Govt. officials go to Italy to check information about Romanian women exploited in Sicilian farms

Romania's Government will send a team to Italy to learn more about the harsh conditions in which some Romanians, especially women, work there. An investigation made by British newspaper The Guardian has revealed that thousands of Romanian women are being exploited in Italian farms and greenhouses in slave-like conditions. They are living in degrading and unsanitary conditions in isolated outbuildings, being forced to work 12 hours per day in conditions of extreme heat with no water. They are often the victims of physical violence and sexual abuse, according to The Guardian.

In this context, the Romanian Government has decided to organize a joint working visit of Romanian officials to Italy. The Romanian mission will be in Italy from March 15 to March 17, and will be made of Andreea Pastirnac - the minister for Romanians abroad, and a representative of the Ministry of Interior. “The delegation members will meet both local officials and representatives of organizations of Romanians working in Italy, as well as representatives of the associations involved in defending the rights of foreign workers and fighting abuse on them,” reads the statement from the Romanian Government. During the investigation, the journalists from The Guardian talked to 10 Romanian women working on farms in Sicily's Ragusa region. All of them talked about the harsh working conditions, and the abuse they had been subject to. Read the entire story here. Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com