Rome: 'Mediterranean a sea of slaves' conference

Protection and assistance for migrants and the fight against the people-smuggling are the themes at the centre of the conference entitled "Mediterranean, a sea of slaves", which is to be held next Thursday in Rome at the European Parliament building. The conference co-incides with a visit, from May 8 to 15, of a delegation of female social workers from Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, who are active in politics and in the protection of female migrant workers and refugees, and who will be examining the procedures enforced in Italy. The conference will begin at 15:00. During their trip, the women will also meet the immigration chiefs at the CGIL trade union, Gruppo Abele, Caritas and local authorities that are highly involved in the issue, including the City of Naples and the City of Pisa, as well as other important Italian bodies operating for the protection of victims of the people trade across Italy. The delegation's visit is part of a wider scheme, entitled "A response to the trafficking, violence and exploitation of female migrant workers in the Mashrek", a project started in 2011 by the organisation "Un Ponte per", in collaboration with the Jordanian Women's Union, to tackle violence and exploitation of female migrant workers in the Middle East, through the strengthening of the regulatory framework, legal and social protection services and psychological assistance. The event will be attended by experts from both sides of the Mediterranean, including representatives of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Italian Carabinieri, state police (Rome branch) the cooperatives Be Free and PARSEC, and the organisation Casa dei Diritti Sociali.