Connective work for the emergence and prevention of exploitation

Author: Zadra, Franca; Ursula Elsen, Susanne; Bragagnolo, Cinzia & Scarone, Sabrina

Abstract: The available numbers on the phenomenon of severe exploitation in Italian and European agriculture are worrying, and we know that they represent only a fraction of the phenomenon, which is still largely hidden. The Placido Rizzotto Observatory estimates 200,000 people subjected to conditions of severe exploitation in Italian agriculture (OPR 2020). The Rosa-Luxemburg Foundation, in its well-known Atlas of Enslavement, indicates Italian agriculture among the sectors affected by severe exploitation in Europe, and recognizes that legal measures are important, but insufficient against this phenomenon: "The current reality of the world of work contradicts the basic assumption that forced labor, human trafficking and modern slavery are anomalous phenomena and can therefore be eradicated through criminal justice measures" (RLS 2021:17).

Keywords: human trafficking, labor exploitation, social work, emergence, connective work