Indian workers escape forced labor on Italian farms

Italian police have rescued 33 Indian farm laborers from severe exploitation in northern Italy, authorities announced. The workers were enticed to Italy by two fellow Indian nationals with promises of jobs and better futures, only to be forced into grueling labor for minimal wages. The two men have been arrested and found in possession of approximately $545,300 (£420,000).

Promises broken, lives shattered

Lured by deceitful promises of jobs and brighter futures, these workers paid exorbitant amounts to secure seasonal work permits and employment. Instead, they found themselves trapped in a cruel cycle of debt, relentless labor, and inhumane living conditions. Their passports were confiscated, and they were confined to squalid apartments, concealed among boxes of vegetables in vehicles, and coerced into working 10 to 12-hour days for a paltry €4 per hour.

This is far from an isolated incident. In the verdant fields, vineyards, and greenhouses dotting Italy’s picturesque landscape, an undercurrent of exploitation runs deep. Thousands of undocumented workers in Italy are ensnared in a system that thrives on illegal hiring practices and woefully inadequate wages. The plight of these exploited individuals was brought into focus last month when an Indian fruit picker tragically lost his life in a preventable work accident.

The BBC reports,

Undocumented labourers across Italy are often subject to a system known as “caporalato” – a gangmaster system which sees middlemen illegally hiring labourers who are then forced to work for very low salaries. Even workers with regular papers are often paid well below the legal wage.

Almost a quarter of the agricultural workforce in Italy in 2018 was employed under this method, according to a study by the Italian National Institute of Statistics. The practice also affects workers in the service industry and building sectors.

It was outlawed in Italy in 2016 after an Italian woman died of a heart attack after working 12-hour shifts picking and sorting grapes, for which she was paid €27 a day.

The precarious status quo

As authorities strive to dismantle networks of exploitation, a pressing question lingers: What will it take to protect vulnerable workers and prevent further suffering? A Moody’s report published in March pointed to Italy’s alarming distinction as the European nation with the highest number of modern slavery events, totaling approximately 32,000 incidents from 2018 to 2023. Human trafficking remains a persistent issue, with women, children, and men being exploited for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. An estimated 1.5 million unregistered workers and 3.7 million irregular workers in Italy are at risk for labor trafficking.

Urgent need for reform

Italy’s systemic forced labor crisis demands immediate action.

Freedom United maintains that international laws are needed to deal with forced labor in Italy. Until then, cases like these will continue to serve as a disturbing reminder of the urgent need for change. We are calling on the Italian government to ratify the Forced Labour Protocol and implement international standards to better protect workers in Italy’s agricultural sector.

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