Mato Grosso and Paraíba Progress on Brazil's Anti‑Slave Labor Initiatives

The State Commission for Combating Slave Labor (Coetrae) in Mato Grosso reported that 70% of the goals of its third State Plan to eradicate slave labor have been achieved within two and a half years of its 2024 launch. The plan, comprising 151 targets across assistance, prevention, repression, management and governance, aims for completion by 2030. Highlights include the rescue of 627 workers in 2025, training of 150 civil police officers in the "Escravo, Nem Pensar!" methodology, and the provision of the same training to teachers in all state schools. A partnership with the Integrated Action Project (PAI) equipped 370 social workers and psychologists, while 60 community leaders from indigenous, quilombola and other groups received capacity‑building.

In the neighboring state of Paraíba, officials announced that more than 100 survivors of modern slavery have been rescued so far this year, adding to over 300 rescues in the previous year. Recent operations freed more than 60 miners in the Várzea region and rescued young girls trafficked for sexual exploitation. Paraíba now has the highest per‑capita number of rescues in Brazil, a result of sustained public‑awareness campaigns and coordination between the state’s anti‑slave‑labor commission, the human‑trafficking task force and the Federal University of Paraíba.

Both states underscore Brazil’s intensified governmental response to forced labour and human‑trafficking, positioning their regional commissions as models for national policy.