Data consolidated by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in the last week, on the occasion of the National Day to Combat Slave Labor, show that the number of operations opened by the Federal Police to rescue workers in conditions analogous to slavery increased 470% in 2021 compared to the previous year. last year. There were 47 actions over the past year compared to 10 operations in 2020.
The data obtained by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo also show an increase in the number of investigations related to the topic. 306 inquiries were opened on slave labor in 2021, an increase of 30% compared to the 235 investigations carried out in the previous year, according to the Ministry.
The balance sheet shows that investigations into human trafficking for slave labor also jumped from 44 in 2020 to 81 in 2021, an increase of 84%.
In all, 732 workers were rescued up to December 9 from operations by the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police, Civil Police and Military Police. In 2020, this number was 419 people.
Rescues take place in different economic sectors, in rural and urban areas, such as plantations, mining, charcoal, civil construction, sewing workshops and domestic work.
Slave labor is defined by article 149 of the Penal Code as one that places the worker in a situation of restriction of freedom, degrading conditions, exhausting working hours or debt bondage. Complaints can be forwarded by phone at Dial 100 and over the internet at the Ministry of Economy and the Public Ministry of Labor.
Source: CNN Brasil
