Worthy Christian News > World News > Italy Grants “Instant” Residency to 33 Indian Migrants Rescued from “Slave-Like” Working Conditions

Italy Grants “Instant” Residency to 33 Indian Migrants Rescued from “Slave-Like” Working Conditions

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Amid rising concern about the exploitation of vulnerable migrants in Italy, the Italian government recently granted “instant” residency to 33 Indian farm laborers whom police recently freed from “slave-like” working conditions in the north of the country, Independent UK reports. Italy consistently recorded the highest number of modern slavery incidents in Europe between 2018-2023, Moody’s Analytics reported in March.

The decision to grant the 33 migrants full protection by the state is part of a crackdown on abuses against immigrant workers. In a recent harrowing example of abuse, 31-year-old Indian worker Satnam Singh was last month dumped and left to die by the side of a road in southern Italy after his arm was severed while operating heavy farm machinery for Italian gangster employer Antonello Lovato.

In the case of the 33 Indian workers, their employers were fellow Indian gangsters who put them to work back-breaking hours for next-to-no pay.

“Italian tax police said they seized almost half a million euros from two alleged gangmasters, also Indians, who got their compatriots to work in the European country,” the Independent said in its report.

“The men were made to pay €17,000 ($18,500) each and promised a seasonal work permit and better life,” the Independent reports.

“They were instead made to provide manual labor on farms for 10-12 hours a day seven days a week, for wages as low as four euros a day, the Independent said.

“Even these paltry wages were withheld by employers, who promised to pay up after the workers had settled their debts.”

In a statement about the pervasiveness of modern slavery in the West, Keith Berry, General Manager of Know Your Customer Solutions at Moody’s Analytics, said: “There is a concerning link between human trafficking and the facilitation of money laundering…Governments, corporates, and all organizations need robust modern due diligence to protect against money laundering and help prevent the illicit activity it enables.”