Silvia Scarpa is Chair of the Department of Political Science and International Affairs and Associate Professor of International Relations at John Cabot University. She is also a Visiting Research Fellow in International Law and Modern Slavery at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). Professor Scarpa teaches courses on contemporary slavery and human trafficking, international law, international organizations, European Union law, human rights, and international migration.
Previously, Professor Scarpa taught courses on international law at LUISS Guido Carli University (2013-2019) and the University of Tuscia in Viterbo (2009-2010), and on migration and multiculturalism in Europe at the American University of Rome (2011-2014). She also worked as Post-Doctorate Research Fellow in International Human Rights Law at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa, Italy (2009-2011).
Between 2009 and 2015 Professor Scarpa held training sessions on international law, human rights, trafficking in persons and gender issues at the Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units (CoESPU) of Vicenza and taught more than 40 courses to police personnel of peace support operations. She also worked as consultant for various institutions, including, inter alia: Fundación ‘La Caixa’ (2020-2021); the European Commission, as external evaluator of project proposals for the Research Executive Agency (2016); the DG Home of the European Commission in the framework of the ISEC Programme (2012 – 2014); the DG Justice and Consumers in the framework of the Daphne Programme (since 2014) and the Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme (since 2014); the Italian Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) of the Department of Equal Opportunities (2013), and the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) in the framework of the “Rule of Law Inventory Project” (2007). In 2009 and 2010, she worked as trainer and consultant in Ankara, Turkey, in the framework of the Phare Twinning Project “Training of Jandarma Officers on European Human Rights Standards.”
Professor Scarpa has been teaching in the Master of Arts in Human Rights and Conflict Management organized by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa since 2003 and has been a lecturer in the Master in International Protection of Human Rights organized by the Department of Political Science at Sapienza University of Rome since 2014.
Recently, she also contributed to courses organized by: the Scuola Ufficiali Carabinieri of Rome, Italy (since 2010); CEPOL College – Italian Unit (2011-2013); CEPOL College – Portuguese Unit (2013); NATO Defense College of Rome (2011 and 2013); Centro di Addestramento della Polizia di Stato (CAPS) of Cesena, Italy (2012); Frontex – Italian Unit (2012-2013); UNICRI and John Cabot University’s Summer Course on Human Rights (since 2012); the Italian Red Cross (2013); and the Marshall Center (2015).
Professor Scarpa holds a Ph.D. summa cum laude in Political Science with a specialization in International Law and Human Rights awarded by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna of Pisa (2006), a Master in international Protection of Human Rights from Sapienza University of Rome (2002) and a Degree summa cum laude and special mention in Political Science – International Affairs from the University “LUISS Guido Carli” in Rome (2000).
She is the author of the book Trafficking in Human Beings: Modern Slavery (Oxford University Press, 2008), of the manual An Introduction to International Human Rights Standards for Law Enforcement Authorities (UniversItalia, 2012) and of the European Parliament’s Study on Contemporary Forms of Slavery and of numerous other articles and book chapters.
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