The Italian agricultural sector depends heavily on the presence of migrant workers, most of whom are exploited.

The word mafia often evokes quasi-romantic images from The God Father or The Sopranos. Mafia thugs are imagined as Sicilian men wearing traditional clothes, speaking with accents and carrying guns. Many in Europe think that the mafia is a problem confined to parts of Italy and maybe to remote places like Russia or Japan. Unfortunately, this assumptions are widely inaccurate.

A glimpse into the origin of the term “corruption” gives an initial clue to understand the meaning behind it. The Latin root stands for “moral decay, rottenness”,, appropriate to describe this wide-spread phenomenon. While the broad term “corruption” may include a diverse set of wrongdoings for most people “bribery”is the first one to come to mind.

Environmental Crime’ is a concept that relates to a broad range of criminal offences. From littering to waste trafficking, from wildlife smuggling to unregulated logging. Several offences fall under a same label, and although the gravity of crime changes, too often different criminal behaviours are put on the same line.

Environmental crimes in the broadest sense refer to any man-made harm (deliberate or careless act) caused to the surrounding nature. This includes diverse issues such as protection of endangered species, ozone layer depletion, earth and soil pollution and smuggling of nuclear materials. The most important international treaty on these matters is the Aarhus Convention of the United Nations.