A trial for human trafficking began on June 19 at the Chalons-en-Champagne criminal court, in eastern France. Three people are accused of exploiting more than 50 seasonal workers during the 2023 grape harvest in the vineyards of Champagne.

Boureima Kanoute, a Malian, is one of the victims who attended the trial. He told InfoMigrants about his experience. 

“We are relieved by this trial. Yet given the abuse we endured, I think the sentences aren’t severe enough. The three people who did this to us have admitted to some of the facts, but not to everything: sometimes they lied, and it was as if they were different people in front of the court. It was horrible there [in the vineyards].

The prosecutor requested a four-year prison sentence, including at least two behind bars, for the director of the agency, who was accused of submitting vulnerable people to undignified living conditions. The prosecutor requested a three-year sentence, including at least one year without parole, for two other defendants suspected of recruiting the harvesters. The prosecutor handed over a fine of 200,000 euros to the cooperative. French law foresees seven years of prison for those convicted of human trafficking, but it can be up to 10 years if the crime was committed against several people. 

A friend told me in September 2023 they were looking for people for the grape harvest. We paid 10 euros for a bus that took us from Paris to the Marne. They dropped us off at a house where there was nothing to eat. The living conditions were dirty and there weren’t any bathrooms. I slept on the last floor of the house where there wasn’t any air. I had a fever. I went to work even when I was sick.

On September 14, 2023, three labor inspectors accompanied by two police officers discovered 50 immigrant workers from Mali, Mauritania, the Ivory Coast and Senegal, crammed into a broken-down house in the village of Nesle-le-Repons.

Brought there for the Champagne harvest, each worker had less than a square meter of space, according to the labor inspector’s report. The mattresses lined up on the floor were filthy. The electricity was substandard. There was no hot water, and the three existing toilets were clogged. The public prosecutor described the house during the trial as a "shantytown".

We woke up every morning at 5 am. We would leave for the vineyards at 6 am, to begin work at 7:30 or 8 am. To bring us there, they put us in vans, there were no seats or anything, we couldn’t breathe. 

'I was never paid'

We were under a lot of pressure in the vineyards. The person who drove us there shouted at us, insulted us, and sometimes threatened to hit us. We had to go up and down hills with very heavy crates. For lunch, we only had sandwiches that were still frozen.

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The winemaker knew everything but said nothing because he knew what they were doing was illegal. He knew we didn't have enough food or water. At the trial, he even said, ‘Sometimes I gave them leftover bread.’

 It shocked me. He didn't care; he had a good salary while we worked hard. We were promised 80 euros a day, but I was never paid.

Frankly, it was sad. I can't forget it. I'll never forget it for my entire life. I've never felt like this, even though I've overcome many difficulties in my life. It traumatized me.

The court will issue a verdict on July 21. It won't change much for us. Even if these people are convicted, it won't change what they did to us. These scars will remain.

We [the victims] continue having flashbacks from that period.

‘I would like to write a book one day’

I'd like to write a book one day about everything I went through there in the Marne. That's why I took a lot of notes during the trial. I'd also like to tell the story of what I went through before arriving in France. That would be nice; I'm looking for people to help me with this project. 

I saw and experienced so much before arriving in Paris on January 4, 2017. At that time, I was in an irregular situation. I was working without documents and using my cousins' identities. I worked in construction, electricity, catering... The September 2023 harvest was harder than anything I'd ever done before.  

After being discovered in Nesle-le-Repons, Boureima Kanoute and the other victims were granted temporary residence permits, renewable during the legal proceedings. This residence permit, valid for private and family reasons, is valid for potential victims of human trafficking or pimping, or for people who witnessed these incidents and cooperated with the police and the courts to report the situation. 

After this incident in September 2023, I found a new job as a pipelayer: plumbing, heating, drinking water, electricity... Everything is going well, even though it's tiring work, and I travel a lot.

After regularization, French nationality?

Having a temporary residence permit has changed my life. Now I'm at peace and no longer afraid. I had to hide before; there were places I couldn't go. I can walk around now as I please. I was able to train to become an electronic intercom system operator. I was even able to get my driver's license.

My residence permit expires in February 2026. Our lawyer explained to us that we will be able to obtain a ten-year residence permit when the person is convicted.

A final conviction of the person accused in a human trafficking trial entitles victims to a ten-year residence permit.

I was able to take French classes through the OFII [French Office for Immigration and Integration, editor's note]. I have a B2 level. To obtain certification, I must take the official TCF [Integration, Residence and Nationality] test within two years. After that, I have one goal: to pass the exams to apply for French nationality."