Di.Fro. – Diritti di Frontiera is a grassroot association funded in 2013 by a group of students and former students of the experimental academic course “Legal Clinic on Immigration and Citizenship Law”, held by the Law Department of Roma Tre University since 2010. The course aims to promote migrants’ rights, notably the right of access to justice, through the multiple activities of the Legal Clinic.
The association, in partnership with the Law Department of Rome Tre University, manages the legal desk of the Clinic, currently located in Via Ostiense 139 (Rome, Italy), that offers pro bono legal counseling and orientation to migrants, asylum seekers and refugees in need.
Over the years, the association has carried out several projects for migrants and asylum seekers, engaging in EU projects, establishing partnerships with international organizations and NGOs and receiving private funding.
A fundamental part of the work of Di.Fro. is to engage in theoretical reflections on issues concerning immigration, citizenship, anti-discrimination, from both a national and international perspective. In this regard, Di.Fro realizes projects focused on legal research, data collection and dissemination of relevant administrative/judicial “good practices” in the field of Immigration Law, also by organizing seminars and workshops.
In particular, the association has carried out action research campaigns in different rural areas of South Italy on the topic of migrant labour in the agricultural sector and labour exploitation. More recently, Di.Fro. has developed a specific expertise on the topic of legal counsel of women and LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers, carrying out, with other local associations and institutions, including migrant reception centers, researches and projects of social inclusion.
A major goal of our association is to provide socio-legal operators and scholars with the results of our research, sharing with Legal Clinics of Universities the methodologies experimented and implemented, cooperating with institutions and creating opportunities for discussion and reflection.
From 2014 to this day, Fondazione Italiana Charlemagne and Fondazione Haiku Lugano, strongly supported the work of Di.Fro., granting fundings for the coordination of the Legal Clinic and for multiple research projects.