Projects, Routes, Returns: Activists’ Networks That Support Voluntary Return Projects for Migrant Women in Italy

From 2011 to 2023, the European Commission introduced new tools to enhance the European Union’s approach to migration, focusing particularly on the practice of assisted voluntary return. However, there is a gap in the literature concerning the social networks that support migration and voluntary return projects, especially in the Mediterranean region (Anis and Chka, 2020).

This paper aims to mix the results of 30 interviews with migrant women in Italy from Tunisia and Morocco with the outcomes of focus groups with pro-migrant associations from field research conducted for the PRIN PNRR WePropose project, with a particular focus on investigating the role of “pro-social associationism” in support of migrant women (Boccacin, 2012).

How have associations and movements acted in supporting women in their desire for social/professional inclusion or the possible return to their home country? Is there an organised system of support networks in place for migrant women or are they helped on an informal basis by individuals or the association group? Recent studies have described some forms of pro-social activism dedicated to practical and humanitarian support for people who are discriminated against or in a condition of financial hardship, with the ultimate aim of guaranteeing a democratic and equalitarian society (Evers and Johan, 2019; Bartolotta, 2016).

The aim of the research and data collection, based on a mixed qualitative approach and the theoretical framework of gendered migration, is to investigate the intentions of the various associations that defend migrant women; specifically, the question is whether they are purely pro-social or if they have hidden motives that seek to achieve results that are not directly related to the defence of the rights of people in difficulties, or of human rights in general.