Learn to recognize and denounce work analogous to slavery

A complaint is the gateway to revealing cases of work analogous to slavery linked to domestic services, which occur inside homes and involve victims in situations of social vulnerability, with low education and little access to investigation channels.

According to auditor Maurício Krepsky, head of the Inspection Division for the Eradication of Slave Labor, it is difficult to identify situations that involve domestic activity if it is not through a report. “Usually the report is not made by the victim, it is someone who is outside and watching, so getting that information is extremely important.”

“Sometimes, [a vítima] does not have access to people or places where the report can be made. Sometimes, they are not even aware of the degree of exploitation to which they are subjected, because slave labor mainly affects people who are highly socially vulnerable, says Medina.

The topic gained more debate and space in recent weeks with the podcast A Mulher da Casa Abandonada, produced by Sheet. It portrays the story of a Brazilian woman who kept a maid in conditions analogous to slavery for 20 years in the USA.

Work analogous to slavery can be present in any sector, in urban or rural areas. According to Italvar Medina, prosecutor for the MPT (Public Ministry of Labor), most of the rescues in 2021 were made from coffee plantations, in rural areas, and from the civil construction and domestic work sectors, in urban areas.

The conditions that characterize work analogous to slavery are provided for in article 149 of the Penal Code. Work in degrading conditions, forced labor, exhausting working hours and situations that amount to debt slavery are recurrent.

It is not necessary for all aspects to be present; any of these situations can already constitute work analogous to slavery and, in case of suspicion, the complaint can be made through the Ipê System.

See how to identify a case of work analogous to slavery

degrading conditions

There is denial of basic rights for the dignity of the worker. “He is not guaranteed a decent diet, he often does not have access to potable water, to housing with the minimum quality and comfort, access to health and safety measures at work, there is no respect for rest, there is sometimes even no payment of remuneration”, explains Medina.

There are situations in which rural workers are rescued in canvas shacks, forced to look for their own food and drink water from streams and ponds.

Forced labour

Threats, physical aggression, restriction of the use of means of transport and retention of documents, such as migrant workers’ passports, are measures used to prevent or hinder the victim’s departure from the workplace.

exhausting journey

The exhausting journey lasts a long time and is so intense that it can lead to a total depletion of energies and illness.

debt bondage

The employer leads the worker to constitute debts fraudulently. The employee is never able to pay off the false debt he would have contracted.

“So the employer, for example, charges his own protection instruments, charges the worker for groceries at overpriced prices, charges the means of transport for the worker to go to the farm, and with that practically all the money the worker earns reverts to back to the employer.”

When and how to make a complaint?

If you suspect that someone is being subjected to work analogous to slavery, report the situation on the Ipê System form: www.ipe.sit.trabalho.gov.br or in person, at the units of the Public Ministry of Labor or Regional Labor Superintendencies , by phone from the units or through Dial 100.

“The person doesn’t even need to use the word ‘slave labor’ if he doesn’t want to, he needs to describe the facts”, says Medina.

It is possible to report anonymously, but Krepsky emphasizes the importance of leaving at least one contact number: “Many people are afraid to report and identify themselves, but we need to get in touch with the informant at some point, even to ensure the efficiency of the tax action, sometimes having some detail that the person did not mention and we would need to know.”

The whistleblower’s data is confidential and is not disclosed, as is the very existence of the complaint and its content.

“By legal obligation, we cannot even say whether the tax action is the subject of a complaint, let alone reveal the source”, explains auditor Maurício Krepsky, head of the Inspection Division for the Eradication of Slave Labor.