Italy Police Rescues 33 Indian Farm Labourers from Slavery

Rome:

Italian police stated on Saturday that they had liberated 33 Indian farm laborers from conditions resembling slavery in the northern Verona province and confiscated nearly half a million euros ($545,300) from their two purported oppressors.

Labour exploitation is under scrutiny in Italy following an incident in June in which an Indian fruit picker lost his life after his arm was severed by machinery.

In the most recent instance, police mentioned that the alleged supervisors, also from India, brought compatriots to Italy on temporary work licenses, demanding them to pay 17,000 euros each and assuring them a better future.

The migrants were assigned farm tasks, laboring seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day for only 4 euros per hour, which was entirely deducted from them until they cleared all their debts, the police revealed, characterizing the migrants’ treatment as “bondage”.

Some were requested to continue working without pay to settle an additional 13,000 euros for a permanent work permit “which, in actuality, would have never been granted to them,” the police declaration stated.

The accused oppressors were accused of offenses linked to slavery and labor exploitation, while the victims will be extended protection, work opportunities, and legal residency documents, the police declared.

Similar to other European nations, Italy is facing increasing labor shortages often met through immigration, especially in lower-paid positions, and has a system for migrant work permits that has encountered instances of deception.

The nation also struggles with breaches of labor regulations. As per 2021 figures from the national statistics agency Istat, about 11% of Italian workers were engaged in unauthorized employment, escalating to over 23% in agriculture.