On Friday, inspectors from Brazil’s Ministry of Labor released 17,212 agricultural workers who had been kept in conditions “Similar to slavery”The ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said that these workers were released during inspections in alcohol and sugarcane producers in three municipalities in the states of Minas Gerais (southeast) and Goias (central west).
sequel after announcement
He explained that this intervention raises to 890 the number of workers detained in undignified conditions who have been released since the beginning of 2023.
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According to the same source, the employers did not provide the workers with food, forced them to pay for their work tools and accommodation in unsanitary places, and did not provide them with appropriate protective equipment while they were exposed to toxic products.
The Federal Police opened an investigation.
sequel after announcement
In Brazil, modern slavery is mainly involved in agricultural activities, including sugarcane and coffee, but cases have also been reported in urban areas, including clothing, domestic work, and construction.
Workers are often recruited by intermediary pharmacies in poor areas of the north-east.
In 2022, the Brazilian Ministry of Labor rescued 2,075 people in this situation, the highest number since 2013 (2,808).
