It’s not surprising that we’re reporting on yet another form of labor exploitation in the city of Latina, Italy. Dalvir Singh, a migrant farm worker, was found dead in a field near Latina, and is believed to have died from severe heat exposure, drawing attention to the deadly effect of summer heat on migrant workers in Italy. According to the Italian Meteorological Society, average summer temperatures in Italy between June and August have increased by 1.5C over the past 30 years, reports The Guardian.

Latina, notorious for exploiting migrant laborers

In June of this year, after a migrant farm worker was left to die at side of the road, the center-left Democratic party (PD) called the man’s treatment a “defeat for civilization” and urged the government to eliminate the so-called “agro-mafias” that exploit migrant laborers in Italy. Many of these migrant workers live in ghettos or abandoned buildings, with gangmasters overseeing their employment and taking a portion of their wages. Despite the billions earned by Italy’s profitable food industry, these workers face low pay, 10–14-hour work shifts, and minimal employment rights.

Fabio Ciconte, the director of the food and farming NGO Terra said:

“When extreme heat is correlated with criminal activities in agriculture, it is clear that the tragedies we have been [predicting] for so long are actually occurring,”

In July, Italian police rescued over two dozen Indian migrants from a farm in central Italy and described them as “reduced to slavery” due to debt, confiscated passports, and poor living conditions.

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