On June 15, the day after a fishing boat smuggling up to 750 migrants sank off the coast of Greece resulting in the deaths of an unknown number of people, the IUF Congress panel on equality included a damning report from Jean-Renè Bilongo, FLAI-CGIL Officer for Migrant Affairs (Italy), who described the exploitation of migrant agricultural workers, especially women agricultural workers, who suffer low wages, endemic gender-based violence and harassment, as well as anti-migrant populist and even fascist attacks.
- A resolution submitted to Congress by FOBTOB (Nigeria) and KUSPAW (Kenya), with amendments by EFFAT-IUF and NGG, reminded delegates to be “mindful that the inefficiency of government structures, wrong economic policies, high youth unemployment, and the scarcity of hope for a quality life have all contributed to the irregular migration of workers, particularly young people and women to various destinations, particularly Europe, across the Mediterranean Sea, leading to human catastrophes”
- Supporting the resolution, Alberto Kulberg Taub, from FAI-CISL (Italy), said that with respect to trafficking it was necessary “to develop skills and competence in order to strengthen direct assistance to victims, counter the criminal activities underlying exploitation, raise awareness of the targets at risk;” he called for “greater cross-border cooperation to be implemented also through agreements that guaranteed the rights of migrant workers, their professionalization and the emergence of knowledge and experience acquired ‘in the field’”
- Due to lack of time in the Congress, the resolution was referred to and adopted unanimously by the IUF Executive Committee on June 16, 2023
