Italy's Senate has unanimously approved the "Free to Choose" bill, granting children of mafia families under 25 and female partners of organized crime members a legal pathway to break away and adopt new identities. The law, which received final approval on July 15, extends nationwide a judicial protocol first developed in 2012 by minors' court judge Roberto Di Bella in Catania, Sicily.
The protocol, already used by courts in Reggio Calabria, Catania, Naples, and Palermo, has facilitated the removal of roughly 200 minors and 34 women from criminal families since its inception. Around 400 children born into mafia families are expected to enter the program annually.
Chiara Colosimo, president of the Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, praised the legislation, while Don Ciotti, head of anti-mafia groups Libera and Gruppo Abele, expressed joy at its passage.