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. 

Andrijana Radoičić Nedeljković: Victims need safety, security, and certainty

Photograph: Piroshki photography

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.

The pandemic has shown that life of a woman, victim of violence, is in many ways reminiscent of a permanent state of emergency due to various factors, and the problems will only begin after the pandemic calms, said Jelena Hrnjak, Programme Manager of Citizens' Association Atina, at the roundtable “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Social Inclusion of Vulnerable Groups".

Girls in Serbia often suffer various forms of discrimination or gender-based violence, and the most drastic issue are child marriages, according to the nongovernmental organization "Atina".

A social worker from that organization, Andrijana Radoičić Nedeljković, told the Voice of America that girls face inequality almost from conception.

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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.