Originally Posted by
Echonova
Slavery alive and well in Brazil NEW!
Although slavery officially ended in Brazil in the latter half of the 19th century, it continues unofficially now in the 21st century. A recent report from the Folha de Sao Paulo revealed that today over 10,000 workers live in conditions of slavery. Most of those cases are in the North and Northeast parts of the country. In the state of Para alone, the Ministry of Work has received 75 complaints which involve some 3,000 workers, double the number of persons from last year's report.
Brother Henri des Roziers, the coordinator of the Catholic Church's Land Commission in Para, says that he calls daily to the Ministry of Work office to demand that the government investigate these cases. "What they tell me is that the investigations, which already were few in number, have been suspended because of lack of funding," commented des Roziers. Employees of the Ministry of Work recently reported to officials that their teams of investigators (which were formed as a result of international pressure) have been dismantled. They also reported that when they had teams, investigation was very difficult as the regional governmental officials barred or made very difficult their work.
In Para, slave labor is utilized in the lumber and cattle industry. Recruiters go to various points in the cities and promise a salary of R$400 (US$275) per month. As the workers are already in a state of misery, they accept the offer and go, not even knowing that they are already in debt for the trip to the locale of employment. Once they arrive, they find that they have to buy food at exorbitant prices and soon accumulate more debt. They are threatened with death if they try to flee. Most of the sites are far away from roads and highways, making coming and going very difficult. Besides hard labor, the workers also live in subhuman housing conditions, often lack potable water, and lack nutritious and sufficient food.
But the problem is not limited to Para. Tocantins, Maranhao, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Rio Grande do Sul: all have serious cases of slave labor pending. In the city of Sao Paulo there is even a case of enslavement of undocumented Bolivians who have come to Brazil in search of employment. According to the report, two problems exacerbate slave labor: high unemployment and impunity for those who exploit the workers. Between 1995 and 2002, the government has freed 4,900 "slaves." Over 1,000 have been freed this year alone. However, more often than not, the landowner or employer simply goes in search of more workers and repeats the actions. To date, not one "employer" is serving time in prison for exploitation of workers.
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