The Guardian. Spain<\/p>\n
Ten Moroccan women say Spanish authorities have ignored claims they were trafficked, assaulted and exploited.<\/strong><\/p>\n Last April, Samira Ahmad* kissed her baby goodbye and boarded a bus, leaving her home in\u00a0Morocco\u00a0for the strawberry fields of southern Spain. In her bag was her Spanish visa and a contract that promised \u20ac40 a day plus food and accommodation. In the three months she\u2019d be away, she hoped the pain of being separated from her family would be softened by the money she\u2019d be sending back to them \u2013 a fortune compared to what she\u2019d be able to earn at home.<\/p>\n A year on, and Ahmad\u2019s life is in ruins. She is destitute, divorced and for the past 10 months has been living in hiding, surviving on handouts with nine other Moroccan women who \u2013 like her \u2013 claim they faced human trafficking, sexual assault and exploitation on the farm where they were hired to work. She says her biggest mistake \u2013 other than coming to\u00a0Spain\u00a0\u2013 was going to the authorities.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore I left my home I was like a hero to everyone. Nobody in my village had ever had the chance to go and work in a rich country like Spain,\u201d she said. \u201cBut it has turned out to be the worst decision of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n