Seasonal Worker

Seasonal Workers, particularly those in industries such as agriculture and hospitality, are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. Traffickers may use promises of employment and visa sponsorship to lure vulnerable individuals into exploitation. Once the victim arrives at their destination, they may find that the work they have been promised is not available, or that they are required to work long hours for little pay. Traffickers may also confiscate workers’ passports and other identifying documents, making it difficult for them to leave. In some cases, victims may be forced to live in cramped and unsanitary conditions, and may be subject to physical and emotional abuse.

 

How seasonal farm migrants to UK got caught in a debt trap
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How seasonal farm migrants to UK got caught in a debt trap

Migrant workers pick apples at a famr in Suckley, Britain, in October 2016. | Reuters When Raj heard British farmers were hiring seasonal workers from Nepal last year, he jumped at the chance to earn what he thought would be a sizeable income for his family. Having already worked in Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, the…

Cartel-backed pot grows linked to human trafficking, inhumane working conditions
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Cartel-backed pot grows linked to human trafficking, inhumane working conditions

Editor’s note: I just returned from northern California (6/2023), speaking with experts with ties into the situation with legal growers. Human trafficking is happening in legal and illegal cannabis farms.  TRINITY COUNTY, Calif. — If you buy weed illegally, you unwittingly could be supporting Mexican cartels and other criminal syndicates that lure workers to farms…

'I had nowhere to go': Labor traffickers are taking advantage of the Massachusetts housing crisis
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'I had nowhere to go': Labor traffickers are taking advantage of the Massachusetts housing crisis

For eight months, Julio worked as a landscaper in Western Massachusetts, hauling rocks, digging ditches and pulling weeds about 70 hours a week, earning less than two dollars an hour. At night, tired and hungry, the Guatemalan immigrant would be driven back to his employer’s suburban home, where he would head down to the basement…

Investors warn food companies about risk of forced labour on UK farms | Financial Times
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Investors warn food companies about risk of forced labour on UK farms | Financial Times

Investors with £800bn in assets have called on food retailers and the UK government to eliminate risks of debt bondage and forced labour on UK farms, as concerns build that the country’s immigration system is exposing migrant workers to abuse. Asset managers including Schroders, Sarasin & Partners and Quilter Cheviot have warned that the UK…

Investors tell supermarkets to tackle increasing risk of modern slavery on UK farms
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Investors tell supermarkets to tackle increasing risk of modern slavery on UK farms

A group of investors with more than £800bn in assets across UK-listed retail, hospitality and food production businesses have called on supermarkets and the government to tackle risks of modern slavery on British farms, amid concerns the post-Brexit immigration system is exposing seasonal workers to potential exploitation. Asset managers are calling on the likes of…

Supermarkets concerned about exploitation as a result of seasonal worker visa
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Supermarkets concerned about exploitation as a result of seasonal worker visa

Supermarkets have raised concerns around the U.K.’s seasonal worker visa system which is leaving migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation, and supermarkets at risk of falling foul of their human rights obligations. Unheeded warnings Criticisms have been levelled against the scheme since its hasty inception with warning from labor rights groups being ignored by the government…

Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The Independent
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Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The Independent

  Government inspectors have found cases of debt bondage among seasonal agricultural workers in the UK, MPs have heard. Margaret Beels, director of labour market enforcement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), told a committee of MPs she was “worried” that overseas recruitment had led to some seasonal workers being stuck…

Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The National Wales
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Migrant workers on British farms trapped in 'debt bondage', MPs told | The National Wales

Government inspectors have found cases of debt bondage among seasonal agricultural workers in the UK, MPs have heard. Margaret Beels, director of labour market enforcement at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), told a committee of MPs she was “worried” that overseas recruitment had led to some seasonal workers being stuck in…

Seasonal workers in debt after being sent home early from U.K. farms
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Seasonal workers in debt after being sent home early from U.K. farms

Sajit* sold his shop in Nepal to go to the United Kingdom to work on a farm. “They told us six months will be good money for us,” he said. But just two months into the job, when he still had over £3,000 ($3,500 approximately) of debt to repay, he was told he had to…

Why modern slavery risks ‘falling off procurement’s radar’ – Supply Management – CIPS
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Why modern slavery risks ‘falling off procurement’s radar’ – Supply Management – CIPS

Procurement and supply professionals are being warned not to let the issue of slavery become “sidelined” as the post of UK anti-slavery commissioner remains unfilled. Malcolm Harrison, group CEO of CIPS, said procurement teams must stay alert to the risk of labour abuses as the government agrees an increase in the number of visas for…