Amnesty: Migrant work in Canada suffers from abuse and discrimination

Amnesty: Migrant work in Canada suffers from abuse and discrimination

migrant: According to "shocking exploitation and discrimination", "shocking exploitation and discrimination" are exposed to, while they work as part of the Canadian Temporary Foreign Program (TFWP). This emerges from a recent report by Amnesty International.

problematic structure of the TFWP

In the Report , AMNESTY criticized the structure of the TFWP. This program allows employers to employ migrants: mainly for poorly paid work in various areas such as agriculture, food processing, construction and gastronomy.

vulnerable workers and "harmful provisions"

According to the human rights organization, workers are: on the inside due to "harmful provisions" in the program, particularly susceptible to abuse. This includes closed work permits that bind employees: bind to a single employer in the inside who controls both their migration status and working conditions.

CNN asked the Canadian government to comment on the report.

experiences of migrants: inside

Amnesty interviewed 44 migrants for the report: inside from 14 countries, which mainly come from what the organization refers to as a global south. Many of the respondents reported unpaid wages and excessive working hours. Some workers: inside indicated that no rest days had been set in their contracts.

In addition, numerous migrants reported: inside of discrimination at the workplace, whereby they often had to do the hardest physical work. Some reported serious injuries or health problems due to uncertain working conditions.

personal fate

A woman from Cameroon, Bénédicte, said that during her work she experienced psychological and sexual abuse by her employer during her work. After leaving the farm in July 2018, her employer let her work permit go out, which brought Bénédicte into an irregularized migration situation. "I didn't expect to be a slave here," she said to Amnesty.

Another worker reported "severe control forms" by his employer. Miguel, a Guatemaltec migrant with a two -year visa as part of the TFWP, said that he was threatened and monitored. According to his statements, his boss confiscated his passport and installed cameras in the accommodation in which he lived, as well as in the garage in which he worked.

demands for reforms

"The abuse that migrant workers experience: Experience inside in Canada is extremely worrying, especially for a country that sees itself as a pioneer in the protection of human rights," said Erika Guevara-Rosas, head of research, advocacy, politics and campaigns at Amnesty International.

Amnesty also reported that many workers: inside live in insufficient living conditions, while some information not to have drinking water in their accommodations. Ketty Nivyabandi, a representative of Amnesty International Canada, asked the Canadian those responsible to implement reforms in order to "reconcile the program with the human rights obligations of Canada - and ultimately to respect the rights of workers:"