Thousands of young people from the UK, travelling to popular holiday destinations including Ibiza, Majorca and Menorca to work in bars and clubs, have been have been given advice on the dangers of labour exploitation.
Border Force officers have been running Operation Karetu at 22 airports across the UK, targeting young people travelling to work in Mediterranean destinations who could be at risk of exploitation, criminality and illegal working.
The month-long operation has so far seen officers engage with more than 1,000 young Brits, providing them with leaflets and guidance on how to avoid the risks involved as unofficial public relations (PR) reps – work that involves touting people into clubs and bars.
Young holidaymakers who travel abroad every year to work in the hospitality industry risk being forced to work long hours for low wages. Risks include working illegally due to a lack of knowledge about EU employment regulations or being exploited by serious organised criminal gangs.
Operation Karetu was initially launched in 2018 amid concerns over the welfare of young British nationals being exposed to different types of exploitation, particularly labour and sexual exploitation. The operation has had significant success and since 2022 there have been no cases of labour exploitation reported to the British Consular in the Balearics.
However, many cases of labour exploitation go undetected, and Border Force continue to run Operation Karetu every year as an important preventative operation to protect young people.