Moroccan women abused in Spanish farms : The Ministry of Employement denies all allegations

The Ministry of Employement and Vocational Training has confirmed, Saturday in a communiqué, that none of the Moroccan women working in agricultural farms, in southern Spain, has been assaulted, contary to allegations reported by several media outlets.

In its press release, the ministry indicates that a joint Moroccan-Spanish delegation has visited on May the 10th and 11th agricultural fields in Huelva (Spain), to inquire about the conditions in which these women work.

During the above-mentioned trip to Spain, the joint delegation visited three pioneering companies, which grow strawberries, insisting that «none of the Moroccan workers operating there has been subjected to abuse», says the same source, adding that the Spanish authorities and the Moroccan consular services have not received any complaints.

The ministry's visit to Spain and communiqué come as Buzzfeed news Germany has published on the 30th of April an investigative paper, revealing that female farm workers in Spanish fields are subjected to abuse. The story features the experience of one of the Moroccan workers who claims having been raped by her supervisor. The alleged victim said that she lodged a complaint against her alleged rapist before being sent to a women's shelter by the police and later to Morocco.

The Ministry also explained that the conditions in which Moroccan women work abide by the international laws.

For the record, Yabiladi has reached in a previous article the two journalists who conducted the investigation. Responding to our questions, journalist Pascale Muller stated that they have interviewed every female worker in person and that they «would like to make it clear that they have spoken not only to Moroccan women who claim to have been abused in Spain, but also in the agricultural sector of Morocco».