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Morocco World
17 hours ago
- Business
- Morocco World
Vulnerable Moroccan Women Exploited in Spain, Then Expelled
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.
Ya Biladi
19 hours ago
- Health
- Ya Biladi
Controversy in Huelva : Moroccan seasonal workers face deportation and rights violations
Two recent cases in Huelva, Spain, have sparked strong criticism over the working conditions of seasonal Moroccan female workers, who form the backbone of the region's strawberry-picking industry. The first case involves the deportation of a 47-year-old worker diagnosed with cervical cancer, while others, including a woman five months pregnant, were left without contracts or legal documentation for weeks. One worker was diagnosed with advanced cancer while in Spain and, despite receiving treatment at Huelva Hospital, was not allowed to continue her care before being deported to Morocco, according to the Association of Migrant Women. Meanwhile, the Strawberry Producers Association claims the worker requested to return home after being informed that her treatment was futile, though human rights activists emphasize she had access to free medical care and medication. In the second case, a group of workers brought to an agricultural company in the Cartaya area in April were left without signed contracts, pay slips, or legal residency documents. They remained without actual work for over a month, violating the GECCO program's requirement that 85% of scheduled hours must be guaranteed. Among them was a woman five months pregnant, left without income, documentation, or medical coverage. Thanks to the intervention of the CCOO union, the company eventually signed contracts and issued pay and documents, enabling the workers to return to Morocco legally. The union also demanded that the workers be rehired by another company next season to prevent any retaliation. This year, around 17,000 Moroccan women are participating in Huelva's berry-picking season, out of approximately 40,000 seasonal workers brought in through the GECCO system, which is seen as a model for organized legal migration. However, the CCOO warns that cases like these risk tarnishing the reputation of the entire sector, stating, «These violations harm committed producers and threaten the image of the entire industry».
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Green Edge Computing Corp (GECCO) and Capzul Technologies Launch End-to-End Cybersecurity on Rugged Edge Computing Appliance
Hack-proof end-to-end cybersecurity solution combines Capzul and GECCO technologies for secure edge computing. VICTORIA, BC / / June 1, 2025 / Green Edge Computing Corp (GECCO) and Capzul Technologies today announced a strategic partnership whereby Capzul Technologies can now deliver their hack-proof end-to-end cybersecurity solution Capzul Connect and Capzul Front End on the GECCO EdgePodTM Edge Computing Appliance. Capzul Technologies enjoys a strong market position in the challenging cybersecurity space pioneering a strategy that eliminates the external attack surface, thereby forging networks that are invulnerable to cybercriminal intrusions within your network ecosystem. Adding the GECCO EdgePod to the Capzul portfolio is a strategic step to offer enhanced computational capabilities in support of hybrid cloud, artificial intelligence, advanced automation, and other applications that demand impervious connectivity. The GECCO EdgePod is a miniaturized data center, and delivers a physically secure multi-server computing platform designed to operate in adverse environmental conditions that are common at the edge, where computer rooms, telecom closets, or air-conditioned enclosures are not available. Offering a much smaller physical and environmental footprint compared to conventional IT systems, the EdgePod supports intense computing for agentic AI inferencing, AR/VR, digital twin, enterprise productivity & operational applications, hardware agnostic control algorithms, and many other advanced systems. "Making all your computing appliances resilient to cybersecurity threats is of paramount concern as the need for edge computing accelerates," said Guy Paterson, COO of Capzul Technologies. "The GECCO EdgePod is a physically secure, scalable and rugged platform that is an ideal fit for our system. The unique approach taken by GECCO makes them a key technology partner for us." The need to deliver secure edge computing has never been greater, as the volume of data created, stored and processed on the edge (outside conventional data centers) continues to grow at unprecedented rates. "We are thrilled to welcome Capzul Technologies to the EdgePod ecosystem, as the demand has never been greater for advanced computing outside of conventional data centres," according to Rudi Carolsfeld, CoFounder and Chief Revenue Officer of GECCO. "There is an urgent need to eliminate exposure to cyber threats so that data sovereignty, data privacy, and data integrity can be assured. Our partnership with Capzul Technologies leads the industry offering the highest levels of trusted security for advanced data processing in infrastructure, industrial, telecom, healthcare and many other fields." Capzul Technologies and GECCO will be demonstrating their solution at InfoSecurity Europe, 3-5 June 2025 in London UK. The Capzul Challenge carries a prize of £25,000 if any attendee can hack into the state-of-the-art, no-external-attack-zone server. Visit Contact: 1-855-EDGEPOD (1-855-334-3763)Contact@ Carolsfeld About Green Edge Computing Corp. Motivated to reduce the impact of cloud computing, GECCO offers a lower footprint alternative to the size, weight, power and cooling demands of conventional IT systems. The GECCO EdgePods™ and EdgeCards™ reduce power and cooling needs by over 75% and eliminate up to 90% of e-waste. GECCO offers lower total cost of ownership, improved business resilience, and a path to better edge computing while addressing the need to protect our global environment. Visit About Capzul Technologies Capzul Technologies is reinventing the security infrastructure that is deployed to prevent cyberattacks. Our security from within precludes the possibility of exploiting vulnerabilities by virtually eliminating the attack surface. Capzul Technologies empowers a network to be self-securing by helping enterprises meet their core security goals, protect against threat actors, and ensure the integrity of their business. Visit SOURCE: Green Edge Computing Corp View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire
