"I meet experts who opened my eyes to new and interesting ways to see the world"

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time doing an internship at the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II (University of Naples Federico II), the oldest state university in the world, located in Naples, Italy. As my research topic is Nigerian Sex Trafficking, and it is facilitated by organized crime, I went to Naples to work with the “Mafia, Camorra and Criminal Networks Research Group” in the university’s Department of Social Sciences." by Patrick Whelan, 2nd year master student of "Population and Development" programme

 There I was supervised by Prof. Luciano Brancaccio who introduced me to experts in the field of organized crime from many different backgrounds, such as history, economics, sociology, and criminology. They also helped to guide my research, helping me to see different angles of organized crime that I had not considered before. And, they helped me to contact different organizations, securing interviews with one NGO, one expert on transnational crime, Prof. Monica Massari, two members of the Carabinieri (Italian military police also responsible for organized crime), and a famed public prosecutor and writer, Giovanni Conzo.

                The NGO interview was with Fatima from the project called La Gatta within the Dedalus social cooperative. Fatima was trafficked from Nigeria 25 years ago, secured her release from debt bondage, and has been working with La Gatta doing outreach and cultural mediation for 17 years. She has worked in prisons, refugee camps, and other places through La Gatta, meeting many of the people who are trafficked to Italy through Nigeria. Talking to Fatima was extremely fruitful because, as an Igbo woman, who has been trafficked from Nigeria, she can relate to the women being trafficked, so they are not afraid to tell her their entire stories, which they wouldn’t do with me, as an outsider. Also, because she is also working in anti-trafficking, she wants to ensure that the truth is spread as far as possible.

                I traveled to the beautiful city of Florence to speak with Prof. Massari and it was very eye opening as we discussed the impact that trafficking has on society and the image of women as a whole. We discussed how Nigerian trafficking has changed the image of Nigerians in the eyes of Europeans, so that now they are no longer ‘people’, or even ‘migrants’ but something else - the ‘other’. Nearly every Nigerian woman, or child in Italy, is expected to be, and approached as, a prostitute, and not even as the normal image of a prostitute, but one who doesn’t have a say, one who you just need to say, ‘Hey, let’s go’, and she is expected to go. No negotiation, no consent, no humanity.

                The interview with the Carabinieri and Giovanni Conzo was also enriching as they were able to give me key intel as the prime intelligence source investigating the Nigerian mafia in Italy. They told me about the formation, operations and networks within the Nigerian mafia, and how they have become so strong in Naples that the local Camorra mafia cannot control them anymore. I also learned that the headquarters for the Nigerian mafia in Italy, and possibly all of Europe is in Castel Volturno, a town just outside of Naples, and that it is the key dissemination point for drug trafficking in the country as well.

                Besides my research, I was also able to enjoy the city of Naples, and the surrounding region. The city is graced with many historic castles, buildings and churches, and the center is full of narrow, cobble-stoned streets. From the port of Naples, one can see the beautiful island of Capri, which I spent a Sunday trekking all over it, and, of course, Mt Vesuvius, the famous volcano which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum. I also trekked on Mt Vesuvius but that day the tip of the volcano was engulfed in a cloud, so it was cold and wet and had horrible visibility. However, at the bottom, we did have a guided tour of Herculaneum, which was incredibly interesting and well preserved. The day before that was spent hiking the trail “Sentiero degli Dei” (God’s Path), from Agerola to Positano, more famously known as the Amalfi Coast. Being able to trek through the spectacular beauty of both Capri and the Amalfi Coast were definitely some of the highlights of the trip.

 And finally, one cannot write a review about Italy without mentioning food. The first pizza was made in Naples, and as one who has traveled and eaten his way around the world, I can say it is amazing, especially for its freshness and high quality ingredients. However, pizza isn’t all that Naples has on order – pasta, seafood, panini (sandwiches), fritattini (fried balls of pasta), many different kinds of fresh pastries and desserts, and gelato are all of the best quality and available everywhere for a very affordable price. Naples is, after all, one of the least expensive areas of Italy, and eating and drinking can actually be quite cheap.

                In conclusion, the experience was very rewarding as I was able to work with some very interesting people in the world’s oldest state university, and meet experts who opened my eyes to new and interesting ways to see the world, while living in a beautiful city, eating amazing food, with very warm and welcoming people. I look forward to returning to the area again.

 by Patrick Whelan, 2nd year master student of "Population and Development" programme