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING – THE CASE OF NIGERIA" took place in Castelnuovo Val di Cecina, organized by the COMMITTEE OF SOLIDARITY WELCOMING.
The Committee, composed of volunteers, was established in response to the lukewarm reception received by three asylum-seeking women sent to the country by the Prefect. However, shortly thereafter, the girls decided to leave suddenly after telling some volunteers that they wanted to join relatives in Germany.
From that moment on, the committee, in addition to caring for subsequently arriving girls, began researching migration flows from Nigeria, discovering a dramatic situation of which they were previously unaware. The idea of dedicating the event for International Women's Day to this topic arose with the desire of the Committee volunteers to deepen these issues and, above all, to share them with the rest of the community. The event opened with the screening of an episode of G.Lerner's program "Islam, Italy" entitled "At Their Home," which allows viewers to journey from Nigeria to the migrant communities of Italian cities, reflecting on the causes and evolution of the migratory phenomenon from the most populous African country to Italy.
This was followed by a presentation by DICA ETS, which, with the support of maps and images, illustrated the routes, methods, dangers, and violence faced by increasingly younger women during the long journey from rural areas of southern Nigeria to Italy via Libya. The main mechanisms underlying Smuggling and Trafficking were briefly described, concluding with the difficulties that, despite having one of the most advanced regulations for the protection of trafficking victims in Europe, hinder the identification of victims and the timely and effective intervention by law enforcement and Italian organizations working in the field. This was followed by a contribution from the association against violence against women "Le Amiche di Mafalda," who described in no uncertain terms the type of sexual exploitation to which many of these girls are subjected, reminding that trafficking networks flourish thanks to the demand from Italian and European men.
Finally, a representative from the Ass. Il Chiassino, through a historical digression on the violence perpetrated against women by Italian soldiers during the nefarious "colonial" period in Africa, brought a highly relevant reflection on how the perception of the other and the different can provide the pretext or justification for certain types of exploitation or violence against women. The event was followed with great interest by a large and particularly heterogeneous audience.
The project has a duration of 12 months.
Photos of the ongoing activities are available on the DICA ETS Facebook page!
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