Sat. Nov 14th, 2026

Italy adopts law to protect children and parents leaving mafia families

Jul 17, 2026 , , , , , ,

Rome, 16 July 2026

On Thursday, the Italian Parliament has unanimously approved a law providing protection and assistance to children, young adults and parents seeking to escape family environments linked to mafia organisations and other forms of organised crime.

The legislation, known as “Liberi di scegliere” – “Free to choose” – was approved definitively by the Italian Senate following its earlier adoption by the Chamber of Deputies. It originated in work conducted by the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission and in child-protection practices pioneered by the Juvenile Court of Reggio Calabria.

The law is intended to provide a national legal framework for measures that were previously implemented through judicial decisions, cooperation protocols and individual support projects.

Who may receive protection

According to the Italian Chamber of Deputies’ legislative analysis, the measures cover minors and young adults facing a serious and concrete threat to their physical or psychological integrity because:

  • they are victims of criminal organisations;
  • their family environment is linked to mafia-type organised crime, organised drug trafficking or other specified criminal associations;
  • they are being encouraged to commit crimes or exploited for criminal proceeds; or
  • a parent or person exercising parental responsibility has decided to leave the criminal environment together with the child.

In cases involving children of people investigated, prosecuted or convicted for specified organised-crime offences, access to the protection system is connected to a judicial child-protection decision. This may include limiting or withdrawing parental responsibility, removing an abusive or harmful parent from the family home, or imposing protective and rehabilitative measures for the minor.

The legislation therefore does not authorise the automatic removal of children solely because they belong to a family associated with organised crime. Intervention remains subject to an individual assessment and the competent judicial authorities.

Assistance beyond physical protection

The framework provides for personal protection as well as social and economic assistance. Its objectives include the safety of those concerned and the provision of educational, psychological, material and moral support.

The underlying “Liberi di scegliere” programme seeks to establish individual pathways that may include:

  • placement in a protected environment outside the area controlled by the criminal organisation;
  • accommodation and practical assistance;
  • psychological and social support;
  • continued access to school, university or vocational training;
  • assistance with employment and economic independence; and
  • coordinated support for parents who leave a criminal family environment with their children.

The programme is based on cooperation among the justice, interior, education, university and family ministries, judicial and anti-mafia authorities, police forces, social services, educational institutions and participating civil-society organisations.

From judicial practice to national legislation

The initiative developed from decisions taken by the Juvenile Court of Reggio Calabria to protect children exposed to the culture and activities of the ’Ndrangheta. The approach recognises that a criminal family environment can seriously undermine parents’ obligations to educate and protect their children.

The Italian judiciary has described such environments as potentially constituting “abusive families” where children are systematically exposed to criminal values, intimidation and expectations that they will eventually participate in illegal activities.

A formal “Liberi di scegliere” cooperation protocol was first signed in 2017 and subsequently expanded. It brought together national ministries, juvenile courts, anti-mafia prosecutors, educational institutions, the Italian Bishops’ Conference and civil-society organisations. The programme has operated in judicial districts including Reggio Calabria, Catania, Naples and Palermo.

The new legislation places these practices on a statutory footing and creates a more consistent national system for protecting affected children and assisting family members who decide to break with organised crime.

Meloni: new instrument for preventing mafia recruitment

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed Parliament’s unanimous approval, describing the legislation as an important addition to the anti-mafia framework developed by judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

Meloni said the law introduces a new preventive instrument alongside criminal prosecution and the seizure of mafia assets. Children, young people and women would have an opportunity to choose their own path, while the state would provide the protection needed to build a “free, honest and safe” life elsewhere.

Following the final parliamentary vote, the legislation must complete Italy’s formal promulgation and publication procedure before its definitive law number and date of entry into force are established.

Official sources

E-Summary by ChatGPT, prompted by Insight EU

Forward to your friends