Labour inspectors have arrested two people for exploiting a woman with learning difficulties for 13 years.

The inspectorate’s investigative service said the 41-year-old was made to work 80 to 90-hour weeks for very little or no money.

“The woman worked under terrible circumstances,” including the heavy lifting in a street market, the inspectorate said. She was also mocked and called names.

In the end, the woman herself reported the situation to police, who transferred the case to the inspectorate and the public prosecution office.

The suspects are a 73-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man from the vicinity of Eindhoven. A bank account, two houses, and a piece of land have been seized.

The two are accused of labour exploitation, a type of human trafficking punishable by up to 15 years in jail.