Swedish Court Issues Landmark Ruling on Labor-Related Human Trafficking Involving Polish Workers

A landmark ruling by the Malmö District Court has sentenced a 35-year-old man to two years and ten months in prison for human trafficking connected to labor exploitation of three Polish men. The defendant was also ordered to pay over 900,000 kronor in damages. The men were lured from Poland with false promises of construction jobs, wages, and accommodation but instead endured exploitation under harsh conditions on a farm in southern Sweden.

The court found that the men were forced to live in an unheated attic with temperatures dropping below ten degrees Celsius, unsanitary conditions including rodent infestations, and inadequate facilities that compelled them to wash dishes in the shower. One man, notably vulnerable due to prior homelessness in Poland, was deprived of his identification documents, isolated without pay, and at times forced to eat dog food and apples from the garden.

Two others worked on construction sites under unsafe conditions with exposure to asbestos, receiving only 25-30% of the promised wages while having their documents confiscated. This treatment was legally classified as human trafficking and exploitation.

This case is recognized as unique within Sweden’s legal landscape, marking a precedent for future prosecutions of labor-related human trafficking. Linda Erhorn, regional coordinator against human trafficking at the southern border police, described the ruling as a significant guideline for handling similar cases. The defendant denied wrongdoing, claiming the men were free to leave, though the court dismissed this defense. Two accomplices were acquitted of trafficking charges but convicted of money laundering.

The police investigation began in February 2025 after a severely hypothermic Polish man was found walking along a busy road near Ystad, which led to uncovering the exploitation scheme. The case highlights the serious human rights violations in labor trafficking and the importance of legal action in protecting vulnerable workers from deceptive recruitment and abuse.