/* Written 12:08 am Jan 14, 1993 by newsdesk in igc:ips.englibrary */
/* ---------- "BRAZIL: A CENTURY AFTER ABOLITION, " ---------- */
Copyright Inter Press Service 1993, all rights reserved. Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.
Title: BRAZIL: A CENTURY AFTER ABOLITION, SLAVERY STILL EXISTS
an inter press service feature
by ricardo de bittencourt
rio de janeiro, jan 9 (ips) -- condemned and abolished around the
globe over a century ago, slavery is making a surreptitious
comeback throughout brazil's poor rural countryside.
formally banned in brazil in 1889, traditional slavery -- with
some cosmetic changes and twentieth century innovations -- has
resurfaced, according to a denunciation from the brazilian
catholic church's pastoral commission for the earth (pce).
according to a report presented this week by pce president
monsenor augusto rocha, at least 14,000 workers live in
conditions of semi- or total slavery throughout the country.
however, this number could be far below the actual figure.
a study conducted by sociologist jose de souza martins, of sao
paulo university, showed that in the past 20 years over 60,000
brazilians were subjected to forced labour.
''we've moved beyond 'semi,' this is full slavery. how else
can you term the economic exploitation of people using violence,
the depravation of liberty, and even, torture?'' martins told
ips.
despite small regional variations, modern slavery in brazil
shares many characteristics, including the use of violence,
'recruitment' from places far from the work site, illegal and
clandestine jobs, and indenture of the worker via the sale of
food and clothing at exaggerated prices.
intermediaries travel to depressed rural areas throughout
brazil and, like an old-time slave traders, choose the strongest,
the neediest, those without families, and those with already
broken spirits.
instead of wages, they offer promises: free transport, good
salaries, cheap lodging and food, working papers.
once there, the worker must sleep under plastic tarps, is
charged restaurant prices for bad food, and already has a running
debt with the 'employer' before work begins.
since the worker has no money, he is forced to work off his
debt. however, as he is obliged to eat and buy clothes at the company
store, his debt grows. he is indentured and unable to leave
until every last penny is paid back. (more/ips)
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brazil: a century (2)
according to martins, ''only five in every 100 are able to
escape this trap. they are the ones who have told us how many
others are on the plantations and in the coal mines, how many
died trying to flee and how many are tortured to serve as
examples.''
the owners almost never appear, and when confronted, often
deny having signed any contract with the workers. responsibility
is often assumed by managers or foremen, who are compensated for
their troubles.
at times, the owners even present themselves as
''benefactors'' who have graciously given these people a chance
to work for them.
''slavery is becoming common in brazil near the dawn of the
twenty-first century, and the situation has worsened under the
government of (recently resigned) president fernando collor,''
monsenor rocha said.
still, the pce figures do not so much indicate the growth of
slavery as an increased awareness of the problem. in 1990, 1,599
cases were reported; in 1991, 4,883; and in 1992, 13,976.
one case involved 8,000 charcoal workers in the southern rio
pardo region, where slavery resurfaced in the mid-1980's, after
plans to industrialise the area with a paper and pulp mill
failed.
the ambitious project left 600,000 hectareas planted with pine
and eucalyptus, whose only use today is in the production of
charcoal destined for the steel mills of sao paulo and minas
gerais.
the failure of this project gave rise to the use of slave
labour.
''the scenes of human degradation found in the charcoal plants
can only be compared to the nazi concentration camps,'' state
deputy jose miranda dos santos, a member of a legislative
commission investigating the matter, told ips.
the large landowners and businesses have denied any
responsibility, shifting the blame to the foremen and managers at
the plants.
at least 13 assassinations of rural workers have been
attributed to armed guards working for the large businesses, but
local police, with only seven agents for 17,300 square
kilometers, have been unable to investigate the crimes.
(more/ips)
----
brazil: a century (3)
''something similar occurred last decade, at the volkswagen
plant in rio cristalino valley, in the northern state of para.
the business professed to be unaware of conditions at the plant
and blamed alleged subcontractors,'' martins said.
six hundred workers at the plant were found working in
sub-human conditions, under the ''supervision'' of a private
militia armed with machine-guns.
while volkswagen was able to side-step the charge of
exploiting slave labour, international repurcussions forced the
transnational to sell the huge holding to the japanese firm
matsubara.
''as long as there is no way to punish and hold the owners
responsible, instead of their subordinates, there will be no
solution to the problem of rural slavery,'' martins concluded.
(end/ips/trd/so/rb/ds/eli/93)
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