Vulnerable Moroccan Women Exploited in Spain, Then Expelled

Morocco World

6 hours ago

Rabat — Two Moroccan women employed in Spain's lucrative strawberry harvest were reportedly recently sent back to Morocco under troubling circumstances—one while five months pregnant, and another after being diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Unions and migrant rights organizations, cited in Spanish media reports, have condemned both incidents as blatant violations of labor laws and basic human dignity, accusing employers of exploitation and neglect. In contrast, the companies involved have downplayed the allegations and offered conflicting accounts in an apparent attempt to deflect responsibility.
Unprotected pregnant worker
The cases were extensively reported by the Spanish newspaper Publico in an article titled 'A pregnant woman and another with cancer sent back to Morocco: labor rights don't grow in strawberry fields'.
In the first case, a group of Moroccan women were hired through Spain's Collective Management of Hiring in the Country of Origin (GECCO) program, which facilitates seasonal labor contracts for agricultural work. They arrived in Huelva in April to work for Berrys la Dehesa, a farm in the town of Cartaya.
According to the Workers' Commissions union (CCOO), the women were left without formal contracts, pay slips, or social security registration. Believing their employment would continue, they had already sent their April wages home, leaving them stranded and without resources.
CCOO states that the company stopped giving them work after May 9 and failed to provide the required documentation. 'They were left in a situation of extreme economic vulnerability,' said Teresa Pulido, provincial secretary of CCOO's Industry branch.
'They had no money, no legal protection, and were pressured to leave the country 'by their own means'—a clear violation of GECCO's commitments.'
Among the group was a woman five months pregnant, whose case drew particular concern. The union filed formal complaints with Spain's Labor Inspectorate and the Government Subdelegation in Huelva.
After the intervention, the company was eventually forced to sign contracts and process their Foreign Identity Cards (TIE), which are essential for eligibility in future work seasons. The women have since returned to Morocco, but CCOO has requested that they not be assigned to the same company in future campaigns, to prevent possible retaliation.
When approached by journalists, the employer reportedly refused to answer questions. 'I have nothing to say,' he told Publico. According to CCOO, the employer also reacted aggressively during negotiations, allegedly telling a union representative: 'You're not going to mess with me, kid.'
Discarded cancer patient
In a second, even more alarming case, Zahra, a 47-year-old Moroccan woman who has worked in Huelva's berry fields for seven years, was sent back to Morocco after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. She had been receiving treatment at the Juan Ramón Jiménez Hospital in Huelva, with medication prescribed through September.
The Association of Immigrant Women in Action (AMIA), which remains in contact with Zahra, says the decision to send her home has put her life at risk. 'She can't stop crying,' said Fátima Ezzohayry, AMIA's president. 'She has no money to continue treatment in Morocco, where everything costs money, and public healthcare is limited. If you can't afford it, you die faster.'
Zahra is a single mother of six, with three children still in her care. She had stopped working on May 12 due to her illness and was depending on Spain's social security system, which she had contributed to for years as a seasonal worker. AMIA argues that she should have been granted medical leave, not deported.
AMIA is now demanding her return to Spain to continue cancer treatment. 'After seven years of legal work under GECCO, she has rights—to sick leave, to care, to dignity,' said Ezzohayry. 'You can't just discard her like this.'
The strawberry industry's main association, Interfresa, disputes AMIA's account. Through its Prelsi program—a corporate social responsibility initiative—Interfresa claims Zahra chose to return home.
'She requested to go back to Morocco after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, to be with her family,' said a Prelsi coordinator, who added that Zahra later phoned to thank them for the support in arranging her return.
AMIA strongly refutes this version. 'That call was not to thank them,' said Ezzohayry. 'It was to ask for the hospital reports and lab tests she needs for her treatment in Morocco. Without them, doctors there would have to start all over again.'
Zahra's former employer, Berrys La Fontanilla, and the cooperative Fresón de Palos, have reportedly declined to comment publicly. Fresón de Palos only told Publico that Zahra was 'supported in everything she needed.'
As far as a death sentence
The report states that this isn't the first time such a case has surfaced. In 2022, another Moroccan woman named Smahia, also working in Huelva under GECCO, was sent home after being diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer.
She had been coming to Spain for 14 years and was supporting four children. According to the group Jornaleras en Lucha, Smahia's employer in Almonte dismissed her condition, suggesting she was 'faking it' to stay in Spain. She died shortly after returning to Morocco.
The strawberry industry in Huelva, which spans 11,700 hectares, produces over 350,000 tons of fruit annually and contributes roughly 8% of Andalusia's GDP. Huelva accounts for 97% of Spain's red fruit production, making it a major exporter to countries like the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
The sector depends heavily on migrant labor, particularly through the GECCO program, which brought 17,000 Moroccan women to Spain this year alone—4,000 for the first time.
While GECCO is presented as a model of circular migration, these recent cases have sparked renewed scrutiny. 'Most employers do things right,' said CCOO's Pulido, 'but when cases like this come to light, it damages the reputation of the entire sector. We must ensure that those who violate the rules face consequences.'
'I wish I had drowned in the sea'
The abuse of Moroccan seasonal laborers in Huelva is a long-standing issue, far from being limited to isolated incidents. In 2021, Morocco coordinated the repatriation of 170 women who had been stranded in Spain after facing urgent personal and health-related crises, including illness, the death of relatives, advanced pregnancies, or even childbirth.
The repatriation followed negotiations between Spanish and Moroccan consulates and included COVID-19 precautions such as testing and hotel quarantine. That situation echoed the year before, when over 7,000 Moroccan women were trapped in Spain due to pandemic border closures, pleading for return while enduring economic and emotional hardship.
These incidents are part of a longer pattern of abuse in Spain's berry industry. Moroccan seasonal workers have repeatedly raised alarm over exploitative labor practices in Huelva's farms — from unpaid wages and excessive hours to degrading treatment and, in some cases, sexual violence.
A 2019 New York Times investigation quoted a worker who described the experience as being 'brought to be exploited and sent back,' adding: 'I wish I had drowned in the sea before coming here.' The persistence of such testimonies underscores the systemic nature of the abuses faced by migrant women working in Spain's lucrative red fruit sector.