Experience of abuse, seeking safety and decision-making among refugees and migrants in Italy
How past events link to destination intentions
This infographic draws on longitudinal 4Mi data collected in 2024 and 2025, among refugees and migrants who arrived in Italy from African countries via the Central Mediterranean Route, exploring how past experiences of violence and abuse along the journey relate to decisions about where to settle. Based on 503 interviews and longitudinal follow-ups at 6 and 12 months, the findings document protection violations en route, the centrality of safety in decisions to remain in Italy, and how motivations shifted over time toward integration. 73% of respondents reported direct experience of violence or abuse along their journey, with similarly high levels reported among those who embarked from Tunisia (77%) and Libya (71%). 78% chose to remain in Italy, with safety cited as the primary reason by 55%.
73% of respondents who had recently arrived in Italy via the Central Mediterranean Route had direct experience of violence or abuse along the journey to Italy.
The data indicate that migration routes including Tunisia cannot be considered safe: experiences of abuse along migration journeys were similarly distributed among people travelling via Libya and via Tunisia. This calls for careful scrutiny of EU policy discussion around the designation of safe third countries.
78% of respondents intended to remain in Italy. 55% of those who intended to remain in Italy cited safety as the most influential factor in their decision to remain, including 85% of respondents from sub-Saharan Africa (n=206).
After six months, intentions to remain in Italy remained stable, but reasons changed. The proportion of respondents citing safety as one of the top 3 reasons for staying declined from 73% to 57%, and motivations linked to integration became more prominent.
This publications is part of PACES a 40-month (2023-2026) Horizon Europe project that aims to encourage migration policymakers to adopt migration research as the basis for migration policymaking.
This project has received funding under the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme, grant agreement N 101094279. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union.
