Support to strengthening the inter-institutional governance in the field of labour exploitation in Italy

Labour exploitation is defined by the Italian legislation as payment of salaries below the national standards and disproportionate to the hours worked; repeated long working hours or denial of weekly rest, annual paid leave and/or paid sick leave; systematic violation of workplace safety and health; and the use of degrading methods to supervise workers. In Italy, exploitation of this kind can be seen in several economic sectors, including agriculture, construction, private transport and domestic work. It is particularly acute in the agriculture sector where, according to recent estimates, it involves between 400,000 and 450,000 workers, of which between 100,000 and 145,000 (2.4 victims per thousand people) are considered to be working under coercion in conditions of forced labour and modern slavery. Among the latter, about 80 per cent are migrant workers. The Action contributes to the reduction of the number of women and men that are currently victims of labour exploitation and forced labour through the improvement of the institutional capacity to design, implement, monitor and evaluate coherent and coordinated policy interventions to tackle labour exploitation and forced labour in agriculture. An enhanced capacity of developing and implementing the said policy interventions in the agriculture sector can also allow for expanding the measures to sectors other than agriculture.

Project symbol

ITA/19/01/EUR

Admin unit

ILO-Rome

Start date

01/09/2019

End date

30/06/2021

Total allocation

342661

Total expenditure

Status

Closed

317122

Development Partners

European Commission, Structural Reform Support Service

Country/Countries

Italy

Outcomes

Outcome 6: Gender equality and equal opportunities and treatment for all in the world of work