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Brazilian authorities on Friday rescued eight Bolivian migrants who were working as slaves in a textile workshop in Sao Paulo.
The victims suffered work days of up to 14 hours and stayed all day in the premises, where they slept next to the sewing machines, according to the Secretary of Justice and Citizenship of Sao Paulo in a note, reported the EFE agency.
In this case, the Police arrested two people responsible for the business, located in the commercial neighborhood of Bom Retiro, in the center of the São Paulo capital, and who will answer to the Justice for “human trafficking and illicit association.”
“These traffickers end up deceiving these people with false promises of opportunities and a better life,” said Sao Paulo Secretary of Justice and Citizenship Fernando José da Costa, quoted in the statement.
Open doors
Da Costa indicated that the rescued Bolivian migrants will be able to take Portuguese courses and professional training so that they can more easily enter the formal Brazilian labor market, the agency adds.
According to data from the Ministry of Labor, nearly 2,000 people were rescued from working conditions analogous to slavery in 2021 in Brazil, which is the highest number since 2013.
Likewise, the portfolio calculates that in 2021 more than 1,800 children were in a situation of child labor in Brazil.
It is not the first case of this type reported in Brazil. Thousands of Bolivians have come to that nation in search of employment opportunities.
The situation of the rescued compatriots is unknown and if they seek they return to the country.
