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Rabat – The Provincial Court of Huelva has ordered the reopening of the case of Moroccan seasonal workers, who accused their managers of sexual assaults last year during strawberry picking season in Huelva, Spain.
Spanish news outlet El Pais reported that a court closed the case in December 2018, without the judge hearing the complainants.
The case of Moroccan seasonal farmers dates back to 2018, when a group of Moroccan female farmers filed complaints against some managers for alleged sexual assault and abuse.
On May 2, German investigative NGO Correctiv published a story in collaboration with RTL Nachtjournal and Buzzfeed News on Moroccan female agricultural workers in Spain and in Morocco’s Souss Massa region in the south.
In the report, women claimed that they were harassed, verbally and physically abused, and raped in the fields.
Morocco’s Minister of Employment Mohamed Yatim, however, said that there were no official reports of “sexual harassment” against women in Huelva.
a Moroccan-Spanish delegation also carried out a visit on May 10-11, 2018 in the province of Huelva to investigate about the conditions of women farmers on Spanish farms.
Following the visit, the ministry of employment issued a statement, refuting claims that Moroccan seasonal agricultural workers in Spain were being harassed.
The ministry also explained that the working conditions of Moroccan women workers are in conformity with the employment contract concluded between the two parties.
In November 2018, a Moroccan delegation from the Ministry of Labor and one from the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) paid a two-day visit to Huelva, where Moroccan seasonal workers work on farms during harvest. The delegations aimed to prepare for the next campaign to recruit Moroccan seasonal workers for strawberry farms, according to Maghreb Arab Press (MAP).
The Moroccan and Spanish officials agreed on the need to set conditions for the success of the recruiting operation to ensure the best conditions for Moroccan workers.
