here - Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo

C H A P T E R VT h e o r g a n i s a t i o n a l s y s t e mo f t h e t r a f f i c k i n g o f m i n o r s a n d w o m e nf o r s e x u a l e x p l o i t a t i o n5.1 Organised crime?One of the most interesting aspects of the organisation dedicated to the trafficof Nigerian women for sexual exploitation is its capacity to appear as “low profile”,to avoid spectacular exploits and work in silence. This apparent low profile inreality is a very compact and well structured network.In all probability it is not a structured organisation according to a stronglyhierarchical model (as the Italian mafia organisations), but numerous criminalgroups linked to each other on a horizontal plane, characterised by strongflexibility, high level of specialisation, a system of network links which is noteasily visible from the outside 49 .There are numerous advantages to this type of organisation.In the first place, not being an hierarchical organised group, it benefits, at leastin the first phase, of this “disorganisation” and therefore in fact has the appearanceof a little structured system of exploitation of prostitution, which does not have tieson Italian territory and which adopts means of action in a certain “artisan” andprecarious way.In the second place, the strong organisational flexibility allows it to take rapiddecisions and to re-adapt immediately the tactics and action strategies to meet allneeds and conditions. The feature of the organisation dedicated to the trafficking ofwomen for sexual exploitation is, besides a strong stability and the capacity tomove according to well tested patterns which are repeated over time, the possibilityto rapidly effect all the adaptations necessary in concrete cases. If the means ofrecruitment, the journey, the management system appears to be always the same itis because the mechanism is so well tested to almost regulate itself automaticallywhen faced with obstacles (the lack of documents to travel regularly, the“treachery” of the passeur, the pressure of the police, the interventions of theNGOs, and so on).In the third place, the parcelled structure, even if endowed with high internalcompetence, is based on magic-religious ties and a high code of silence level, so49For a critical view of the characteristics of the new criminal groups see Monica Massari (2003 a), pages55-82 specim 78-82.