Italian police said today that they freed 33 Indians employed as farm workers from slavery-like conditions in the northern region Verona. She seized almost half a million euros from the two people who allegedly harassed the migrants, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
The issue of labor exploitation is in the spotlight in Italy after a case in June in which an Indian fruit picker died after his hand was cut off by a machine. At the time, police said the alleged ringleaders, also from India, brought their compatriots to Italy for seasonal work, demanding 17,000 euros each and promising them a better future.
Migrants were given agricultural jobs, worked 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day, and were paid only 4 euros per hour, which was even taken from them to pay off their debts to their superiors, explained the police and added that the treatment of migrants is similar to "slavery".
Some were made to work overtime without pay in order to pay an additional €13,000 and obtain a permanent work permit, "which in reality they never received," the police statement said.
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Like other European countries, Italy suffers from a labor shortage, often filled through an allegedly fraudulent migrant work visa system.
The country also has a problem with the violation of labor law. According to data from the National Statistical Institute, as of 2021, about 11% of Italian workers are employed illegally, and in the field of agriculture, their share is over 23%.