Between 13 and 21 September 2023, Europol and the European Labour Authority supported Europe-wide coordinated action days against human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation in the agricultural sector. The operation was led by France and involved a wide range of law enforcement authorities from 17 countries. More than 6,800 officers from national authorities took part in operational activities on the ground.
Investigators across Europe have confirmed similar modi operandi in relation to trafficking in human beings and labour exploitation in agriculture. These range from violations of laws on minimum wages or working hours, mismatches between payments and the employees’ actual working hours, to the employment of minors and practices such as debt bondage or the withholding of identity or travel documents.
Officials checked thousands of documents such as residence permits, as these are often forged, counterfeited or misused through the look-alike method. In addition to working illegally and thus outside the legal framework that protects them, workers often face deplorable housing and sanitary conditions as well.
Source: europol.europa.eu