Italy arrests 2,000 in human trafficking

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Italy arrests 2,000 in human trafficking


Staff and agencies
24 January, 2007



By MARIA SANMINIATELLI, Associated Press Writer 9 minutes ago
ROME - More than 2,000 people throughout Italy — most of them foreign — are accused of human trafficking following an investigation that uncovered minors and adults forced into prostitution and working in sweatshops, police said Wednesday.
"There were no surprises. Unfortunately it‘s all well-known," Giacomantonio said. "It‘s Albanians exploiting Romanian women, Chinese exploiting Chinese, Africa on Africa."
Most of the people running the operations and their victims came from countries in Eastern Europe, including Moldavia, Albania and Romania, as well as countries in Asia and Africa, Giacomantonio said. Some prostitutes were brought in from Iraq , she added.
"We can‘t say we‘ve defeated the phenomenon of human trafficking, but we have dealt a blow," Giacomantonio said.
Forty-five women who cooperated with authorities have been granted permits and allowed to remain in Italy, police said.
As part of the investigation, police seized 15 homes throughout the country where the girls were forced to work as prostitutes, four nightclubs and three sweatshops. Two of the sweat shops were for textiles, and one was a hairdressers, Giacomantonio said.


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