Attempted murder in southern Italy exposes slavery conditions for migrant workers
Two men poured petrol into a minibus and set it alight at a service station in Amendolara in southern Italy. Five people were trapped inside the vehicle.
Attempted murder in southern Italy exposes slavery conditions for migrant workers
Surveillance footage from a service station in the southern city of Amendolara shows two men pouring petrol into a parked minibus and setting it alight. At the same time they block the doors to prevent the five people inside from leaving.
The incident is an alarming example of how criminal networks in Italy exploit migrant workers. Behind a credible facade of fruit pickers, these groups secretly control every aspect of their victims' existence.
According to Politiken, the attempted arson murder reveals the chilling conditions in which many foreign workers live in the country's agricultural sector. The men in the minibus were apparently victims of a system in which employers or intermediaries exercise total control over workers' lives.
Italian authorities have been fighting this form of exploitation for years, which often affects seasonal workers from eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. Many are forced to work in inhumane conditions for virtually no pay, with threats of violence used as a means of pressure.
The arson attack in Amendolara underscores that the problem remains widespread despite repeated police operations against the criminal networks behind the exploitation.
Source: Politiken