The vulnerability to exploitation of women migrant workers in agriculture in the EU : the need for a human rights and gender based approach

Abstract

This study explores the working conditions of migrant women in agriculture in the EU, focusing on Italy and Spain. In particular, it aims to examine the factors that render women vulnerable to exploitation, paying attention to gendered dynamics and power relations. The study contends that to prevent and combat exploitation in agriculture it is necessary to implement concerted actions aimed at tackling, from a human rights and gender perspective, the structural factors of a socio-economic system which fosters and relies on workers’ vulnerability. This study has been commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens' Rights and Constitutional Affairs.