Country Report: Brazil

Forced at gunpoint to cut down remote rainforests, Brazilian slaves produce charcoal for no pay.

A Victim's Story

Jobless and hungry, the Rocha family followed the promise of the gato (recruiter) and traveled by truck to the Minas Gerais region hoping for a better life. After arriving at the batteria (work camp), the gato informed the Rochas - at gunpoint - that they would be charged for travel, tools, food, and shelter. The family suddenly found itself trapped in forced labor, working 18-hour days to pay off an ever-accruing debt. While at the batteria, Marta Rocha, eight years old, inhaled smoke on a regular basis. She began to cough blood and now can no longer work. The Rochas are underfed and their debt continues to amass with no end in sight. Marta's medical needs further increase the debt, and without her work, the debt climbs even higher. Hundreds of miles from their native village, the Rochas are isolated and enslaved in their own country.

The Rochas are only a few of the roughly 30,000 people enslaved in debt bondage in Brazil (some estimates cite as many as 100,000 slaves). Unlike the Rochas, many victims are lured to remote regions of the rainforest and surrounded by armed guards where poor Brazilians clear the forest, produce charcoal, and maintain the camps. No one is paid, nor do they have the freedom to leave.

Country Background

With a population of 175 million people, Brazil is the largest country in South America. Brazil is well-developed, has a high standard of education, and is primarily Roman Catholic. After years of economic instability, Brazil has one of the greatest economic disparities in the world, with most of the land owned by a small minority of the population. Rainforest depletion is also a problem, as 20% of the original forest has already been destroyed. Industrial growth has encouraged the government to permit businesses to "mine" the forest for wood to make charcoal - necessary for producing steel and other products.

Causes of Slavery

The primary cause of slavery in Brazil is the country's extreme economic imbalance. A surplus of available labor - used for short intervals - has yielded high unemployment. Once workers clear forest in their particular geographic area, they often find themselves jobless. Desperate for work, the unemployed are easily tempted by gatos, who promise work in other regions of the country. For deforestation companies, who must compete in today's global economy, slaves are extremely cost-effective - they work up to 18 hours a day, seven days a week, for no pay.

The Process of Enslavement

When a charcoal maker needs new workers, he hires a gato to find slaves for him. The gato visits an impoverished town and offers jobs in remote areas of the rainforest. For hungry, unemployed, or otherwise impoverished people, the gatos' promises are enthralling: steady work, food, shelter, funds to send home to the family, and a pleasant journey to the camp. Yet once people commit to the gato, their identification and labor cards (required work documents in Brazil) are confiscated to reduce the potential for escape. Once in the camp, workers must cut and clear trees, and then they burn wood into charcoal. It is especially grueling inside the charcoal oven, where workers have no protective clothing. The heat burns their bodies and the smoke is unbearable, often causing chronic internal injuries.

After a few years, or sometimes just a few months, workers lose their "value" due to injuries caused by the harsh work environment. Because replacements can be easily found, gatos discard older or injured workers without care. Yet in many cases, these "freed" slaves actually end up back in the camp, as they have cannot find work without their identification and labor cards. Escape is extremely difficult because the batterias are guarded by armed men, many of whom are actually enslaved themselves.

The gato is just one villain in the institution of Brazilian slavery. Gatos are simply middlemen, and in some cases, owners actually enslave the gatos who do not make enough money. The owner of the batteria is most often a contractor from a large corporation that owns the land. These various parties contribute to the institution and enable it to endure in Brazil.

Products

Among many items produced by Brazilian charcoal, the steel in automobiles is one example of imported products that have been made partially by slave labor.

Response on the Ground

The Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) of Brazil works against slavery. CPT lobbies the Brazilian Government to enforce the laws prohibiting slavery, and have helped reduce the number of children forced to work for no pay.

More Information

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