Cases of exploitation of people subjected to working conditions analogous to slavery are still recorded in Brazil 134 years after the abolition of slavery.
An 86-year-old woman was rescued after working for the same family for 72 years. Born in Vassouras, in the Center-South of the state of Rio de Janeiro, the lady worked for the same family since she was 12 years old, for three generations.
She served every day, with no opportunity for study, vacation or salary. Currently, with advanced age, she continued to perform domestic duties such as cleaning, ironing, cooking and taking care of the housewife.
According to information from the Public Ministry of Labor (MPT), the case was considered the longest exploitation of a person in a situation of contemporary slavery in the country, since Brazil created an inspection system to face this type of crime, in May 1995. According to the agency, in the last 27 years, 58,166 people were rescued by the government.
The action that rescued the unidentified woman began on September 21, 2021. On May 5, the operation was completed. However, the process has not yet ended, as the payment of the victim’s wages and arrears is still under negotiation.
The rescue was carried out by the Regional Labor Superintendence of Rio and the Public Ministry of Labor and accompanied by the Integrated Action program. Since she was rescued on March 15, she has been receiving psychosocial care at a shelter run by the city of Rio de Janeiro. This was the first time she left the house where she worked.
“We need to understand what happened. Today the productive force is not so intense, but it takes care of the employer who has health problems. In the deposition she claimed that she would have to return home to bathe, give food and medicine to the lady she took care of, that she owed a debt of gratitude. She doesn’t have friends, she hasn’t studied, she doesn’t have the reins of her own life. She does what the employer determines, it is natural to want to go back to the environment, even if it is not worthy”, said Labor auditor Alexandre Lyra.
According to Lyra, people in the house stated that the elderly woman was “like family”, not being considered by them as a maid. “They said that domestic services were not work, but voluntary collaboration within the family. They say they had no reason to pay a salary if she was from the family, they used the expression ‘black mother’, she ate, slept in the place, there was no reason to receive a salary”, said the auditor.
For the social worker, Cristiane Lessa, the case can be compared to an abusive relationship.
“She never left the place, she never took a tour. She never tried to leave. Her routine was to live for them and for them. She was scared, insecure, anxious, thin. Our role was to bring her the notion of embracement, of full protection. To make her feel more belonging, welcomed. We are working to make her feel integrated here. She misses that place because it’s been years, but at the same time she doesn’t suffer for it. She has been living better every day”, reported the social worker.
According to Yasmin, victims worry about the “bosses” and often ask to return to their homes. The psychologist reports that this is common, because it is the only social interaction that the victim knows. In addition to welcoming, the MPT and the integrated actions of the city hall and the state try to locate the elderly’s family members.
Combating slave labor
Data from the Division for the Eradication of Slave Labor (Detrae) indicate that this is the first rescue this year, but it is the eighth since January 2021, only in Rio de Janeiro. Since 2017, in Brazil, there have been 64 cases of domestic slave labor, 31 of which last year.
Of the 1,930 people in slavery rescued in the country in 2021, 27 victims were in domestic service. In 2020, there were only three.
Since 1940, slave labor has become a crime in the country. Four elements can define contemporary slavery:
- forced labor: which involves curtailment of the right to come and go
- debt bondage: bondage tied to debt, often fraudulent
- degrading conditions: work that denies human dignity, putting health at risk
- exhausting journey: leading the worker to complete exhaustion given the intensity of exploitation, also putting health and life at risk
Note: the first version of this report stated that the rescued lady is 85 years old, the age has been corrected after updating.
Source: CNN Brasil
