Gangmasters in Italy's southern
Campania region have a new name to be reckoned with: Tina
Agbonyinma, the first Nigerian woman to drive an
anti-exploitation truck in Italy.
Employed by Montella Bio in Frignano near Caserta, an area
renowned for its exploitation of farm labourers, including many
migrants from Sub-Saharan Africa, each day the 34-year-old
drives herself and her colleagues to the farm where they work on
a regular contract and with honest wages, rather than travelling
in one of the trucks typically used by gangmasters to transport
their 'recruits' to the fields, often for a fare that is
deducted from their already miserable pay.
She and four other Nigerians - in all four woman and one man -
are the beneficiaries of a project run by the Nocap association
led by former farm labourer, anti-gangmastering activist and
writer Yvan Sagnet and a local branch of the Catholic relief
charity Caritas, having been identified for their history of
enduring labour exploitation in Italy.
However, throughout her time of exploitation, Agbonyinma says
she has never lost sight of her independence or dignity and
always refused to give in to the mirage of "easy money", often
with the associated risks of drugs or prostitution.
"I never wanted that money," said the young woman, who arrived
in Italy in 2008 aged 19 and has two children.
"Nor did I ever want to waste my life on the street, because
life should be lived in dignity. I have always worked honestly,
and I hope that many compatriots will follow my example," she
added.
photo: anti-gangmastering activist and writer Yvan Sagnet
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