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Rabat – Months after Moroccan seasonal workers accused Spanish nationals of sexual assaults, the minister of employment has said Moroccan-Spanish cooperation on seasonal employment has “positive results.”
Minister of Employment Mohamed Yatim called on Morocco and Spain to reinforce cooperation on seasonal workers in a statement Tuesday.
Yatim spoke about seasonal workers with Spanish secretary of state for migration, Maria del Consuelo Rumi Ibanez, who is on an official visit to Morocco.
Yatim said, “Circular migration is now a reference model at the regional and even international level.”
According to the minister, the countries should revise the employment agreement to allow for “candidate selection procedures to be adapted to new situations and to open up new social rights for seasonal workers, including retirement.”
Ibanez shared Yatim’s point of view that Morocco and Spain should consolidate their partnership for better migration management, calling for more support from the EU.
Ibanez also described Morocco as Spain’s strategic partner, reiterating her country’s determination to fight undocumented migration and human trafficking.
Throughout the summer, several Moroccan seasonal farmers said they were subjected to sexual harassment and assault by Spanish managers in the strawberry producing region of Huelva.
Following the allegations, Morocco and Spain promised to improve protections for female seasonal workers.
On October 3, Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), published statements from Ibanez commending Morocco’s efforts in the fight against undocumented immigration.
In an interview with MAP, the Spanish official said that Morocco’s role cannot be questioned.
“Morocco honors its commitments and respects the agreements it has signed in the fight against illegal migratory flows,” she said.
She also added that the North African country deserves “support and financial assistance from the European Union to address this situation.”
According to the Spanish official, Spain will serve as “the voice of Morocco within Europe to ask for more support and financial aid.”
Her statements follow rising tension over undocumented migration and the Moroccan Royal Navy’s firing on a boat of migrants on September 24, killing a 20-year-old woman.
