Brazil Includes 204 Employers on Slave Labor List

On Thursday, the administration of President Lula da Silva added 204 employers and individuals to a "blacklist" that records those subjecting their workers to conditions akin to slavery.

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The majority of the recently added individuals work in the agriculture and mining sectors. Specifically, 23 are involved in charcoal production, 22 in livestock farming, 12 in coffee cultivation, and 11 in stone extraction. Additionally, 19 others maintained domestic employees in conditions that violated their labor rights.

Among the businesses included in the list is a ranch located in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, where labor inspectors uncovered 80 people in exploitative working conditions.

The "blacklist," established two decades ago to publicize the names of those who violate labor laws, is updated semi-annually with employers facing firm administrative decisions without the possibility of judicial recourse.

Conditions akin to slavery encompass violations such as subjecting employees to grueling, long work hours, degrading tasks, as well as mobility restrictions and confiscation of identification documents.

Since 1995, when data collection began, Brazil's Labor Inspection has rescued 61,711 exploited workers, with the vast majority of cases occurring in rural areas.

The highest number of people rescued from situations akin to slavery occurred in 2007 when authorities freed over 6,000 workers. In 2022, the number of rescued workers stood at 2,481, and as of 2023, authorities have liberated 1,443 individuals.