Lessons from the Legge Zampa

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Children who migrate alone face heightened risks of discrimination, detention, inadequate care and exclusion from essential services. Although Italy’s landmark 2017 Legge Zampa established the first comprehensive national framework grounded in the rights of unaccompanied migrant children, serious gaps between the law and its implementation continue to leave children without timely guardianship, appropriate reception, reliable age assessments or secure pathways to lawful status. These challenges are being compounded by increasingly restrictive border policies, the criminalisation of migrant youth and the abrupt withdrawal of protection when children turn 18.  

Drawing lessons from nearly a decade of implementation, this Discussion Paper examines both the promise and fragility of Italy’s rights-based approach. It highlights the continuing value of the Legge Zampa, including its voluntary guardianship model, multidisciplinary approach to age assessment, child-specific reception standards and pathways to lawful residence. At the same time, it identifies where insufficient resources, uneven local practice and wider shifts in migration and youth justice policy have weakened these protections. The report offers evidence and practical lessons for policymakers, child protection authorities and civil society seeking to ensure that migration governance respects children’s rights and supports their long-term inclusion.  

The paper calls for sustained investment in voluntary guardianship; consistent implementation of child-sensitive age-assessment and reception standards; stronger access to legal counsel, education and integration support; and secure routes to residency. It also urges authorities to protect children from detention and punitive enforcement measures and to extend housing, education, mentoring and legal support beyond age 18, enabling young people to make a safe and stable transition to adulthood.