ABSTRACT
Chapter Organization and Structure This chapter focuses on anti-trafficking policies by presenting a case study of the ways in which grass-roots organizations and NGOs play a role within specific local contexts where anti-trafficking law is applied. The case study is Italy and Article 18 of the Italian immigration law passed in 1998, which grants a residence permit for “reasons of social protection” to migrant women who are defined as victims of trafficking by state authorities and social actors. The importance of this case study consists in the fact that Article 18 has provided Italy with an anti-trafficking policy, which gives central importance to the protection of victims, as a social aspect to be treated independently from juridical considerations, such as the value of victims as witnesses to prosecute traffickers.
