RURAL WORKERS IN BRAZIL: THE INCREASE OF SITUATION ANALOGOUS TO SLAVERY

Abstract

Contemporary slavery, where workers are found living in conditions akin to slavery. In this regard, this study aimed to analyze data on rural workers who fit into this situation between the period from 1995 to 2022. This work consists of a literature review conducted through searches in the electronic databases of Web of Science, Scopus, and the Ministry of Labor and Employment Treatment and Analysis: SmartLAb, in May 2023. The results revealed that the majority of workers are young men aged up to 29, representing 46.74% of rescued workers, with low educational attainment. 34% reported having completed only up to the 5th year of primary school, 28% are illiterate, and 15% reported having completed between the 6th and 9th grades. Regarding social and ethnic groups, it was reported that 50% are of mixed race and 21% are white. As for the economic sectors that exploit these workers, 29% were found in situations of distress on cattle farms, followed by sugarcane mills with 12%. In terms of the workers' places of origin, the state of Maranhão had 9,153 rescued workers nationwide, followed by Minas Gerais with 4,736, Bahia with 4,454, Pará with 3,463, and Piauí with 2,721 rescued workers. The municipalities were: São Paulo-SP with 884 workers, Amambaí-MS with 495, Codó-MA with 467, Redenção-PA with 384, and Campos dos Goytacazes-RJ with 322 workers. From the data analysis, it is concluded that there is a need to enforce labor laws with greater oversight in order to prevent the infringement of constitutional principles and the international rules described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.