Brasilia, Apr 3 (Prensa Latina) The Ministry of Labor and Employment and the Federal Police of Brazil rescued four Argentine workers in conditions analogous to slavery, in the municipality of Nova Petrópolis, state of Rio Grande do Sul, authorities confirmed.
The law enforcement agency indicated that one of the victims is a minor (14 years old) and that it received information that the four, who were cutting firewood on a rural property, were abandoned by their employers and were without resources for food and lodging.
Federal agents, military and prosecutors from the labor portfolio went to the indicated place and found the workers, camped in the forest, in unhealthy circumstances, without drinking water, bathrooms and electricity.
For the time being, the relevant authorities are coordinating with the Argentinean consulate the possibility of the workers returning to their country.
A man, who was supposed to be responsible for this condition, was arrested in flagrante delicto and taken to the Federal Police in the municipality of Caxias do Sul.
He was sent to the penitentiary system and remains at the disposal of the Federal Justice.
According to official data from the Labor Inspection, the number of people rescued in this situation doubled in two years, from 936 in 2020 to 2075 in 2022.
The figure for the past calendar is the highest since 2013 (2008). An emblematic case shook 2023 when 207 people working in undignified conditions for three large wineries in Bento Gonçalves, a southern region of Brazil recognized abroad for its wine production, especially sparkling wines, were rescued.
Source : Plenglish
