Modern Slaves Get Help From Government in Brazil to Find a New Life

Brazil’s Labor Prosecutor’s Office is working on a social workers network to provide post-rescue care to victims of modern slavery and help prevent potential victims from trafficking.

Though more than 54,000 workers have been rescued from harsh labor conditions since Brazil acknowledged slave labor existed in its nation, many victims are unaware of their rights and what to do after they are rescued.

“(They) need to be reinserted into society and the labor market,” says Livia Miraglia, coordinator of Clinica de Escravo e Trafico de Pessoas, a program at Minas Gerais Federal University that provides legal help to survivors. “They need to know that they have rights and can have a new life. This is the most important thing.”

The system is expected to take off in 2020, where social workers would make sure survivors are cared for, including ensuring children are enrolled in school and victims are signed up to government aid schemes and social assistance programs that give underprivileged families a monthly allowance beyond the three-month unemployment benefit.