Brazil rescues 69 forced‑labor workers and removes 62 children from illegal market jobs

The Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE) carried out two coordinated inspections in Bahia between 24 May and 3 June. In Seabra, auditors rescued 45 construction workers from a site on BR‑242 where they endured overcrowded shelters, unsafe conditions, unpaid contracts and up to 65 hours of work per week; the operation also uncovered 24 miners in underground quartz and barite pits in Novo Horizonte, 24 of whom were freed from debt‑bonded, hazardous labour. The rescued workers received severance payments, moral‑damage compensation and were transferred to special unemployment insurance, while the construction project was halted.

In Aracaju, Sergipe, labor auditors removed 62 children and adolescents aged 11‑17 from six city markets between 30 May and 3 June, acting under a national campaign for the World Day Against Child Labour. The minors had been carrying merchandise and selling goods in conditions deemed harmful to health and development. They were referred to social‑protection services and, for those 14 and older, to professional apprenticeship programmes. Regional coordinator Liana Carvalho warned that “the scenario repeats frequently… nothing changed,” and the municipal authorities will be asked to supply documentation and take corrective measures.