PF investigates case of indigenous person in alleged slave labor – 03/17/2023 – Market

The Federal Police is investigating the case of a 21-year-old indigenous woman who is said to be being held in conditions analogous to slavery in Sorocaba (99 km from São Paulo). The young woman would work as a nanny for a couple’s nine-year-old daughter. An inquiry was launched and the suspects, who are free, will still be heard by the PF.

Police have not officially released the name of the couple or their defense attorney. The report, however, obtained the suspect’s contact and sought him out by phone. The man just said he wouldn’t manifest and hung up.

According to the regional head of Inspection at the Ministry of Labor and Employment, Ubiratan Vieira, the couple confessed to the agency’s inspectors that the young woman worked without rest with precarious accommodation and salary discounts.

They signed a conduct adjustment term. Among the agreed items are the initial payment of BRL 20,000 to the victim, in ten days, for labor rights.

Lawyer Emanuela Barros, who represents the indigenous woman, obtained an urgent protective measure in court so that the couple does not approach the young woman, who for the time being has been welcomed by an NGO.

A Sheet, over the phone, the indigenous woman said that she slept on a mattress on the floor in a room with toys and that she worked days without days off. She says she was prevented by the couple from starting an internship in a course in the area of ​​nursing that she attended.

She claims that the woman had told her that she would pay R$700 per month.

The young woman lived in the Cartucho indigenous village, in the Amazon. According to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, when looking for work in the city of São Gabriel da Cachoeira, I found out through an ad on Facebook that a person was looking for an employee with no experience.

She went to Manaus and from there flew to Campinas, where she was welcomed by the couple. The travel costs were paid by the employers.

Still according to the agency, the agreement would be for the young woman to receive a minimum wage for her work as a nanny, but, since her arrival, the travel expenses have been deducted. Afterwards, R$ 350 were deducted from the payment, on the grounds that the couple had bought a cell phone for the nanny.

After the indigenous woman started taking the nursing course, paid for by her bosses, she says she started to receive only R$5 (result of discounting monthly fees).

The young woman worked in the house without registration and without any social security payments since August 14, 2021, according to the agency.

Deputy Márcio Magno said that the police investigation had been initiated and that the suspect couple should be heard in the next few days.

In addition to labor irregularities, the indigenous woman told the report that she was also the victim of harassment by her employer, and said that she was being watched by cameras.

A friend of the young woman reported the situation to the Tutelary Council, which called the Ministry of Labor and Employment. On the 10th, inspectors from the agency visited the couple’s property to subpoena them.

The young woman’s lawyer said that she only learned about the conditions in which she was living after she started studying, and that she would not be the first indigenous woman that the suspected couple had hired.

“The investigated woman is from the same region of Amazonas. She is not the first person they hire to work in this situation. It is a couple who have a good social level and who work in areas where knowledge is needed. They could not act as if they were unaware of the law,” said Barros.

According to Ubiratan Vieira, from the ministry, the possibility of human trafficking should be investigated.

“Lack of employee registration, non-payment of at least one full minimum wage, work analogous to slavery, as well as human trafficking. If convicted, the penalty can reach up to eight years of imprisonment in a closed regime”, says Vieira .

Also according to the head of inspection, this is the first case registered in Sorocaba of work analogous to slavery involving indigenous people. He suspects that the practice is common and that it may be repeating itself in condominiums in the city.

“We made it official to the Federal Police so that they take measures in the criminal area in relation to this case, which is extremely serious. We are going to run more campaigns so that more people report it. It is already known that in many high-end condominiums there are other indigenous people who were brought to work,” he said.