The Violence against Romanian Immigrant Women in Sicily at Work

The present study aims at analyzing the violence acts faced by Romanian immigrants in Italy at work. Most times, the Italian press was focused on reported assaults committed by Romanian immigrants and neglected abuses they are subjected to in the Peninsula. But here, since 2014, after several investigations published in the Italian media, public opinion is informed of the situation of thousands of Romanian women in Sicily, exploited and raped at work. Romanian immigrant women are seen as slaves for the Sicilians farms owners for whom they work. The research is based on press materials published in Gazeta Românească, and articles in the Italian press, over the period 2014-2015. The research has a practical implication, can be employed in related fields of communication sciences and media – social type, public policy – and addresses the researchers and policy makers in this field.