Italy

A coalition government since September 2019 has yet to reverse measures pushed through by the former League Party interior minister under the previous government that eviscerated the country’s asylum system and formalized a “closed ports” policy to deny disembarkation in Italy of people rescued at sea. Italy cooperates with the Libyan Coast Guard to block people trying to flee, despite the ongoing conflict and overwhelming evidence of brutality against migrants and refugees in Libya. Intolerance and hate remained serious problems. A 2019 law to combat gender-based violence increased prison sentences, criminalized forced marriage, and required swift action by prosecutors on all reports.