Moroccan Strawberry Pickers Face Abuse and Exploitation in Spain’s Huelva Fields

The phenomenon is not new and dates back to 2018, when a dozen Moroccan seasonal workers denounced the exploitation through work and sexual harassment they suffered during the strawberry harvest in Huelva. On June 17 of this year, Moroccan seasonal workers had demonstrated in Huelva to denounce their poor working conditions and the mistreatment they suffered.

This cry for help from the seasonal workers has not elicited any reaction from the Moroccan government, which has not denounced the emigration agreement concluded with Spain in 2007 or demanded respect for the rights of these women, mainly from rural areas of Morocco. In an investigation published by the German site Correctiv, a Moroccan seasonal worker confided that she had suffered sexual abuse from a Spanish supervisor during the 2017 campaign. Another said her boss was "cruel and merciless."

The seasonal workers work ten hours a day, without drinking water or taking a break to eat. Eight Moroccan and four Spanish seasonal workers who worked on three different farms have reported being victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as rape or attempted rape, according to the Huelva prosecutor’s office. This year, 15,000 Moroccan seasonal workers will arrive in waves in Huelva, between January and March.