Sexual Abuse Allegations Haunt Moroccan Farm Workers in Spain’s Fruit Industry

The Huelva court recently acquitted the manager of a farm in Moguer (Huelva), accused by four Moroccan seasonal workers of sexually harassing them in 2018. In its decision, the judge estimated among other things that the man had never been accused of such acts before, "despite the large contingent of women" who come to work on this farm each year.

This statement shows "the total ignorance of the judge about the particular case of seasonal workers and their difficulties in accessing justice when they suffer sexual assaults," explains their lawyer Aintzane Márquez, a member of an organization defending the rights of women and girls, who believes that this argument of the judge is "another excuse not to believe the version of the victims".

These four seasonal workers had the "courage" to denounce the manager’s behavior, the lawyer assures, stressing that it is rare for Moroccan seasonal workers to "dare to report sexual abuse, for fear of not being retained" for the next campaigns. The accused regularly accompanied the Moroccan interpreter to the victims’ residence on the farm to hand them various documents. He was friendly with them, taking the opportunity to engage in sexual touching.

In its July 22 ruling, the judge was not convinced by the plaintiffs’ account, who "were fired for poor performance during the probationary period...". According to him, the seasonal workers did not provide any evidence proving the guilt of the accused. "This procedure once again shows that justice still does not understand the difficulties of these women to denounce" cases of sexual abuse, criticized the lawyer, who does not rule out appealing the decision.