About us

Established in 2014, the Italian Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights (CILD) is a formalised collaborative initiative between civil society organisations working to defend and promote fundamental rights through communication campaigns, legal action, training and organisational support activities.

Manifesto

Freedoms and civil rights are intimately connected. They are interdependent and indivisible. Through their promotion and protection, one contributes to the establishment of a stronger, more cohesive and equal society.

We are all free because we are all the same and yet, at the same time, different.

Freedom is self-determination. Freedom is the recognition of one’s own identity. Freedom is integration. Freedom never comes into conflict with equality.

In Italy, we have gone through a long period of time in which certain kinds of language, practices and political choices based on random circumstances and concepts of public nuisance have prevailed but which, thankfully, have put civil freedoms and human rights into perspective.

On this basis — which has profound cultural, political and social foundations — a large number of Italian civil society organizations decided to give life to CILD: the Italian Coalition for Civil Rights and Freedoms.

We are involved in many important issues and all are precipitated by the same political logic and cultural background:

1. The fight against racism and xenophobia including our disagreement with every form of discrimination based on sexuality or gender and the overcoming of all prejudice as regards the Roma, Sinti and Caminanti.

2. A change of perspective on immigration; seeing it not as a question of criminality but in terms of the right to asylum and our duty to welcome refugees up through the expansion of citizenship.

3: The construction of a penal and penitentiary system which is less random and more respectful of rights, with the legalisation of drugs as an ethical choice in direct response to what we consider criminal policies.

4. Our participation as citizens in a public system that is respectful of privacy and not obsessed with mass surveillance while fighting against corruption and for transparency in the public administration.

Establishing a true coalition means that not a single part loses its individual identity. On the contrary: the many associations that have given life to the Coalition for Civil Liberties and Rights are united in enriching this vision of an open society and one that is more respectful of the rights of all. We desire to expand people’s knowledge, civil identity and awareness of their rights.

We will speak with Italian and European institutions and the media while at the same time confronting public opinion and all that such entails, the fears as well as the hopes, the prejudices as well as the dreams of all. Because defending and recognising civil rights means constructing a better society.

Board

Board

Arturo Salerni
CILD President, Progetto Diritti Board of Directors
Laura Liberto
CILD Vicepresident, CittadinanzAttiva National Director
Flavio Romani
Independent member
Susanna Marietti
Antigone National Coordinator
Tamar Pitch
Independent member
Gabriele Piazzoni
Arcigay National Secretary
Leonardo Fiorentini
Forum Droghe Secretary

Control body

Board

Fabio Sardelli
Dr. Fabio Sardelli receives an annual fee of € 5,000.00 (excluding VAT and social security) to perform the role of control body and statutory auditor

Team

Andrea Menapace
Founder and Executive Director
Andrea is the executive director of CILD. He previously worked for the Transparency & Accountability Initiative in London and was a researcher on Italy at the Open Government Partnership. Consistently active in the field of human rights, he began his career as a humanitarian worker before becoming a consultant and researcher for governments as well as non-governmental and international organisations. The co-founder of Diritto Di Sapere (Right To Know), the first Italian organisation working on the right of access to information, he graduated in law at the University of Trento.
Patrizio Gonnella
Legal Director
Patrizio is a Professor of Sociology and Philosophy of Law at Roma Tre University. He is also the President of Antigone and has written numerous essays and books on criminal justice, human rights and rights and conditions in prisons. From 2014 to 2019 he was President of CILD and is one of the most ardent supporters of CILD’s upcoming Centre for Constitutional Rights.
Andrea Oleandri
Chief Operating Officer
Andrea has worked for CILD since 2014, and as a journalist has previous experience in the media industry, working with several mastheads. He is also the Co-Director of CILD’s Narrative Lab. He was previously also on the staff of the Mayor of the Municipality of Pomezia. Since 2014, he has also held the role of Press Officer and Social Media Manager for Antigone.
Fabi Fugazza
Chief Operating Officer & Legal Expert
Fabi is a lawyer and organisational management expert with extensive experience in not-for-profit leadership. With undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications across law, marketing and management, she is a member of the Global Strategic Litigation Council and has worked in non-profit organisations for over a decade across three continents. She teaches human rights law, business law, and business strategy to undergraduate and Master’s cohorts between two Australian-based universities. At CILD Fabi leads strategy and development, worked extensively on CILD’s Covid-19 response and recovery activities and works within the legal team to progress its initiatives.
Valentina Muglia
Project and Operations Assistant
Valentina has worked for CILD since 2020 as a Project and Operations Assistant and graduated in Law from the University of Roma Tre. Before working in human rights she was active in several student organisations and territorial associations.
Irene Palla
Project coordinator & Researcher
Anthropologist, she deals with the formulation and coordination of projects with CILD. She is an adjunct professor at the University of Bologna, an associate researcher at IDEHPUCP and a member of various national and international research groups. She is involved in research, training and advocacy on issues of migrations, political violence, human rights and inclusion in Italy, Peru, Spain, Morocco and Ghana, where she worked for NGOs, think tanks, foundations, ministries, places of memory and several institutions of the Third Sector.
Oiza Queensday Obasuyi
Junior researcher e program assistant
Oiza graduated in International Relations at the University of Macerata. Author of the book "Corpi estranei" ("Foreign Bodies") (People, 2020), her articles have appeared in publications such as The Vision and Internazionale, where she has focused on human rights, migration and the deconstruction of systemic racism. At CILD she is a content creator for the Open Migration platform and carries out research and project support in the areas of immigration, right to asylum, citizenship, anti-discrimination and inclusion.
Giulio Frigieri
Ethical Design Lead
Giulio spent the last 20 years in a variety of creative, technical and managerial roles across sectors, mostly on the strategy and design of data-led content, platforms, services and campaigns. Since 2014 he has delivered CILD’s brand identity and web design, as well as led creative strategy and communications design for its campaigns. He conceived the OpenMigration.org platform and its interactive data visualisation dashboard, and led design and implementation for same. More recently he led design, creative strategy and media partnerships for CILD’s Amarsi un Po’ campaign.
Andrea Colombo
Visual Designer
Since 2019 Andrea has worked with CILD, having more than a decade of experience in communications and design with other NGOs. Over the last few years, Andrea has developed CILD’s Brand Identity, Editorial Design and multiple digital communication projects for CILD.

Organisations

24 MARZO ONLUS

24marzo Onlus (24March) is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises equal dignity to all members of the human family and their rights – equal and inalienable – which are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. This association aims to promote respect for fundamental human rights, dignity and the intrinsic worth of the person, including through judicial protection, and encourages social progress and a better standard of living in a context of the freedom of communities.

Their website is http://www.24marzo.it/

A BUON DIRITTO

Founded by Luigi Manconi in 2001, A Buon Diritto aims to promote public issues related to rights provided for by Italian law but which have been insufficiently protected, obstructed or delayed.

Visit the official site: www.abuondiritto.it

ACAT Italia

ACAT Italia is an ecumenical Christian association that works to counter torture and the death penalty, working alongside those who have the same goals and promote Human Rights across the globe. ACAT Italia is also part of an international network which has branches on different continents.

The website: http://www.acatitalia.it/

ANTIGONE

An NGO for rights and provisions in the penal and penitentiary system, Antigone was founded in 1991. Named after the eponymous academic review, it arose in response to the state of emergency affecting the prison system and was launched – among others – by Massimo Cacciari, Stefano Rodotà, Mauro Palma and Rossana Rossanda. Its work is focused on human rights, justice and prisons.

Visit the official site: www.associazioneantigone.it

ARCI

Heir to a long cooperative tradition and history of working-class and anti-Fascist movements that contributed to the establishment and consolidation of Italian constitutional democracy, ARCI is a large non-profit association with 5,000 local affiliates and over a million members. It is made up of men and women who have freely chosen to work for emancipation through self-organization and participation.

Visit the official site: www.arci.it

ARCO

ARCO, the Association for Research and Treatment of Urticaria (Hives), was founded in July 2018 through the initiative of a group of volunteer patients to create a referral organisation for the autoimmune pathology of Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) in Italy and to promote research and treatment for all forms of urticaria (vasculitic, cholinergic and physical). From the beginning, ARCO has actively advocated with institutions to have the severity of the condition recognised appropriately and to make accessible the therapies indicated by the international guidelines on urticaria, which are administered all over the world, except in Italy.

Their website is https://www.associazione-arco.org/

ARCIGAY

Arcigay is a non-profit association founded in 1985 that operates across the country through local committees and affiliates with the aim of achieving equality among people regardless of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.

Visit the official site: www.arcigay.it

ASGI

Founded by a pool of attorneys, legal experts and academics with the aim of creating awareness on all legal aspects of immigration, over the years the Association for Juridical Studies on Immigration has provided contributions on immigration, asylum and citizenship at a national and European level through advocating for the rights of foreign nationals in political debates as well as institutions.

Visit the official site: www.asgi.it

ASSOCIAZIONE 21 LUGLIO

A non-profit organization dedicated to the rights of the Roma and Sinti communities in Italy mainly through the protection of the rights of children and the fight against all forms of discrimination and intolerance. It is recorded in the Registry of NGOs created by UNAR (National Office Against Racial Discrimination).

Visit the official site: www.21luglio.org

AVVOCATI PER NIENTE

A non-profit organization founded in 2004 by volunteer attorneys particularly sensitive to issues of fundamental rights in the practice of law together with private institutions, it provides help at various levels–free legal assistance, the promotion of  “strategic causes”, legal training for volunteers and operators–while campaigning for socially relevant issues.

Visit the official site: www.avvocatiperniente.it/

BAMBINI SENZA SBARRE

Bambini Senza Sbarre (Children Without Bars) defends the rights of children to the continuity of the emotional bond during the detention of a parent. The association carries out training and research in collaboration with Universities and with the Ministry of Justice. Bambini Senza Sbarre is a board member of the Children of Prisoners Europe network. It is also active in Italy with the Spazio Giallo (Yellow Space) reception model. It refers to the education system of the Ecole Relais Enfants Parents in Paris. In 2014 the association signed the first charter of the rights of the children of parents detained in Europe with the Minister of Justice and the the national Ombudsman Authority for Childhood and Adolescence. It is a consultant member of Ecosoc (UN).

The website: https://www.bambinisenzasbarre.org/

BIN

Sociologists, economists, philosophers, lawyers, researchers, free thinkers who for years dealing with study, plan and promote interventions aimed at supporting the introduction of a guaranteed income in Italy wanted to find on this site one tool for gathering ideas . The result is a network of different skills but move in the same direction, under a “common logo", that of " BIN Italy " because common is the goal towards the introduction of a Basic Income for everyone.

The website: https://www.bin-italia.org/chi-siamo/

CERTI DIRITTI

The association Certi Diritti (an affiliate of the Radical Party) was founded at the Rome office of the European Parliament in March 2008 as a centre for non-violent political and juridical initiatives advocating for civil rights, responsibility and individual sexual freedom. Since 2012 it has been one of the constituent elements of the Nonviolent Radical Party, Transnational and Transparty.
Visit the official site: www.certidiritti.org

CIR

The Italian Council for Refugees (CIR) is an independent humanitarian organization founded in 1990 in Italy, at the initiative of the United Nations.
It works to promote access to the protection of people fleeing war and persecution and to help build conditions of dignified integration, in full respect of human rights.
It operates on a national and European level as well as in North Africa, in coordination with other civil society organizations, through a network of legal professionals, social workers, cultural mediators, doctors and psychologists.
In 25 years, the CIR has assisted over 120 thousand people, and helped to approximately 4,000 victims of torture.
Visit the official site: http://www.cir-onlus.org/it/

CITTADINANZATTIVA

A movement for civic participation founded in 1978 working for the promotion and protection of citizen and consumer rights in Italy (with 20 local affiliates and about 250 local assemblies) and Europe. Since 2000 it has been recognized by the National Council of Consumers and Users (chaired by the Ministry of Economic Development) as a consumer association.

Visit the official site: www.cittadinanzattiva.it

CITTADINI DEL MONDO

Cittadini del Mondo works to oppose all forms of discrimination and social exclusion, to fight all forms of racism and to achieve the equal treatment of immigrants by promoting knowledge and the interaction of different peoples and cultures through actively supporting the integration of foreign citizens into Italian society. It also operates in the field of cooperation with developing countries.

Visit the official site: www.associazionecittadinidelmondo.it

FORUM DROGHE

Forum Droghe is a national association for social promotion founded in 1995. It is fighting for the reform of public drug policies beginning with the new social representation of both drugs and drug-users. The group’s objective is to curtail the penal approach to this issue and to support normalization instead, which in turn leads to users’ social integration.

Visit the official site: www.fuoriluogo.it

LUNARIA

Lunaria is a non-religious, non-profit association with no political affiliation, which was created in 1992. Through research, training and communication it works on issues relating to a fair economy and the third sector, migration and globalization and democracy and participation while also promoting international volunteer initiatives. Inspired by principles of justice and social solidarity, democratic participation in the life of the community and the defense of civil, social and human rights at a national as well as international level, Lunaria is active in experimenting with new models of active participation and social transformation.

Visit the official site: www.lunaria.org

MAGEN DAVID KESHET ITALIA (MDKI)

The first independent Jewish LGBT organization in Italy, affiliated to the World Congress of LGBT Jews (Keshet Ga’avah), the world network connecting the most important Jewish LGBT organizations across North and South America, Europe and Israel. MDKI was founded on 1 July 2015 to promote the full equality of LGBT people throughout Jewish communities and beyond and is based on the Jewish principle of Tikkun Olam: the pledge to correct injustice as far as is humanly possible. Working mainly with young people for over 40 years in Europe, North and South America and Israel, the organization helps people in the process of personal emancipation and letting them know that they can be both good Jews as well as LGBT people.

NAGA

Naga is a non-religious volunteer association with no political affiliations, established in Milan in 1987 with the goal of promoting and protecting the rights of all foreign, Roma and Sinti citizens. Naga recognizes the right to health as an unalienable right of the individual.

Visit the official site: www.naga.it

ON THE ROAD

On the Road has been working since 1994 to protect the human and civil rights of women, men and children, focusing on the individuals, as well as on empowerment and social inclusion. The organisation fights against discrimination, exploitation and inequalities that cause exclusion. It works in the regions Marche, Abruzzo and Molise, in particular in the following areas: Trafficking and Exploitation, Migrants’ Reception, Gender Violence, Extreme Poverty, Training and Work, Mental Health, International Cooperation.

The website: http://www.ontheroadonlus.it/

PROGETTO DIRITTI

Founded in 1992, the association works to protect the rights of low-income social groups and to support local development initiatives. It provides information and consulting services for immigrant citizens, low-income suburban residents, workers, the disabled and unemployed citizens. It is also involved in issues of asylum regulations.
Visit the official site: www.progettodiritti.it

RETE LENFORD

The Lenford Network – Legal professionals for LGBTI is a network created in 2007 with the aim of developing and spreading a culture of respect for the rights of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people. The association promotes the study and the knowledge of issues relating to sexual orientation and gender identity among all legal professionals, encouraging diversity.

Visit the official site: www.retelenford.it

SOCIETà DELLA RAGIONE

The association aims to build a movement of citizens that can influence opinions through common sense in order to create a more sympathetic, non-authoritarian society. Its objectives are to research, study and create awareness on the issues of criminal law, rights and punishment.
Visit the official site: www.societadellaragione.it

STRALI

24marzo Onlus (24March) is inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which recognises equal dignity to all members of the human family and their rights – equal and inalienable – which are the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. This association aims to promote respect for fundamental human rights, dignity and the intrinsic worth of the person, including through judicial protection, and encourages social progress and a better standard of living in a context of the freedom of communities. 

Their website is http://www.24marzo.it/

UNIONE FORENSE PER LA TUTELA DEI DIRITTI UMANI

L’Unione Forense per la Tutela dei Diritti Umani is an association of lawyers founded on 2 March 1968, with the aim of ‘disseminating knowledge of domestic and international standards concerning the protection of human rights and promoting their concrete and effective observance in judicial, extrajudicial, administrative and legislative proceedings’ (Art. 2 of the Statute).

The website: https://www.unionedirittiumani.it/

ZABBARA

Established in 2014 by a group of talented Sicilian youth, Zabbara aims to invert the trend of cultural, economic and social impoverishment in Sicily. Zabbara intends to establish solid relations with various regions in order to share experiences and expertise while at the same time creating new opportunities for social cohesion, change and professional growth. In particular, Zabbara intends to work on social communication, documentaries, arts, city planning and the promotion of human rights in the Euro-Mediterranean region and the Middle East. The encounter between different languages and realities is aimed at finding sustainable practices to help tackle the issues affecting the region, with Sicily as a testing ground for Mediterranean reconciliation.
Visit the official site: www.zabbara.org

CILD is supported by Oak Foundation, Banca Etica, Social Change Initiative, Civitates, Open Society Foundations, Fred Foundation and individual donations. Since 2018, CILD has been part of different consortia that won calls for funding of the European Commission. The Coalition is part of several research projects and international think-tanks.