UN Envoy Calls Italy Out for Its Treatment of Migrant Workers and Workplace Safety Practices

Alessandro Di Pietrantonio,

International Justice Team. 

UN Envoy Calls Italy Out for Its Treatment of Migrant Workers and Workplace Safety Practices

The UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights criticised Italian authorities for actions that tarnish the reputation of Italy in the field of business and human rights. The group made a 10-day visit to analyse the situation. The inhumane treatment of the many migrant workers residing in Italy, the recurring clash between industrial-economic development priorities and environmental protection, and the issue of workplace safety were the main problems raised by the group. The latter is a particularly sore point for the Italian government: almost 800 people have died in the workplace since the beginning of 2021. Surya Deva, the working group’s chairperson, asks for decisive action by the Government and business to provide decent work conditions for workers from Africa and Asia, mainly used in sectors such as agriculture and logistic, which are trapped in a cycle of exploitation, debt bondage and human rights violations. This system of abuses in Italy is called “caporalato”.

Source: 

Euractiv, UN envoy calls Italy out for its treatment of migrant workers and workplace safety practices, 8 October 2021, https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/short_news/un-envoy-calls-italy-out-for-its-treatment-of-migrant-workers-and-workplace-safety-practices/