EUROPE/ITALY - MISSION AND IMMIGRATION - “The Suitcase with a String”: young women living as slaves, to pay their debt with those who brought them to Italy; if the people are frustrated and deprived of their dignity, it's easier for them to fall into crime

Naples (Agenzia Fides) – In Naples (Italy), at the church home to the Catholic African immigrants, the parish priest highlights that one of the major problems for Africans is the new context in which they find themselves, a situation that is different from the African culture.
“Many of our brothers of Africa who are here struggle with poverty. Sometimes, they do not go to the hospital even when they are ill. Sometimes they do not even have anything to eat. When there are ceremonies, the Africans wear the best, as they put on their best outfits, and then the people think they are fine, when they are not. We are dealing with an even more concrete issue: prostitution. Seceral African girls have to pay up to 50,000 Euros. And how can such a young girl make that much money? She becomes a slave, desperately searching for a means to pay back the person that has helped them come over here. Secondly, we must take into account the lack of permits, residency, etc. that turns them into slaves. The walk around all day and in they end, they only receive coins. The majority of them are honest people, but when the people are frustrated and deprived of their dignity, it's easier for them to fall into crime. If a person experiences security, trust, and dignity, and perceives respect for their dignity and person, they behave with human dignity. I think the Church has a lot to offer in this sense.” (Luca De Mata) (Anticipation for the television program “The Suitcase Tied with a String”: 4 episodes of a study on world immigration to be aired on the RAI beginning June 29) (Agenzia Fides 19/6/2009)