Slave Labor Reports Increase 45 Percent in São Paulo

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Labor Prosecutor’s Office (MPT) has received 607 denunciations of slave-like labor in the region that covers the São Paulo capital, Greater São Paulo and the Santos Port area, over the past five years. There was a 45 percent increase from 103 to 150 in the number of denunciations in 2019 compared to the previous year.

In the period between 2015 and 2019, 524 workers in a slave-like condition were rescued in the city of São Paulo alone, according to data from the Information and Statistics Panel of Labor Inspection in Brazil (Radar SIT).

Over the past five years, in addition to the 607 denunciations, the MPT in São Paulo has signed 93 Conduct Adjustment Agreements (TAC) and filed 19 public civil suits (ACP) judged in municipalities within the area of operation of the Labor Prosecutor in the region.

Slave-like labor is typified by forced labor, degrading working conditions, violation of human dignity, exhaustive hours that endanger the worker’s health and life, and even debt bondage. These may occur either jointly or in isolation in order to configure criminal behavior, in accordance with the Brazilian Penal Code.

The disclosure of the report marks the National Day for Fighting Slave Labor, on Tuesday, January 28th.

Brazil recorded over 1,000 people rescued from slave labor in 2019.

According to data from the ‘Radar SIT’, in 111 of the 267 establishments inspected in 2019, this practice was identified with 1,054 people rescued in such circumstances. The survey further points out that last year the number of denunciations increased, totaling 1,213 nationwide, while in 2018 they totaled 1,127.

The rural environment continues to account for the highest number of reports, representing 87 percent of cases: charcoal production (121); coffee plantations (106); beef cattle raising (95); retailing (79); and corn plantations (67). Urban slave labor also claimed 120 victims, most of whom engaged in the manufacture of clothing (35). There were also records in construction (18), domestic services (14), road construction (12) and itinerant services (11).

The largest recorded incident in a single establishment occurred in the Federal District, where 79 people were working in degrading conditions for a religious sect.

The survey shows that between 2003 and 2018, some 45,000 workers were rescued and freed from slave-like labor in Brazil. This represents an average of at least eight workers rescued every day.

Source: Agência Brasil

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