Quito, (EFE).- Survivors of modern slavery in Ecuador are demanding the enforcement of a Constitutional Court ruling that ordered Japanese-owned company Furukawa Plantaciones C.A. to pay over 41 million dollars in compensation. The payments have not yet been made.
The court found Furukawa guilty of maintaining a system of “serfdom” for more than five decades.
The company that grows abacá (a banana-like plant used for textile fibers) was accused of exploiting at least 342 workers and their families under degrading labor conditions.
Victims allege they were forced to live in isolated camps on Furukawa plantations without basic services like electricity, clean water, sanitation, or access to health care and education.
“The company has not complied with the ruling,” said Emidio Cañizares, a 64-year-old spokesperson for the victims, during a press conference at the National Assembly.
“We are still enslaved. Some of us are dying of cancer, and many are sick; ten have already ed away.”
“We ask the authorities not to trample on our dignity,” Cañizares added. “In Ecuador, it seems anyone can do whatever they want, like this company is doing.”
In March, Furukawa requested permission from the Constitutional Court to sell up to 17 of its estates to fund the court-mandated reparations.
The court has yet to respond publicly to that request.
According to the court’s ruling, Furukawa exploited “people in extreme vulnerability” who worked in precarious conditions on leased plantations.
Judges noted that these individuals live without the ability to change their social status, a violation of their fundamental human rights.
In of victims, opposition lawmaker Paola Cabezas announced two legislative initiatives aimed at preventing similar abuses in the future.
Justice in this country may be delayed, but it eventually arrives,” Cabezas said. “After many years, these people finally won a ruling from the Constitutional Court. The Assembly cannot ignore that.”
One proposal aims to reform the Labor Code by increasing the responsibilities of labor inspectors, especially in rural and agricultural sectors.
The second would amend Ecuador’s anti-human trafficking law to allow the National Police to accompany labor officials during inspections of farms and plantations.
“These reforms are necessary to prevent another Furukawa from happening,” Cabezas added.
The case has drawn widespread attention for exposing systemic labor exploitation and the state’s failure to protect vulnerable workers.
Victims and human rights groups continue to call on Ecuadorian authorities to ensure the reparations are paid in full and that justice is served. EFE
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