By Jenilyn Brhel
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

SALERNO, Italy – The bodies of twenty-six Nigerian girls were laid to rest in Italy on November 17^th after they were discovered drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on November 5^th.

The women, ranging in age from 14 to 18, are believed to have drowned after the dinghies in which they were traveling sank. One victim had suffered internal bleeding from blunt trauma before falling into the water.

Another 100 victims are missing and believed to have drowned. Search and rescue missions have brought nearly 400 migrants to safety.

An investigation into the deaths of the girls was initiated due to fears that they were abused and then killed.

After the discovery of the bodies, two men who are believed to have skippered the boats were arrested on human trafficking charges.

Approximately 168,000 migrants arrived in Italy this year. This represents a 32 percent decline from 2016 and is the result of a controversial agreement between Libya and Italy to keep boats from leaving Libya.

UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein called the agreement between Libya and Italy “inhuman,” as it results in migrants seeking refuge to be sent back to Libya’s lawless detention centers.

This year, more than 2,700 people have died or are missing at sea.

Since the 1980s, tens of thousands of Nigerian girls have been taken to Italy and forced into prostitution. In the last three years, there has been a 600 percent increase in sex-trafficking victims arriving by sea. Of the 11,000 Nigerian girls who made the trip last year, 80% of them are believed to be victims of trafficking.

In 2014, 1,454 girls arrived. That number rose to 11,009 in 2016.

According to the UN Refugee Agency, 90% of the women arriving in the country display bruises and other signs of violence.

Only two of the victims buried have been identified. “Most of the Nigerian girls travel alone, part of a huge trafficking network, and no one knows exactly who they are,” said Marco Rotunno, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Italy.

The unidentified victims were buried with white cards simply stating the number of their coffins.

A group of Nigerian girls watched the funeral from a distance. “It is not easy for them because they have all made that crossing, that journey,” said Alessandra Galatro, who works with young Nigerian women to help them escape prostitution. “The cruelty that women faced in Libya, they all experienced.”

For more information, please see:

The New York Times – Two Dozen African Girls Dead at Sea – 13 November 2017

The Guardian – Teenage Nigerian Girls Drowned at Sea, Italian Autopsies Confirm – 16 November 2017

CNN – 26 Young Nigerian Migrant Women Laid to Rest in Italy – 17 November 2017

The Washington Post – Italy Buries 26 Nigerian Women – Most Without a Name – 17 November 2017

By: Jenilyn Brhel
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

ATHENS, Greece – The Greek parliament has passed a law making it easier for individuals to change their legally recognized genders, a move that has been met with strong support as well as vehement opposition.

The law passed with 171 votes in favor in the 300-member parliament. It allows Greek citizens over the age of 15 to change the gender listed on identification cards and official documents. This requires a court order but does not require medical tests or surgery. Applicants must not be married and are limited to changing their legal gender twice.

Prior to the law’s enactment, those wishing to change their genders were required to undergo gender reassignment surgery along with a psychiatric assessment. This was criticized by human rights groups and transgender activists as an “outdated and oppressive practice that violates individuals’ bodily integrity.”

In opposition to the law, some churches in the western Greek region rang funeral bells and claimed that “Christian morals have been murdered.”

Some believe that the bill is an attempt to distract the public’s attention away from Greece’s financial problems.

Others believe the minimum age is too young. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, leader of the New Democracy party, said “for us it is inconceivable to bar 15-year olds from consuming alcohol, yet enabling them to take such an important decision.”

Before the vote, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras pleaded with lawmakers to support the law, saying that “we are on the side of those who have no voice, or whose voice is stifled.”

The transgender community sees the law as a positive step towards inclusion and hopes that it will foster greater acceptance in the largely conservative nation. The Transgender Support Association stated that the vote was historic and that it was a “first positive step toward enjoying basic rights and freedoms.”

In response to those opposed to the law, Prime Minister Tsipras said this: “Absolutely no tradition, no perception of family calls for people to be sidelined or tossed aside into a social and institutional abyss.”

Anna Kouroupou, a 24 year old female who underwent gender reassignment surgery at the age of 24, believes that the new law will help improve the daily lives of those who suffer in the transgender community. She believes that the new law will help people find jobs and “therefore they’ll have health care, all those rights that each person has from the minute they’re born.”

For more information, please see:

BBC News – Greek Parliament Approves Law Allowing Legal Gender Change – 10 October 2017

NBC News – Churches Ring Funeral Bells Over New Gender Rights Law – 16 October 2017

The New York Times – Greek Transgender Community Hopes New Law Will Improve Lives – 10 October 2017

Reuters – Greece Passes Sex Change Law Opposed by Orthodox Church – 10 October 2017

The Washington Post – Greek Transgender Community Hopes New Law Will Improve Lives – 10 October 2017