ROME (AP) — Italian tax police said Saturday they have freed 33 Indian farm workers from “slavery-like working conditions” in the northern province of Verona, while seizing nearly half a million euros in cash from the two alleged gang leaders.
According to police, the two alleged abusers, also Indians, persuaded their compatriots to come to Italy, paying €17,000 each to obtain seasonal work permits.
The men were then forced to work on farms seven days a week for up to 10-12 hours a day, for an hourly wage of just 4 euros, conditions that were described by Italian police as ‘slavery’.
Some migrants were also asked to continue working for free and pay an additional 13,000 euros for a permanent work permit, which in reality they never received, according to the police.
The two alleged abusers are being investigated for crimes including slavery and labor exploitation, while the victims are being offered protection, job opportunities and legal residency.
The issue of modern forms of slavery in Italy recently came into the spotlight after the case of Satnam Singha 31-year-old Indian farm labourer who worked illegally in the books and bled to death after his employer left him outside his house, his arm cut off by a packing machine.
A report by Moody’s published in March found that Italy remains the country with the highest number of modern slavery cases in Europe, with around 32,000 cases in five years from 2018.
