Brazil rescues elderly couple and woman from decades‑long forced‑labour conditions

Labor auditors rescued an 84‑year‑old man and his 66‑year‑old wife from a dilapidated shack on a rural property near Guarapuava, Paraná, where they had lived and worked in conditions akin to slavery for about 20 years. The couple had no formal employment record, received pay below the regional minimum and lacked basic utilities, prompting the Ministry of Labor and the Public Labor Prosecutor's Office to intervene. The property owner agreed to pay roughly R$50,000 in severance and R$20,000 for moral damages.

In a separate case, a 62‑year‑old woman was rescued in Bragança Paulista, São Paulo, after enduring 49 years of forced labour that began when she was 12. She was denied education, holidays and proper wages, and her pension was misappropriated by the family that kept her in the household. Inspectors ordered compensation of about R$1.7 million, covering back wages, vacations, a thirteenth salary and moral damages. Both rescues were conducted by the Ministry of Labor’s inspection service in coordination with the Public Labor Prosecutor’s Office, highlighting ongoing forced‑labour violations in Brazil.