Homeless people forced to work in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg county

Publicated on: May 29, 2024

The Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Prosecutor's Office has brought charges against a Nyírség man who persuaded homeless people to work for him for free for years.

According to the indictment, the first victim was met in Budapest in September 2019 by a man who was engaged in animal husbandry and woodcutting and owned several properties in the Nyírség. He persuaded the man, who was living as a homeless man, to move into one of his properties, where four people were already living. The man's job was to cut wood and look after the animals, but he was not paid for his work. He tried to escape two occasions, but was taken back by his captor on both occasions and assaulted for trying to escape, until he finally managed to escape in February 2022.

The second homeless victim was visited by the perpetrator in Debrecen in the autumn of 2020, and then housed in one of his properties. After a couple of weeks, he persuaded his second victim to take a job at a nearby poultry processing plant, and to give him his full salary in exc-hange for his care and accommodation. The homeless man worked for the accused at the plant for 19 months when he finally managed to escape with the help of a friend.

The accused's third victim was also a homeless man, whom he had also moved in with the accused for board and lodging, and cared for the animals without pay.

The prosecutor general's office charged the man, who exploited vulnerable people, with aggravated trafficking and forced labour, and proposed in his indictment that he be sentenced to several years in prison.

More information on the case can be found in the press release of the Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County Chief Prosecutor's Office.

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