Danas: How prevalent is labor exploitation in Europe during COVID-19 pandemic?

Photograph:  EPA-EFE/ JUSTIN LANE

An increasing number of people are losing their jobs, and the existing practices of workers' abuse in certain industries place labor exploitation at the forefront.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, organization Atina has, with the support of the Council of Europe, been particularly focused on the prevention of labor exploitation in the context of human trafficking. 

The hidden form of labor exploitation: domestic servitude during COVID-19

Illustration: https://umdgenderandglobalization.wordpress.com/

The pandemic had unforeseen impacts in many countries and different groups of people experience it differently. One of the most impacted groups were domestic workers, especially those who are being exploited in domestic servitude.

More than 30 million people are currently exploited in labor; children are also affected by this phenomenon, and the most common type of labor exploitation is that of children living and working on the streets, said the Prosecutor of the State Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sena Uzunović, at the Specialized Mentoring Session for Representatives of Local Teams implemented by Citizens’ Association Atina in five cities of the Republic of Serbia - Šabac, Niš, Vranje, Sremska Mitrovica and Subotica.

Exploited workers in Europe’s slaughterhouses

Photograph: https://www.canva.com/

Meat factories in Europe have been exposed as one of the most infections hotspots for COVID-19. Researchers, journalists, and activists are concerned that this is related to exploitative working conditions, which were made worse by the pandemic. Inadequate housing and low wages in the leading European meat producing countries, such as Germany, are the likeliest explanation for the outbreaks.

Labor exploitation of truck drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Photograph: www.ttnews.com

International federation of trade unions recently released a report about how contracted foreign drivers from low-wage countries were being exploited by the transport industry.

Impact of COVID-19 on labor exploitation of migrants at Europe’s farmlands

The pandemic and child labor

Photo: Personal archive

Photo: Personal archive

Two meetings were held in Vranje, between representatives of the Local Team for Prevention and Combating Human Trafficking, Citizens' Association Atina and their partners, aimed to introduce the entire team to the project itself and planned activities, as well as to determine current local capacities and response mechanisms in cases of labor exploitation.