Brazil

Slavery in Brazil

How do people become slaves?

The majority are in debt bondage. The debt is created by loans of money to persuade people to go to the Amazon for work. Once there they are forced to purchase food and goods on credit at high prices at the estate shop and are unable to pay off their debts.

Where is the slave labour?

Between 25,000 and 40,000 forced labourers work in the Amazon:

43% in ranching
28% in deforestation
24% in agriculture

Workers are often watched by armed guards and threatened with violence against them and their families. The Brazilian government is working to end slavery:

In March 2003 the national plan to Eradicate Slavery was launched. The Special Mobile Inspection Group and mobile courts set up in 2002 have released nearly 12,000 slaves between 2003 and 2005 but many remain.

Trafficking of Bolivians to Sao Paolo has lead to more than half of the 100,000 Bolivians there being irregular migrants.

Many work for Korean clothing factory bosses and experience harsh working and living conditions. They are paid very little and can work 16-18 hours a day.

The Independent Labour Organisation estimates there are 500,000 child domestic workers. A rapid assessment in 2004 of 1000 child domestic workers found:

most are girls of African-descent
most start working before 16 the legal minimum age
all worked at least 12 hours a day
13% got no payment at all

Taken from ‘Contemporary forms of slavery in Brazil’ by Anti-Slavery International 2006

How does this effect achieving the MDGs?

People in modern slavery will all be living on less than $1 a day, their children will not be able to go to school, they may well not have clean water etc. Tackling slavery is necessary for the poorest people to benefit from achieving the MDGs.