Ventimiglia, migratory flows with very high numbers of women travelling alone, who stop in the Ligurian city in search of shelter or safe passage

ROMA – In the last year alone, almost 400 migrant women (14 of whom were pregnant) have turned to the NGO’s services WeWord in Ventimiglia, which include emergency reception, a socio-legal awareness desk, in one of the major crossing points for those trying to leave Italy. Since last year, a feminization of migratory flows in the area had been observed, with very high numbers of women, often traveling alone, forced to interrupt their journey and stay in Ventimiglia in search of shelter or safe passage, risking however to fall victim to criminal networks that organize irregular border crossings and human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation, deceived with the promise of redemption of their condition once they have crossed the Italian-French border and subject to countless risks and abuses.

The stories of these women. The story of their travels and misadventures are collected in a report Inter-rottewhich analyzes the phenomenon of human trafficking from a gender, intergenerational and intersectional perspective. The migrant women who have been intercepted since the beginning of the year come mainly from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Tunisia, while last year they came mainly from West Africa and French-speaking Africa – explains Jacopo Colomba. “Women who travel alone – he added – are more at risk than other people of falling victim to criminal networks present in the territory and are therefore more exposed to the risk of trafficking, often for sexual purposes. With the development of new migratory routes, this year we suspect that the risk of trafficking may be more for the purpose of domestic servitude”.

Let’s restore the Schengen Treaty. More dedicated resources are needed to ensure that these women do not become victims of trafficking. We continue to ask for the restoration of the Schengen Treatythe creation of new reception devices and the strengthening of existing ones and of a coordination table between stakeholders and the third sector to monitor the migratory situation in Ventimiglia and propose solutions with respect to more specific cases.”

What it means to fall victim to human trafficking. With the term “human trafficking” means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, custody or detention of a person by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of oppression, abduction, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability of the victim, for the purpose of exploitation (labour or sexual).

Modern forms of slavery. The phenomenon identifies a modern form of slavery that frontally violates a series of human rights and fundamental freedoms: the right to life, to decent work, to health, freedom from slavery and forced labor, freedom from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, etc. The journey undertaken is always very risky, exposing people to extreme vulnerability, especially in the case of women and girls, in particular the most looming danger is that of ending up victims of trafficking.

Italy is the final destination of the route. “Italy – comments Dina Taddia, delegated councilor of WeWorld – remains one of the main final destinations for victims of human trafficking, as well as a transit point for other European destinations. Precisely because of the extreme changeability of the situation, it is necessary to monitor the phenomenon, network and be present at the borders. To eradicate human trafficking – added Dina Taddia – we must counter the false promises of traffickers with a concrete commitment to protect the rights of potential victims, and thus remove them from the spiral of trafficking: the right to life, to decent work, to health, freedom from forced labor, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.

WeWord’s work in Ventimiglia. The NGO has been present in Ventimiglia since 2016, with assistance interventions for migrants and asylum seekers in transit, so that human rights are guaranteed for every person. Since 2019, the humanitarian organization has started a project, together with Caritas Intemelia e Waldensian Diaconateto provide support and assistance services to families, women and unaccompanied minors. We have welcomed almost 4,000 people from November 2020 to today, including 1,745 women, 674 men and 1,558 accompanied minors. Ventimiglia has therefore become one of the most important crossing points in Europe for the majority of migrants arriving by sea and land and attempting to cross the border here. In fact, two European migratory routes converge here: the Balkan and the Mediterranean.

Thousands of migrants rejected. With the unilateral suspension of the Schengen Treaty by France, every year tens of thousands of migrants are rejected and forced to return to the Ligurian city, risking falling victim to criminal networks that organize irregular border crossings and human trafficking for the purpose of exploitation.