THE LEGAL DEFENCE OF VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING LEGISLATIVE AND JURISDICTIONAL PROBLEMS AND GAPS

Although in the last 10 years in Italy there has been a greater sensitivity by the legislature to the trafficking, including in relation to international commitments such as the Palermo Protocol, there are still difficulties and deficiencies in affording effective jurisdictional protection for victims of this shameful social phenomenon. Italy has started to pay a sensitive normative attention to the defence of the victims of trafficking through the art. 18 of the DLvo 286/98I that stipulates the concession of a residence permit for social protection to the people that are subject to trafficking, as well as the possibility to be inserted in programs of assistance and social integration. The aforesaid norm has allowed starting an experience that doesn't have comparisons in Europe. There is rather a protection of individual rights, which is unconditional, at least in the first stage. This is the so called "Social path", which allows the trafficked person to seek help from an association, before and independently by a complaint. The following Law 228/2003 was subsequently incorporated into a path already started four years earlier with the aforesaid Law of 1998 and it should have addressed the problems that had not been handled. The law protects victims of trafficking. In particular it envisaged the establishment of a special assistance program for victims of crimes under Articles 600 ("reduction or maintenance in slavery or servitude"), 601 ("Trafficking in persons") and 602 ("Purchase and sale slave ") of the Italian Penal Code. Victims of exploitation are guaranteed assistance and hospitality. Moreover, the law has radically changed the definition of slavery under Att. 600 Italian Criminal Code, indicating behaviour similar to it or reducing to servitude. It is a rule intended to have a particularly wide scope for punishing behaviour of exploitation in general or in particular the induction and exploitation of prostitution, work performance in conditions of complete subjugation and exploitation of employees against the employer. The original concept of slavery has been extended to include the existence of a network and thus slavery is made not only through violence, threats and deception, but also abuse of authority or profiting from a situation of need, both in order to obtain sexual services, both for the use of a person for specific job performance, or for begging. However there are still debates and open problems. It’s important and necessary to incriminate and tougher penalties to be applied for the crime of trafficking in humans, which involves the violation of basic human rights. We must underline that the crime of slavery was only applied in few cases, especially when people had minor injuries. In most trials relating to such crimes the sentences included milder penalties. Also, one should ensure that the criminal action does not result in an additional stress factor and victimization resulting from inadequate methods of conducting the procedure by those authorities - police and judicial - which should guarantee the rights of individuals harmed by the offence (known as secondary victimization). Special investigation is required for activities on different levels of trafficking, such as trafficking of babies or children to be allocated to begging or forced labour, or domestic servitude. But within a European approach to the problem, we cannot speak only of the gaps of national legislation. All must be framed in the broader dimension of cooperation. It’s important the value of events such as the Protocol between Italy and Romania, signed in Bucharest on July 9 of 2008, which is the source of some transnational cooperation in the areas of intervention of the European Social Fund for the coordination of measures designed to promote the social inclusion of trafficked funded ESF, such as the strategic project "Integrating market labour trafficking victims. We need to promote a strengthening of international cooperation between higher institutions and civil society in the countries mostly involved in this terrible practice.human trafficking, victims, legal process, guaranteed assistance.

Is the Banking and Financial System Changing the Social and Political Global Dimension?

This paper aims to demonstrate how banking and financial centres, which are not formal political decision-makers, are gaining a growing and significant role in the social and political dimension. By focusing on the contemporary dominance of banks and financial centres, as opposed to an unduly narrow focus on their vital role in the interactions between nations, this study contributes to the much-needed conversation about the influence of non-State players in the social and political dimension. The case studies of banks involved in State and inter-State policy will be analysed using the theoretical framework presented in this thesis. The case study of PNB Paribas, which was allegedly involved in the Sudan war in 2002, by influencing political decision-makers and, as a result, changing political outcomes, will receive the majority of attention

Incarcerated hernia in a trocar site following laparoscopic gastric bypass

This paper reports a case of small bowel occlusion due to the herniation of an ileal ansa at the site of the insertion of a 12-mm trocar. A 28-year-old obese female patient underwent laparoscopic surgery for gastric bypass, the skin incisions of the trocar insertion sites were closed with absorbable sutures. Small bowel occlusion occurred on post-operative day 6 and the patient again underwent laparoscopic surgery. Laparoscopic exploration confirmed the suspected presence of the incarcerated hernia of an ileal ansa at the site of the trocar insertion which was freed without any need for bowel resection. The fascial defect was successfully closed under direct vision with the use of a special system of fascial sutures

SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine Induced Atypical Immune Responses in Antibody Defects: Everybody Does their Best

Background: Data on immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with Primary Antibody Deficiencies (PAD) are limited to infected patients and to heterogeneous cohorts after immunization. Methods: Forty-one patients with Common Variable Immune Deficiencies (CVID), six patients with X-linked Agammaglobulinemia (XLA), and 28 healthy age-matched controls (HD) were analyzed for anti-Spike and anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) antibody production, generation of Spike-specific memory B-cells, and Spike-specific T-cells before vaccination and one week after the second dose of BNT162b2 vaccine. Results: The vaccine induced Spike-specific IgG and IgA antibody responses in all HD and in 20% of SARS-CoV-2 naive CVID patients. Anti-Spike IgG were detectable before vaccination in 4 out 7 CVID previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 and were boosted in six out of seven patients by the subsequent immunization raising higher levels than patients naïve to infection. While HD generated Spike-specific memory B-cells, and RBD-specific B-cells, CVID generated Spike-specific atypical B-cells, while RBD-specific B-cells were undetectable in all patients, indicating the incapability to generate this new specificity. Specific T-cell responses were evident in all HD and defective in 30% of CVID. All but one patient with XLA responded by specific T-cell only. Conclusion: In PAD patients, early atypical immune responses after BNT162b2 immunization occurred, possibly by extra-follicular or incomplete germinal center reactions. If these responses to vaccination might result in a partial protection from infection or reinfection is now unknown. Our data suggests that SARS-CoV-2 infection more effectively primes the immune response than the immunization alone, possibly suggesting the need for a third vaccine dose for patients not previously infected

Detection of human enteric viruses in water and shellfish samples collected in Sicily

Historical flora and/or vegetation surveys highlight how the small islands of the Ionian coast of Sicily (Bella, Ciclopi islands, Vendicari, Capo Passero), currently protected as Nature Reserves and/or part of the Natura 2000 network have undergone major landscape changes following alterations in anthropogenic pressure. Landscape changes have been more prominent for the islands located in the northern part of the Ionian coast, with the consequence of increasing populations of invasive alien species. In contrast, landscape changes have decreased in the southernmost islands as indicated by the recovery of natural wood vegetation.peer-reviewe

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5-11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12-18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19-25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

The rapid spread of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant in Italy reflected early through wastewater surveillance

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant emerged in South Africa in November 2021, and has later been identified worldwide, raising serious concerns. A real-time RT-PCR assay was designed for the rapid screening of the Omicron variant, targeting characteristic mutations of the spike gene. The assay was used to test 737 sewage samples collected throughout Italy (19/21 Regions) between 11 November and 25 December 2021, with the aim of assessing the spread of the Omicron variant in the country. Positive samples were also tested with a real-time RT-PCR developed by the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), and through nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Overall, 115 samples tested positive for Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant. The first occurrence was detected on 7 December, in Veneto, North Italy. Later on, the variant spread extremely fast in three weeks, with prevalence of positive wastewater samples rising from 1.0% (1/104 samples) in the week 5–11 December, to 17.5% (25/143 samples) in the week 12–18, to 65.9% (89/135 samples) in the week 19–25, in line with the increase in cases of infection with the Omicron variant observed during December in Italy. Similarly, the number of Regions/Autonomous Provinces in which the variant was detected increased from one in the first week, to 11 in the second, and to 17 in the last one. The presence of the Omicron variant was confirmed by the JRC real-time RT-PCR in 79.1% (91/115) of the positive samples, and by Sanger sequencing in 66% (64/97) of PCR amplicons. In conclusion, we designed an RT-qPCR assay capable to detect the Omicron variant, which can be successfully used for the purpose of wastewater-based epidemiology. We also described the history of the introduction and diffusion of the Omicron variant in the Italian population and territory, confirming the effectiveness of sewage monitoring as a powerful surveillance tool

An examination of the feminist perspective in Latin America

In comparing the feminist analysis with the one conducted by other theories such as the realist theory, the author tries to highlight how the gender approach can be used as a prism to evaluate the changes taking place in some Latin American countries.Al comparar el análisis feminista con el realizado por otras teorías como la realista, la autora intenta resaltar cómo el enfoque de género puede ser utilizado como un prisma para evaluar los cambios que se están produciendo en algunos Países de América Latina.Nel confrontare l’analisi femminista con quella condotta da altre teorie quali la teoria realista, l’autrice cerca di evidenziare come l’approccio di genere possa essere utilizzato come prisma per valutare i cambiamenti in corso in alcuni paesi dell’America Latina