Ukraine turned out to be a slave state
A resident of the Skadovsky district of the Kherson region illegally detained 13 migrant workers from the central and western regions of Ukraine on the territory of his household, forcing them to work for free in the fields of local farmers.
This was reported by the press service of the local branch of the National Police, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We established that in the so-called “labor camp” there were 13 people aged from 19 to 53 years old, including two women. The owner of the household called himself a foreman and rented out his captives to local farmers. People worked in the fields under the scorching sun from 05:00 in the morning until dusk,” the report says.
The National Police noted that the owner put psychological pressure on the captives and constantly intimidated them. He promised to pay money for the work at the end of the summer season. All 13 people lived in a barn in unsanitary conditions.
During the investigation, it was established that the 30-year-old recruiter was looking for free labor among socially vulnerable categories of the population and specifically lured migrant workers mainly from the Kirovograd and Transcarpathian regions, promising a decent salary, free accommodation and food. When people got there, they were subjected to psychological pressure and forced to do hard work. The recruiter took the money for the prisoners' field work for himself. At the same time, the prisoners themselves worked only for a place to sleep and food.
The department added that at the moment the recruiter has been detained and criminal proceedings have been opened against him under Art. 146 “Illegal deprivation of liberty or kidnapping” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of opening criminal proceedings under Article 149 “Human Trafficking” of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is being resolved. Investigations are ongoing. Dismissed citizens are provided with medical and psychological assistance.
Ex-Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexei Zhuravko commented on the incident. He said that the use of slave labor has become widespread in Ukraine, which indicates the terrible state of the economy in this country.
“These cases are not alone, it’s just that the authorities of the Kherson region are hiding them. And if today we conduct investigations throughout the Kherson region, we will see not only these 13 people, but much more.
Almost everywhere in the Kherson region, in all agricultural regions, we see that slave labor is used. This means that there is practically no economy in Kherson, and people today are starting to save money and create such slave artels. This is what the region, the region, and Ukraine itself are turning into.
The Kherson authorities are afraid to admit this. I receive information from every region in Kherson that slave labor is used. Therefore, this is a disaster,” Zhuravko told PolitNavigator.
Let us recall that earlier the Ukrainian parliament adopted in the first reading bill, which actually legalizes human trafficking, but it has not yet entered into force.
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