Ganesh Thapa is busy planting strawberry seedlings as the strawberry season has begun in Greece.

He, who hails from Butwal, works in Lappa village, which is about three hours by taxi from the capital Athens. He is one of 32 Nepalese agricultural workers, including 7 women, working here.

‘The strawberry season starts in September. It continues until June. Now it is a waste to plant strawberries, pick the fruit and send it to the market,’ he told Kantipur over the phone. The largest strawberry growing area in Greece is Manolada. 90 percent of strawberries are produced in the Manolada region. This includes the villages of Manolada, Nea Manolada, Neo Bhuprasio, Lappa and Varda. Where at least four thousand Nepalese workers are working in strawberry farming without documents, hidden from the state.

Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called strawberries ‘red gold’ because their prices are constantly rising and they have become an agricultural industry worth millions of euros. In Greece, this 'red gold' is a fully exportable product. Only four percent of the production is consumed in the local market, the rest is exported. According to a report by the Greek Fruit and Agricultural Products Exporters Association, strawberry exports are breaking records every year. In 2024, Greece earned 712 million euros from 80,000 tons of strawberries alone. 

The reason for the increase in strawberry production and exports is the arrival of migrant workers, including Nepalese, who work for cheap wages. 

Human trafficking networks are active in transporting such migrant workers to villages in Greece. Due to its geographical location, which is among the external borders of the European Union (EU), Greece has become a major 'gateway' for those entering Europe. Greece has become an easy entry point, especially for those who want to enter Europe by sea. Many migrants enter Greece from Turkey and North African countries. Nepalis, on the other hand, enter Greece from Romania and Croatia. According to the Department of Foreign Employment, about 40,000 Nepalis went to Europe in the last fiscal year alone, with the highest number going to Romania (21,000), Croatia (11,000), Serbia (3,200), Portugal (1,900), Slovenia (1,100) and Austria (1,000). Most of them went through personal access (through agents).

Investment at first, then hostage

The Greek government had set a quota of 89,000 migrant workers to be brought from countries other than European member states for 2025. Of these, 41,670 were for general workers, 45,620 for seasonal workers and 2,000 for highly skilled workers.

It is difficult to bring workers from Nepal through legal procedures within those quotas. Again, the Nepal government does not have a policy of sending seasonal workers for only 9 months. For this reason, human trafficking is taking place to fill the labor shortage in the villages of Greece. Smugglers have been taking Nepalis with work visas from Romania, Croatia, and Serbia to Greece by air and land, claiming that they will earn up to 1,300 euros. The human traffickers themselves bear the expenses incurred.

Thapa from Butwal reached Greece from Romania on April 1. ‘I had paid 550,000 rupees to KII Manpower Company in Nepal and went to work as a driver in Romania. I did not get the salary and work as per the contract with the company. Another company asked me to make a residence card and come and work for them,’ he said. ‘They asked me for the amount required to make the card. Before the visa expired, that company returned the money saying that it could not make the card. I could not return to Nepal. I saw Greece as the last option.’

He got in touch with Sneha Thapa, who was transporting workers from Romania to Greece. While living in Greece, Sneha uses TikTok and Facebook to contact people who work legally in Romania and to provide workers to those who have contracts for agricultural farms. Sneha had set a condition that each person would have to pay 3,500 euros including taxi fare to be taken to Greece, which would be deducted from their salary, and that they would have to go and work on the farm of the person she had contacted. Thapa and 5 others agreed to that condition.

‘We were taken from Romania to Greece via Bulgaria in 14 hours by taxi. We passed the Bulgarian border easily. We also passed the Greek border from Bulgaria easily. We boarded a local vehicle. There was no check in the vehicle. It was their responsibility to arrange with the administration,’ Thapa said. They were taken to a farm contracted by a Bengali citizen. ‘Out of 35 of us, only four have Greek refugee cards. Only five have passports. The rest do not even have passports. The owner has made local cards for some to avoid the police. My card is in the process of being made. If the card was made, it would have been easier to work, live, and travel safely,’ he said.

The Bengali deducts the expenses for bringing him to Greece from his monthly salary. ‘I only deducted the money for bringing him to Greece last month. It took 7 months to complete this money. There was no work for three months, June, July and August,’ he said, ‘The work stops again when it rains.’

It seems that human traffickers are spreading their propaganda through workers. Agent Sushmita Thapa is famous among Nepalis who have reached Greece. She takes Nepalis who are in Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Bosnia, Albania, Turkey and Cyprus to Greece, Italy, Spain and France. She has said on her TikTok, ‘If you are unable to find work in any European country or are living illegally, there is a system in place to work with zero down payment.’ Nepali workers who have reached Greece through her say, ‘We are Sushmita Thapa’s people. We have arrived safely. Thank you Sushmita Didi. If you also want to come, please contact Sushmita Didi,' they have made a video and posted it. In the last one year alone, she has taken more than 120 groups to Greece.

Hostage labor camp

Until about 15 years ago, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, and Egypt dominated agricultural workers in Greece. Since then, a few Bulgarians and Romanians used to come at the beginning of each season. After Bengalis and Pakistanis, Nepalis are now appearing. On the other hand, the physical structure of Nepalis is considered suitable for planting and picking strawberries. Nepalis work 'quietly and quietly'. Since most Nepali workers are undocumented, they do not argue with the contractor for fear of deportation or arrest. This has led to Nepali workers becoming the main choice.

Anu Shrestha from Kohalpur, who reached Greece through Sneha Thapa's contact after working in Romania for 9 months, does not have a passport. She reached the Greek capital by ship carrying a ‘Temporary Residence Card (TRC)’, which is considered legal in Romania. A valid TRC holder in Romania can visit anywhere in Europe. However, they are not allowed to work.

‘Sneha called me to work in a hotel. I became an agricultural worker here. I have to do very difficult work on an agricultural farm in Tripoli. There are 40 Nepalis like me. No one has a passport with them. They got in by showing big dreams. Cards are not made in Greece. Everyone is illegal,’ she said in the video, showing a handcart, ‘We leave at 7 am sitting inside a lorry truck. At 10 pm we eat lunch that we have prepared ourselves. We have to work until 5 pm.’

Agricultural workers do not have a close relationship with their employers. They do not even know the full name of the employer. Their direct relationship is with the contractor (supervisor). Who plays the role of an intermediary between the workers and the producer. Most contractors bring in workers and take unfair advantage. 

The saying ‘the more you bend, the more euros’ is popular among Nepali workers. They are paid 5 euros per hour. However, some contractors pay only 4.5 euros per hour, saying that they have invested in bringing them and that it will incur interest. ‘You have to work in three-degree cold. You have to deal with snow. There is no leave or money on time. Being illegal is also very painful,’ said Anu, ‘There is no toilet at work. You have to run around looking for a place to use the toilet with a water bottle.’ They earn 1,800 to 1,200 euros if they work eight hours a day for 30 days a month. Of which, they have to pay 150 euros for food and 50 euros for accommodation.

The living space is very unhealthy. The workers’ residential camps (temporary plastic) are scattered among the vast strawberry fields. Which the Nepalese compare to the ‘huts/towers’ where cows and goats are kept. Up to 30 people are kept in one room. Urmila Yonjan, who works there, says that it is impossible to maintain social distancing because they live in a small space. “The tent we live in is divided into two parts. Boys live in one room. Girls live in one. There are no beds to sleep in. We have made beds on strawberry crates. There is no place to store our belongings,” Urmila said. “The stench in most parts of the camp is unbearable. The toilet is just a hole dug in the ground. There is no running water. We often get sick in the winter.” 

Urmila reached Serbia after obtaining a work permit from the Department of Foreign Employment. She reached Greece through Sushmita Thapa. “We are like hostages in Europe. The entire village feels like a deportation center. If we leave here, we don’t have a passport. We can’t leave work until the contractor’s money is paid,” she said. “It feels like working in a labor camp from morning to night.” She feels, “To be released from there is to be arrested.” 

Greece's campaign against human trafficking

Greek police have launched a campaign to crack down on farm workers, alleging exploitation, undocumented labor, and an increase in human trafficking. On October 7, Greek police arrested 10 Pakistani nationals, including a 29-year-old Nepali woman, on charges of human trafficking. The identity of the Nepali woman has not been revealed. According to a statement issued by local police on October 8, the group has been charged with "involvement in a criminal organization, human trafficking, labor exploitation, violation of the immigration code and drug laws."

25 Nepali workers were also rescued from this group after they were held hostage on an agricultural farm. The Nepalis are accused of being forced into debt, forced to work excessively, threatened, and sometimes beaten. They were rescued in unhealthy and inhumane conditions, the statement said. On the same day, 100 people without legal documents who had been employed on different agricultural farms were also arrested.

According to the police, the group had been using social media to lure Nepalis legally working in Romania to Greece since November 2024. The Nepali girl lured them with high salaries in the Greek agricultural sector. Interested people were taken to Greece by air or through the land border of North Macedonia. Some of them were paid for by themselves. They then confiscated their passports and burdened them with debts, saying they would have to work slowly and pay off the money.

Last July, 26 Nepalis were rescued from a warehouse in Tripoli, Greece. Where they lived in rooms without toilets. They slept on vegetable crates. According to a press release issued by the anti-human trafficking unit, they were locked in temporary tents and forced to work without pay for months.

The workers are mainly found employed in places in the Peloponnese region, including Argolis, Ilia, Arcadia, Laconia and Messinia. ग्रीक प्रहरीले जुलाई २०२४ मा पनि नेपाली श्रमिकलाई शोषण गरेको भन्दै दुई नेपालीलाई पक्राउ गरी मानव तस्करीको मुद्दा लगाएको थियो । उनीहरू अझै जेलमा छन् वा सफाइ पाइसकेका छन् भन्ने सार्वजनिक गरिएको छैन ।

 ग्रिस हेर्ने जिम्मेवारी पाएका अस्ट्रियाको भियनास्थित संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघका लागि नेपाली स्थायी नियोग प्रमुख भरतकुमार रेग्मीका अनुसार जेलमा भएका नेपालीको विवरण प्राप्त भइसकेको छैन । ‘भिसाविहीन नेपालीसहित आप्रवासी श्रमिकलाई आफ्नो देश पठाउन संयुक्त राष्ट्रसंघीय आप्रवासन संगठन (आईओएम) ले हेरिरहेको छ । हामीलाई नेपाल पठाउन प्रत्येक महिनाजसो ८/१० जनालाई ट्राभल डकुमेन्ट मागिरहेको हुन्छ,’ उनले भने ।

दूतावासका अनुसार ग्रिसमा रहेका नेपालीको यकिन विवरण छैन । गैरआवासीय नेपाली संघ, ग्रिसको अनुमानमा झन्डै पाँच हजार नेपाली छन् । जसमध्ये चार हजार नेपाली कागजातविहीन अवस्थामा कृषि क्षेत्रमा काम गरिरहेका छन् । ‘युरोप आउने ठूलो संख्याका नेपाली आफ्नो भिसा रहेको देश छाडेर ग्रिस गइरहेका छन्, यसले समस्या पनि निम्त्याइरहेको छ,’ रेग्मीले भने, ‘कागजातविहीन नेपाली श्रमिकको अवस्था कठिन छ । उनीहरू कानुनी हैसियत पाउने सुविधाबाट वञ्चित छन् ।’ 

घर नफिर्ने भए जेल

क्रोएसियाबाट ग्रिस पुगेका लमजुङका अर्जुन गुरुङलाई ऋणको भारी बोकेर घर फर्किन मन छैन । ‘क्रोएसियामा प्याकिङ काम गर्न ८ लाख रुपैयाँ तिरेर आएँ । काम नपाउने भएपछि ग्रिस आइपुगें । टाउकामा थप ऋणको भारी छ,’ उनले भने, ‘युरोप आउनु नै पछुतो लागिरहेको छ । पुर्पुरो समाएर मात्रै नहुँदो रहेछ ।’ उनका अनुसार ‘डन्की हानेर’ आउँदा जीवनमा एकपछि अर्को जोखिम थपिएको छ ।

आश्रय (शरणार्थी) प्रक्रियासँग सम्बन्धित मुख्य दुई निकाय ग्रीक असाइलम सर्भिस (ग्यास) र अपिल प्राधिकरण (एए) हुन् । असाइलम सेवा देशभर रहेका क्षेत्रीय कार्यालय तथा इकाइमार्फत भइरहेको छ । यो शरणार्थीका लागि दर्ता गरिएको आवेदनको परीक्षण र निर्णय गर्ने सक्षम निकाय हो । यसले नियमित रूपमा आवेदन लिने, द्रुत रूपमा अगाडि बढाउने र स्विकार्ने चरण पार गर्छ । ग्यासका निर्णयविरुद्धका अपिलहरू अपिल प्राधिकरणमा लगिन्छन् । यस तहमा अपिलकर्ताले निःशुल्क कानुनी सहायता पाउँछन् । अपिल प्राधिकरण २० स्वतन्त्र अपिल समितिले बनेको छ । यसको प्रक्रिया भने निकै ढिलो छ । गत २०२४ मा ग्रिसमा ८९ हजारभन्दा बढी कागजातविहीन आप्रवासीमध्ये ३३ हजारले मात्रै कानुनी हैसियत पाएका थिए । 

युरोपका धेरै देशमा औपचारिक अर्थतन्त्र छ । भिसा वा शरणार्थी भएकाले मात्रै काम पाउने अवस्था छ । ग्रिसमा अलि सहज छ । कागज नहुने नेपाली ग्रिसमा पुग्ने गरेका छन् । त्यसमध्ये ८० प्रतिशतसँग कागज छैन । एउटा कम्पनी छाडेर अवैध भयो भने वैध हुन वर्षौंसम्म लाग्छ । वैध बनाउन दूतावासको भूमिका हुँदैन ।

 ग्रिसले आप्रवासी श्रमिकसम्बन्धी ल्याएको पछिल्लो नीति नेपाली आप्रवासीको पक्षमा छैन । ‘हामीलाई भिसा लगाएर बस्न पाइन्छ भन्ने आशा थियो । नयाँ नीतिले जेलमै जानुपर्ने हो कि भन्ने डर पैदा भएको छ,’ उनले भने । गत सेप्टेम्बरमा ग्रिसले अवैध (कागजातविहीन) बसाइलाई अपराध ठहर गर्ने कडा कानुन पास गरिसकेको छ । यो कानुनले आश्रय स्वीकृत नभएका व्यक्तिलाई ७ वर्ष बसाइपछि भिसा पाउने अधिकार पनि हटाएको छ । अब अस्वीकार गरिएको आश्रय–आवेदन लिएर ग्रिसमै बसेका विदेशी नागरिकलाई २ देखि ५ वर्ष जेल सजाय र १० हजार युरो जरिवाना हुन सक्छ ।

गत २० अक्टोबरमा जारी अर्को निर्देशनमा भनिएको छ, ‘शरणाधिकार नभएका व्यक्तिको आवेदन अस्वीकार हुने, २४ महिनासम्म प्रशासनिक हिरासतमा राखिने र यसलाई ‘गम्भीर अपराध’ गरेको मानिनेछ । यो निर्देशनले यात्रा रेकर्ड जाँच गर्न तथा जोखिम नभएको ठहर भएको खण्डमा ‘तत्कालै स्थगन वा खारेज’ गर्न अधिकार दिन्छ ।’ नयाँ कानुनअनुसार शरणार्थी प्रोफाइल नभएकाका लागि प्रक्रिया सरल भएको ग्रिसले जनाएको छ । ‘निवेदन प्रक्रियालाई समीक्षा, अस्वीकृति र फिर्ता पठाउने द्रुत गतिमा हुन्छ । त्यो समयसम्म हिरासत बस्नुपर्छ,’ गत नोभेम्बर १३ मा आप्रवासन तथा आश्रय मन्त्रालयका मन्त्री थानोस प्लेभ्रिसले आफ्नो एक्समा लेखेका थिए, ‘यो स्पष्ट हुनुपर्छ कि अपराध गर्दा उनीहरूको स्थिति झन् खराब हुन्छ । हामीले अवैध आप्रवासनका लागि शून्य सहनशीलताको नीति अपनाएका छौं ।’ नयाँ निर्देशनअनुसार यी परिणामबाट जोगिने एक मात्र उपाय ग्रिस छोड्नु हो ।

‘ग्रिसमा ८० प्रतिशत नेपाली कागजातविहीन छन्’

ग्रिसमा कागजातविहीन नेपाली अत्यधिक छन् । एनआरएनएमार्फत समस्या समाधान गर्न प्रयास गरिरहेका छौं । नेपाली श्रमिकले समस्या छ भनेर लेखेर पठाउने गरेका छैनन्, औपचारिक सूचना आउँदैन । राहदानी समस्या भयो भने मात्रै जानकारी पाउने हो । गत वर्ष ७ सय जनाको राहदानी बनाएका थियौं । अहिले राहदानी नभएकाहरू आउन थालेका छन् । फर्किन चाहने नेपालीलाई राष्ट्रसंघीय आप्रवासन संगठन (आईओएम) ले समन्वय गरिरहेको छ । आईओएमले टिकट पनि दिइरहेको छ । महिनामा ८/१० जनाको ट्राभल डकुमेन्ट बनाइरहेका हुन्छौं । यसका लागि आईओएमले अनुरोध गर्छ । हामीले बनाएर पठाइदिन्छौं ।