Bulgarian Berry Pickers Lured To And Cheated In Sweden

Source of picture:    http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=2054&grupp=3582

Bulgarian Berry Pickers Lured To And Cheated In Sweden


The saga of the deceived and cheated berry pickers continues in Sweden.  This is becoming an annual event in Sweden and follows the same exact pattern as in years back with those in authority allowing it by either intent or inaction.  The victims have been lured from either Asia or Eastern Europe with promises of high wages which they in the end never get.  The shell game continues.

For those who are unaware of this problem I will be listing links to provide you with a history of this saga of greed. 

First, I will give a rough translation from Swedish to English of two stories that appeared on Swedish TV news.

21 July 2012

Five persons in the Bulgarian Embassy in Stockhom are working over the weekend to help Bulgarian Berry Pickers to return home.

The Embassy said that the berry pickers had come to Sweden based on  a promise to work from a person they didn't even know.

They were left in the forest and forced to work under terrible conditions.

Forty berry pictures stayed in a bus outside the Bulgarian Embassey overnight for food and water.

Without money they have no chance to returen to their Homeland.

Were given water, but the Embassey refuses to pay for their bus tickets home.

Some have gotten food and a place to stay from local churches.

Update:  July 24, 2012

The Bulgarian Berry Pickers feel that they have been lured and want to return home.  They are tired, hungrey and forced to live in a tent camp.

Yesterday, their co-ordinator was arrested suppected of human trafficing.

In Soderholm, Sweden today there was a meeting with the Police, Township and Bulgarian Embassey to determine how to help the berry pickers, but the solution is far from resolution.

Neither the Embassy or the Township feel that they are responsible for helping the Bulgarians to return home.


This article is in English and a further source of information for those interested:

No Solution For Bulgarian Berry Pickers Article In English

For information about the 43 year old man accused of human trafficing and to several more articles that show just how widespread this problem is, please click on the link provided below:

Six More Swedish Radio News Articles

Here are past blog posts on this problem with different groups at different times for a good background and insight into why I refer to these as a shell game and handled in a typical Swedish manner.  These articles are from 2010. 

http://mnhopkins.blogspot.se/2010/10/cheated-thai-berry-pickers-return-to.html

http://mnhopkins.blogspot.se/2010/10/vietnamese-berry-pickers-cheated-in.html

http://mnhopkins.blogspot.se/2010/11/thai-berry-pickers-cheated-in-finland.html

This is a good article for a background on how human trafficing works in Sweden.

http://mnhopkins.blogspot.se/2010/11/swedish-companies-involvement-in-human.html