ABA ROLI and PADF Host International Roundtable on Forced Labor in the Cattle Ranching Sector in Para, Brazil

Moderated by ABA ROLI’s Program Manager in Pará, Fernanda Brandão, the roundtable panelists included Luciana Conforti, President of the National Association of Labor Magistrates (ANAMATRA); Jônatas Andrade, Labor Judge at the Regional Labor Court of the 8th Region (TRT8); and Jarbas Vasconcelos, Secretary of SEIRDH. Also in attendance was Admar Júnior, State Coordinator for Combating Human Trafficking and Slave Labour in Bahia. According to Fernanda Brandão, ABA ROLI’s Program Manager in Pará, “The activity gathered key members and authorities involved in the topic of combatting contemporary slave labor in Pará and allowed the group to think through next steps to be implemented by this relevant commission.”  

Dr. Luciana Conforti emphasized the interconnection of the crime of slave labor with a series of other transgressions, notably environmental crime, including deforestation and fires. One considerable aspect is the handling of complaints within the Labor Courts. This is a complex issue as there is currently no effective structure for receiving and incorporating these complaints. As a crucial point to be addressed, these complaints need evaluation and the formulation of appropriate protocols to guarantee a consistent and responsive approach to complaints related to slave labor. 

According to Dr. Jonatas Andrade, updating the state plan for the eradication of slave labor is a priority, because it is not possible to know what the priorities of public policies are without it. Dr. Andrade also indicated that the solutions need to be systemic among all the actors. 

According to Admar Júnior, in 2007, several problems were identified in Bahia in the context of slave labor. At that time, they included a lack of coordination between institutions, a lack of knowledge about the existence of slave labor, challenges in identifying labor recruitment networks, as well as difficulties in informing workers about the real working conditions in the places of destination. In addition, there was a general lack of knowledge on the part of the workers about their own rights, isolation of victimized workers, as well as oversights and lack of interest on the part of both the municipal level and the authorities in general. The problems extended to the lack of a reliable mechanism for reporting, the lack of consideration of labor issues in the environmental permits granted, the inefficiency and insufficiency of police forces to monitor actions in public spaces, the lack of inter-state cooperation, and corruption in the bodies and institutions involved, among others. Coordinator Júnior stressed the importance of expanding the assistance network, improving the allocation of responsibilities to ease the burden on a single Secretariat. In addition, he indicated the need to train professionals from different areas, broadening the scope to reach a wider population of workers in situations analogous to slavery.

“The activity gathered key members and authorities involved in the topic of combatting contemporary slave labor in Pará and allowed the group to think through next steps to be implemented by this relevant commission.”

Fernanda Brandão

ABA ROLI’s Program Manager in Pará

In addition, Coordinator Júnior highlighted that "The 2nd International Colloquium on Forced Labor in the Cattle Ranching Sector in the state of Pará is of utmost importance for the cross-sector integration of this issue within the State Network. The participation of other stakeholders, such as COETRAE-Bahia, in discussing this topic alongside COETRAE-Pará, is essential for advancing this theme not only at the state level but also nationally. This practice should be extended to other states to work on this focus of public policy against forced labor, in coordination with civil society and public administration."

Pedro Cavalero, Director of SEIRDH, stressed the importance of revising the state plan. In the national context, there is already talk of a third plan, which prompts a complete process of reviewing and drawing up this third plan.  Arguing that the state plan should be revised promptly, Director Cavalero emphasized the importance of an integrated approach by law enforcement agencies. Indeed, the lack of effective dialogue is an obstacle, resulting in losses for those at the bottom of society who are subject to exploitation.

As Irina Bacci, Technical Director of the Fair Work Program, PADF, indicated, “This international meeting sought not only to strengthen COETRAE’s actions but also to share the important work that the state of Pará has historically undertaken to combat forced labor. The 2nd Colloquium brought together experts, managers, technicians, and civil society to expand the discussion and pursue necessary paths to remove Pará from the list of states with the highest cases of workers in forced labor conditions.” 

The program also included roundtable discussions on "Presentation of the Study on Barriers to Access to Justice and Formative Assessment of Prevalence Study" and "Strengthening the Protection Response to Forced Labor in the Cattle Ranching Sector in Pará - Challenges and Presentation of Projects Supported by the Donation Subfund," as well as two workshops on "Guidelines for Combating Work Analogous to Slavery: The National Protocol for Assisting Victims and Challenges for Implementing the State Protocol" and "Protocols for Humanized and Worker-Centered Assistance to Survivors and Vulnerable Workers in the Livestock Production Chains in the State of Pará."

“With ongoing research and partnerships now in place, we were able to demonstrate where the Clinic can act and contribute to combating forced labor in our region of the Pará Amazon."

Professor Valena Jacob

General Director of the Institute of Legal Sciences at UFPA

"The event is now in its second edition. The first was held last year at UFPA with the goal of introducing the project and establishing partnerships. With ongoing research and partnerships now in place, we were able to demonstrate where the Clinic can act and contribute to combating forced labor in our region of the Pará Amazon," noted Professor Valena Jacob, General Director of the Institute of Legal Sciences at UFPA.

The roundtable participants made valuable contributions, and support from the ABA ROLI and PADF teams was essential. COETRAE's next meeting will take place in September.

Below: Overview from 2nd International Colloquium on Forced Labor in the Cattle Ranching Sector in Pará