Visit to Italy - Report of the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences (A/HRC/42/44/ADD.1)

Human Rights Council
Forty-second session
9–27 September 2019
Agenda item 3
Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Summary

The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, visited Italy from 3 to 12 October 2018.
Further to the analysis of the normative framework and the existing interinstitutional architecture to combat contemporary forms of slavery, the Special Rapporteur examines the exploitation of migrant workers in the agricultural sector. She acknowledges the solid Italian legislative and institutional framework that addresses labour exploitation in agriculture but draws attention to the continued challenges of ensuring decent working and living conditions for migrant workers in the sector. The report concludes with recommendations to assist the Government and other stakeholders in addressing the remaining challenges.

I. Introduction

1. The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Urmila Bhoola, visited Italy from 3 to 12 October 2018. The focus of her visit was the labour exploitation of migrant workers in agriculture, owing to numerous expressions of concern received previously in that regard.

2. The Special Rapporteur met with officials from a broad range of government departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Interministerial Committee for Human Rights, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policies, the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, the Labour Inspectorate, the Ministry of Agricultural Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, including the Carabinieri Corps and the Guardia di Finanza, the National Anti-Mafia Directorate, the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Italian Republic. The Special Rapporteur also met with territorial government authorities in Calabria and Apulia and visited a temporary reception centre for migrants.

3. The Special Rapporteur also met with representatives of trade unions and with private sector stakeholders Confindustria and Confagricoltura. She also held meetings with national and international civil society organizations, such as Amnesty International,
   Medici per i Diritti Umani, Incipit, Terra!, the Cooperativa Sociale Altereco and the independent human rights defender Marco Omizzolo. She also met with representatives of the European Commission, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). She visited Rome, Calabria, Apulia and Latina province in Lazio, engaged directly with victims of labour exploitation and visited the informal settlements of San Ferdinando (Calabria) and Borgo Mezzanone (Apulia).

4. The present report was shared with the Government of Italy before its publication and the response of the Government is being issued separately (A/HRC/42/44/Add.2). The Special Rapporteur extends her appreciation to the Government of Italy for the invitation to visit the country and to officials from the various State entities for engaging in a fruitful and meaningful dialogue. She also thanks UNHCR, IOM and the United Nations Regional Information Centre for their comprehensive assistance in the planning and conduct of her visit and wishes to thank the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research for undertaking the background research for the present report. She further expresses her sincere gratitude to all civil society organizations, trade unions, business associations and individuals who took the time to meet with her.