Victims will receive protection, work and legal residence documents, police said (Representational)
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Italian police said on Saturday they freed 33 Indian farm workers from slavery-like working conditions in the northern province of Verona and confiscated almost half a million euros ($545,300) from their two alleged attackers.
Labor exploitation is in the spotlight in Italy following an accident in June in which an Indian fruit picker died after his arm was cut off by machinery.
In the latest case, police said the alleged gang leaders, also from India, brought citizens to Italy on seasonal work permits, asking them to pay 17,000 euros each and promising them a better future.
The migrants were given agricultural jobs, working seven days a week and 10-12 hours a day for just €4 an hour, which was fully deducted from them until they settled all their debts, police said, describing the migrants’ treatment as “slavery.” “.
Some were asked to continue working for free to pay an additional 13 thousand euros for a permanent work permit “which, in reality, would never have been granted to them”, says the police statement.
The alleged abusers have been charged with crimes related to slavery and labor exploitation, while the victims will receive protection, job opportunities and legal residency documents, police said.
Like other European nations, Italy has a growing labor shortage, often addressed through immigration, especially in lower-paying jobs, and has a migrant work visa system that has faced cases of fraud. .
The country also has problems with violations of labor legislation. According to 2021 data from the national statistics office Istat, around 11% of Italian workers were employed illegally, rising to more than 23% in agriculture.
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