On 18 June 2018, Moroccan women workers employed in strawberry picking in Huelva demonstrated under the banner ‘Sin esclavitud laboral ni sexual’ (No labour or sexual slavery) to denounce the abuse and violence they suffered in the context of seasonal migration between Morocco and Spain. This mobilisation marked the first convergence between trade unions, feminist and anti-racist associations and migrant aid organisations, bringing together nearly a thousand people. The situation of these workers is sometimes described as ‘slavery’ by public figures and politicians. Since 2006, thousands of Moroccan women — selected in particular because they are mothers — have been participating in a circular migration programme to work in the strawberry fields of Huelva. This scheme, which has a strong gender dimension, also aims to limit illegal immigration and receives financial support from the European Union. Since 2018, it has been overseen by the PRELSI programme, which is responsible for organising the arrival and working conditions of seasonal workers. Based on fifteen years of research and surveys conducted between 2009 and 2024 among Moroccan workers and institutional actors in Morocco and Spain, the article analyses the profile of these women, the transnational and intersectional mobilisations to defend their rights, and the emergence of the rhetoric of ‘slavery’ to denounce their exploitation.

On 18 June 2018, Moroccan women workers employed in strawberry picking in Huelva demonstrated under the banner ‘Sin esclavitud laboral ni sexual’ (No labour or sexual slavery) to denounce the abuse and violence they suffered in the context of seasonal migration between Morocco and Spain. This mobilisation marked the first convergence between trade unions, feminist and anti-racist associations and migrant aid organisations, bringing together nearly a thousand people. The situation of these workers is sometimes described as ‘slavery’ by public figures and politicians. Since 2006, thousands of Moroccan women — selected in particular because they are mothers — have been participating in a circular migration programme to work in the strawberry fields of Huelva. This scheme, which has a strong gender dimension, also aims to limit illegal immigration and receives financial support from the European Union. Since 2018, it has been overseen by the PRELSI programme, which is responsible for organising the arrival and working conditions of seasonal workers. Based on fifteen years of research and surveys conducted between 2009 and 2024 among Moroccan workers and institutional actors in Morocco and Spain, the article analyses the profile of these women, the transnational and intersectional mobilisations to defend their rights, and the emergence of the rhetoric of ‘slavery’ to denounce their exploitation.