Trafficking in Brazil: Background

Thousands of Brazilians are trafficked into forced labour, most of them to remote estates in the Amazonia region, lured from poor parts of the country by promises of good work and pay. On arrival they are told that they owe money for their transport, accommodation, food and equipment, and that they must work to pay back the debt. The debt, the inaccessibility of the farms and frequent threats and violence from the employers trap the workers in slavery. They are forced to work long hours for little or no pay.

Government progress

The Brazilian Government has recently demonstrated its commitment to tackling forced labour. President Lula da Silva launched a National Plan for the Eradication of Slavery in March 2003. The penal code has been changed to improve the definition of slavery, and a so-called 'black list' developed of individuals and companies who have used slave labour and who should therefore not be allowed to access public financial support.

There has been an upsurge in the number of slave labourers freed by the Special Mobile Inspection Group, which was set up in 1995 to carry out raids on estates where slavery was being used. According to the non-governmental organisation CPT, the Pastoral Land Commission, numbers freed rose from 516 in 2000 to 4,879 in 2003, although they fell to 2,745 in 2004. The increase could be due to more effective government intervention rather than an increase in the use of slavery but it shows that the problem is still serious. Equally the drop in 2004 could have been caused by farmers' increasingly well-organised tactics, for example sending labourers off their land before inspectors arrive.

Continuing problems

Greater attention to the problem of slavery in Brazil has led to an increase in violence and intimidation against those working to stop the practice. In January 2003, three labour inspectors and their driver were murdered while on a routine inspection. Local judges, prosecutors and human rights activists have also faced numerous threats.

Work to combat slavery is held back by the lack of resources available, causing raids to be delayed and some remote areas not to be visited at all.

Those who are charged with using slave labour generally receive inadequate sentences. Fines imposed under labour laws are small and often go unpaid. Moreover, criminal charges are not brought, mainly due to confusion over whether the offence should be dealt with under local or federal law. While penalties remain weak and badly enforced, a situation of impunity exists where slave labour continues at high levels.

Measures such as income generating schemes, education, and land reform are needed to address the root causes of slavery, as well as continued widespread campaigns to raise awareness among labourers of their rights and of potential dangers.

Hope for change

Brazil's Congress has been debating a radical Bill that calls for the confiscation of land from landowners who use slave labour. It has been proposed that seized land should be redistributed through land reform programmes, thus addressing the poverty and landlessness that often drive people into a cycle of slavery. There are fears, however, that this Bill will be blocked by the landowners' lobby, as has been the case for the past 10 years.

Raimundo's story

Raimundo, aged 27, travelled from his home in Piauí state to find work in the state of Pará in July 2004. He was offered a job clearing forest on a farm. The rate of pay was agreed but when he arrived at the farm the owner said he would pay considerably less, as well as make deductions for food and tools. The work was extremely hard and often they had to go over land a second time to rip out roots and smaller bushes. "This way we were not able to make any money," Raimundo said, "we were making a loss. I was thinking about my family; at home they desperately needed money to survive."

Raimundo and his co-workers tried to negotiate better pay, but the farmer refused. So Raimundo decided to leave and asked to be paid what he was owed so far. "He said there was a lot left to do", Raimundo recalled, "and that nobody would leave the farm before the job was finished. And nobody would leave with money, all would leave owing him."

Raimundo decided to run away. He walked through the night, with no food and no money, and hitched a ride the next day. Raimundo arrived at the CPT's offices in September 2004. "On the way everybody warned me to be very careful," Raimundo said. "Others had run away from that farm before and the owner had them captured and brought back. They were forced to continue working after receiving a good beating."