Italy’s Cabinet has adopted a national action plan for 2026 to 2028 against human trafficking and severe exploitation. The decision gives the country a national framework for prevention, criminal enforcement, support for victims and co-operation with other countries. It is a policy adoption rather than a report of completed interventions or measured outcomes.
The plan was put forward by Eugenia Roccella, the minister responsible for family, natality and equal opportunities, and Matteo Piantedosi, the interior minister. It was adopted under Article 13, paragraph 2-bis, of Law No 228 of 11 August 2003. The Unified Conference had already reached agreement on the proposal on 1 October.
Four connected areas
The 2026–28 plan is organised around four areas: prevention, prosecution of offences, protection and assistance for victims, and co-operation. These are linked rather than separate tasks. A person who may have experienced trafficking or severe exploitation may need to be identified promptly, protected and offered assistance, while investigators and prosecutors pursue suspected criminal activity and institutions work across borders.
Prevention is intended to address risks before exploitation is established. The agreed framework includes awareness work, activity in schools and research, while also recognising the cross-border nature of trafficking. The plan’s approach to enforcement includes strengthening investigative and judicial action, including where criminal organisations use digital technologies.
Protection and assistance are a distinct part of the framework. The plan identifies timely identification of victims as an objective and sets out specific safeguards for people considered vulnerable, including children, women and people with disabilities. Identification is important because it can be the point at which a person is connected with support, but the Cabinet decision does not itself establish that any individual case has been identified or resolved.
Co-operation and implementation
Co-operation is the fourth strand. The plan provides for work with countries of origin and transit, alongside national and international collaboration between the bodies involved. The earlier regional agreement also set out a role for inter-institutional regional tables and for a national referral mechanism bringing together organisations responsible for identifying, protecting and assisting people who may be affected.
The plan was prepared by the National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator with input from a technical committee. That process matters because the framework covers several parts of public action: prevention and public awareness, criminal justice, victim protection and international links. The adoption brings those priorities together for the three-year period, but it does not mean every action has begun or that the plan’s aims have already been achieved.
The decision should therefore be understood as the formal adoption of a national strategy. It does not announce a particular prosecution, establish criminal liability for any named person, or demonstrate a reduction in trafficking or exploitation. Progress will depend on later work by the bodies responsible for the measures, as well as on how support, identification, investigation and co-operation operate in practice.
For people who may be at risk, the emphasis on early identification and tailored safeguards is central to the plan’s stated direction. For public bodies, the four-part structure sets a common basis for the 2026–28 period while leaving the practical delivery of individual measures to subsequent action.
