A Polish woman and two Ukrainians were charged with human trafficking and forcing five Colombian citizens to work as slaves at a meat plant in Radom. The prosecutor's office sent the indictment in this case to the local court, said acting district prosecutor in Radom, Cezary Ołtarzewski.
The suspects are a Polish citizen, an employee of an employment agency in Radom, which dealt with recruiting workers, and two Ukrainian citizens who coordinated and supervised the work of Colombians at the Radom plant.
Prosecutor Cezary Ołtarzewski, acting district prosecutor in Radom, emphasized that human trafficking, which the suspects are accused of, takes various forms; in this case it was about recruitment and forced labor.
Workplace violence
Colombian citizens were subjected to physical and verbal violence in the workplace, were forced to perform their duties regardless of their health condition, were deprived of their passports and money was taken away, and were not allowed to leave their place of residence freely.
The suspects pleaded not guilty and gave explanations. According to them, the foreigners knew the conditions in which they had to work and voluntarily agreed to it, and no form of violence was used against them. A preventive measure was applied to the three suspects in the form of police supervision and a ban on leaving Poland. The alleged offenses are punishable by imprisonment from 3 to 20 years.
They feared for their safety
In February 2023, the Colombians were checked out in Radom by officers of the Nadwiślański Border Guard Unit. Foreigners had permission to work in our country, but did not have the right to reside in Poland.
The Colombians got to Poland through Spain. As they explained to investigators, they decided to come to our country because they were afraid for their safety in Colombia, which was taken over by drug cartels. At the same time, it was revealed what conditions they had to live and work in at the Radom plant.
A Polish woman, fluent in Spanish and an employee of an employment agency in Radom, helped them find a job. The woman was looking for people willing to work in Poland via Internet forums. She presented them with the offer and working and accommodation conditions, which, however, turned out to be completely different on site. The prosecutor's office also found that Karina W. accepted PLN 1,000 from the three injured Colombians. She was supposed to get them permanent residence cards, but she failed to do so.
“Their helplessness was taken advantage of”
According to investigators, the Colombians found themselves in a difficult situation in Poland. “Their helplessness was taken advantage of because they were in a foreign country, they did not know Polish, and they had problems communicating with people supervising their work,” said the prosecutor.
When they arrived in Poland, they were deprived of their passports for several months. Threats were used, vulgar words were used, and people were forced to work regardless of their current health condition. One of the foreigners suffered a leg injury at work when another employee supervising him threw a box filled with meat on his foot. One Colombian woman had pregnancy-related problems and still had to report to work. Employees were only entitled to a 15-minute break during the day when they could leave the production line. They received on average about PLN 1.5 thousand for their work. PLN per month. They were also restricted from leaving the hostel where they were staying.
There is another Ukrainian citizen among the people suspected by investigators of crimes related to human trafficking; investigators are currently determining his whereabouts.
The indictment in this case was sent to the District Court in Radom.
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