A man who was enslaved for eight months in a restaurant in Lliçà d'Amunt has been freed.
The victim slept in the back room and worked 13-hour days without pay.
BarcelonaThe National Police have arrested the owner of a fast-food restaurant in Lliçà d'Amunt (Vallès Oriental) for illegally holding a worker inside the establishment for eight months. According to a statement released by the police, the arrested man forced the victim—who had been in Spain illegally for ten months—to work 13 hours a day, every day of the week, without rest, vacations, or any pay. In return, he only provided food—usually leftovers from the restaurant—and a place to sleep on mattresses on the floor in the back of the premises. During an inspection of the establishment, officers found a room in the back that had been set up as a bedroom, with mattresses, clothing, and other personal belongings, clearly indicating that it was occupied and in poor hygienic and sanitary conditions. They also confirmed that the victim had no employment contract and was not registered with the Social Security system. According to the worker's explanation to the officers, his boss had asked him for 10,000 euros to draw up an employment contract.
Insults and threats
The worker also revealed that the business owner would lock him inside the premises at night and intimidate him by saying that if he left, he could be arrested by the police and have problems regularizing his immigration status. He further detailed how the owner would hit him and hurl insults and threats at him for reasons such as not cleaning the bathroom properly. He also explained that the man belittled him when he asked for winter clothing to protect himself from the cold at night or when he complained about the unsanitary conditions of the establishment. According to the police report, the man told him not to worry, that he wouldn't die from the cold, and that the rats wouldn't attack him.
The victim admitted to the officers that he had accepted the situation because he needed the job to survive in Spain and at least have food and a place to live. However, the police emphasize that the restaurant owner's exploitative labor practices and abuse of power could constitute the crime of unlawful detention, as the victim was kept in a situation of subjugation and deprived of real freedom. The victim was placed in the care of social services.
