PROJECTS
AREA OF Migration, trafficking and exploitation

Agar II - Take action and assist in the network against trafficking

SUMMARY

The project "AGAR II - Take action and assist in the network against trafficking" is funded by the Department for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministries, under the projects ex Art.18 Legislative Decree 286/98, and co-financed the Lazio Region - Department of Social Policy.

The service is aimed at non-EU and EU immigrants, women and men and transgender persons, who are victims of trafficking for serious sexual and labour exploitation.

Specifically, the Parsec Cooperative manages interventions targeting victims of severe labour exploitation.

By severe labour exploitation, it means all forms of exploitation made in any professional field (from the national construction industry, agriculture, catering, in manufacturing plants, in small and large factories, etc.), as well as part of begging and illegal activities. On the basis of the degree of protection and the possibility of negotiation enjoyed by the worker, it is possible to   identify different degrees of exploitation within a range from moonlighting, underpaid and done under irregular conditions, arriving at real slave-like situations.

The main objective of the "AGAR II" is to guarantee the recognized victims of the inclusion in a process of social protection, that, since the release of the residence permit Art. 18 T.U. Immigration 286/98, enables social-employment reintegration and the achievement of full autonomy.

NAME

'AGAR II' - Take action and assist in the network against trafficking

RECIPIENTS

Victims of trafficking for the purpose of severe labour exploitation

METHOD OF FINANCING

Funded by: Department for Equal Opportunities

Co-funded by: Lazio region

References of law: Art. 18 D.Lgs. 286/98

AREA OF INTERVENTION

Lazio region (excluding the province of Rome)

BRIEF HISTORY

Parsec began to deal with the issue of trafficking since 1999, thanks to the financing of the projects Art. 18 paid to the City of Rome by the Department for Equal Opportunities within the Programme of assistance and social integration in favour of women and child victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, under the provisions of Legislative Decree 286/98.

Since 2006, however, it has specifically addressed severe labour exploitation with its "Right Job" project. Born as an experimental project within the projects Art.18 Legislative Decree 286/98 funded by the Department for Equal Opportunities, the "Right Job" project has extended its activities over the years from only the area of Rome to the other provinces of Lazio.

The project has enabled a thorough research on the phenomenon in Rome and in the other provinces of Lazio, involving all local actors in a job that is mapping, knowledge, awareness and training while maintaining, at the same time, special attention to the emergence and taking care of the victims.

From the survey carried out on the subject of labour exploitation came the publication "Right Job. Work without rights. Trafficking and labour exploitation of immigrants in Rome and Lazio". In 2012, finally, a documentary entitled "The Good Master" was made, which tells about the working conditions of the Indians from the Punjab region employed as labourers in the countryside of the province of Latina.

The experience of the project 'Right Job' closed in 2011 but the activities continue in continuity with the Project 'Agar II'.

OBJECTIVES

The overall objective is taking care of victims of trafficking for labour exploitation by guaranteeing them a path of social protection, from exile from the condition of exploitation, to the ways to obtain a residence permit under Art. 18 Legislative Decree 286/98 and social-employment work reintegration.

Specifically, the objectives are:

• Taking care of victims of trafficking for labour exploitation;
• Legal assistance before and after obtaining a residence permit ex Art .18;
• Residential hospitality;
• Taking "territorial" care of people who receive financial support and housing from family members, friends, relatives;
• Supporting the victims in the preparation of all necessary documents for full regularization on the Italian territory;
• Accompanying to the health services;
• Accompanying to the job placement services.

METHODOLOGY OF INTERVENTION

The methodology used in dealing with taking care and managing individual cases is that of case management that allows an integrated and individualized management for each programme, through a schedule that puts together the different types of assistance provided by the various services. The needs of the person are, in fact, different and mainly in the area of legal, health, psychological, housing, training, also requiring different professionalism.

In addition, the characteristics of the project require continuous work of the network and services on the territory with the Attorneys of reference for each victim and the Office of the Immigration Police in Rome.

One goal of the project is the creation of a widespread culture on the problem of severe labour exploitation, the extension of the phenomenon, its implications for society as a whole, the knowledge of the tools to protect victims. In this sense, the strength of the project is the activation of forms of mutual knowledge, networking, and exchange with a very wide range of services, both institutional and non-institutional.

TOOLS AND ACTIVITIES

The service offers:

• welcoming talks
• insertion into the social protection programme
• legal assistance
• health support
• linguistic-cultural mediation
• support for socio-work reinsertion

NETWORK AND TERRITORY

The project is active in the territory of the Lazio region, excluding the Province of Rome.

The individualized care, in accordance with Art. 18 T.U. Immigration, cannot be separated from the construction of a network of individual cases and has to involve the setting up of suitable activities, exchange and sharing with the realities of the territories that, for various reasons, meet and support the target audience.It should be stressed, moreover, that the Project "AGAR II" manages  to have an impact on various realities of the territories and interacts with the policies and actions of local governments, to the extent that it integrates with the activities of the project under Art. 13 "AGAR I" which has the complementary aim to intercept and bring out the phenomenon. Especially in the case of trafficking for labour exploitation, in fact, support activities and assistance to the victims (characteristics of the project under Art. 18) cannot be separated from the activities of emergence and interception of the phenomenon (characteristics of the project under Art. 13). In fact, from the moment in which in one single case in care, one interacts with other local institutions and one starts, at the same time, to raise awareness on the issue of severe labour exploitation, especially if it is dealing with public institutions and the police.

Collaborations have been initiated with: Police, Labour Inspectorates, Trade Unions, Associations and private social entities, career guidance centres, service centres for immigrants, operators of the 'listening' counters for immigrants, outpatient clinics for foreigners, Social Services of the Municipalities and all the organizations that in various ways may impact with the phenomenon of severe labour exploitation. An awareness intervention and information on the phenomenon, which is necessary during the identification of victims, has been made, against all the territorial agencies contacted, institutional or otherwise.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

The project team is composed of psychologists, social workers, linguistic-cultural mediators and lawyers.

CONTACTS

Tel. (00 39) 348.9945653

e-mail: right.job@libero.it