"We have many girls telling us this kind of thing is happening. They give birth or abort in illegal clinics, and then the baby is used, either the whole baby or part of it," the patrol member said.
Formal witness accounts from women forced to give up their babies are almost non-existent. Help groups are wary of confirming individual cases and until now the suspected baby market is shrouded in a terrified silence.
Legislation is being pushed through the Italian parliament to stiffen penalties to up to 30 years in jail for human trafficking.
Giuseppe Lumia, a former member of Italy's anti-mafia parliamentary commission, said:"This needs maximum attention at Italian and European level. We know this is happening."
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