Italian politician accuses NGOs of trafficking migrants into slavery

An Italian politician has accused non-governmental organisations that are active in rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean of exploiting their position and trafficking migrants into slavery.

The leader of Italy’s Northern League, Matteo Salvini, said, “there is no question that there are many good volunteers, but there are those who do not go to the Mediterranean to do good”.

Italian news agency reported Salvini as saying that: “for example, three German non-governmental organizations refuse to inform our parliament because they do not want to disclose their funding sources”.

Read: Migrants traded in ‘slave markets’ in Libya, UN

“Some of them want to make money at the expense of migrants. They are the new slave traders in the 21st century” he said, adding, “I hope the Head Prosecutor of Catania, Carmelo Zuccaro will not be prosecuted because he has documented his information”.

Last week, Zuccaro accused “some NGOs of pursuing different goals, which destabilize the Italian economy to reap the benefits”.

The Italian Ministry of Interior has recently said that from 1st January to 29th April some 36,884 migrants arrived in Italy, an increase of 35.13 per cent compared to the same period from 2016.