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Moroccan female farm-workers in Huelva’s fields have reported the abuse they have been subjected to to the Kingdom’s consulate in Seville after informing the Spanish authorities, a source from Morocco’s consulate in Seville told Yabiladi on Wednesday.
Women working in strawberry fields in southern Spain, have «called the consulate to let [us] know about the abuse they have been through after reporting that to the Spanish authorities», the same source, which requested anonymity, explained.
Moreover, these women have contacted the consulate after an investigation was published by Buzzfeed News, featuring the accounts of several Moroccan female workers that claimed being blackmailed, sexually harassed, raped and abused.
Asked by Yabiladi on whether the Moroccan consulate has been aware of these abuses, knowing that one of the victims featured by Buzzfeed stressed that she lodged a complaint against her alleged rapist, the senior official assured that they «cannot know unless they are informed by the victims themselves, the Spanish authorities or NGOs».
For the record, the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training issued two communiqués, replying to media outlets relaying information revealed by Buzzfeed News. In its statements, the ministry stressed that none of the women working in Huelva, sent by the National Agency for Employment and Skills promotion (ANAPEC) through a program concluded with Spain, has been abused.
The ministry's account
The ministry, which sent a delegation to Spain to assist the circumstances in which Moroccan women work, assured that no complaint had been lodged in this regard.
The Kingdom’s consulate in Seville was not informed by the Spanish authorities, as indicated by our source, who told Yabiladi that «the Spanish authorities are the ones responsible for assisting the conditions in which Moroccan female workers operate».
The same source added that the consul is currently in Huelva for the third day in a raw to keep an eye on the situation.
For their part, the Spanish authorities in the region arrested on Friday, 25th of May, a 47-year-old man accused of blackmailing workers into having sex with their managers, says local newspaper Huelva Informacion.
The arrestee, who works as a supervisor in one of the farms in Southern Spain, was released and will be awaiting his trial. According to the same source, the arrest occurred after an investigation was opened on Thursday by the Prosecutor's office in Huelva.
In addition to the Buzzfeed News investigation, El Espanol reported the accounts of seven Moroccan women who were blackmailed into having sex by their managers in Huelva’s strawberry farms.
