As part of the capacity building activities carried out in partnership with the Labor Ministry (MPT) in Brazil, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) organized a training session for the social services support network, which provides assistance to forced labor victims in Redenção, Pará.
“This is a project that is being implemented throughout Brazil, in various regions in partnership with the MPT and other institutions. Here in Redenção, we are partnering with PADF and the State Public Ministry,” explains Dr. Silvia Silva da Silva, MPT labor prosecutor.
The collaborative work of PADF and MPT in Pará has been ongoing since the end of last year with the training of the support network for victims of forced labor, conducted in the municipalities of Marabá, Ulianópolis, São Felix do Xingu, and Dom Eliseu.
“This training marks the completion of the first phase of activities carried out in partnership with the Labor Ministry, focusing on the training of professionals who are on the front lines so that we can improve the human-centered care for vulnerable workers and survivors of forced labor in the municipality and the region,” says José Amaral, psychosocial technical advisor at PADF.
According to SmartLab data, from 1995 to 2022, approximately 16,807 people were rescued from the cattle ranching sector in Brazil, with 8,889 in the state of Pará alone and 277 in the municipality of Redenção. According to Labor Judge Dr. Otávio Bruno, training strengthens organizations, institutions, and agencies. “The importance of a training event is that organizations, institutions, and agencies can recognize when a worker seeking assistance has been a victim of conditions analogous to slavery,” he points out.
The program included discussions on the role of the Labor Ministry and the Federal Police in combating forced labor and human trafficking, as well as addressing “Legal Aspects for Combating Human Trafficking: Main Challenges and Related Practical Issues” and “Protocols for Combating Human Trafficking and Forced Labor: Active Listening.”
“The training was very valuable; it was great to see the operations, how actions are taken, and what the government does for these people. We need awareness-raising actions on this issue to continue, engaging more people in the fight against conditions analogous to slavery,” says Talita Leão Gomes, Coordinator Nurse of Epidemiological Surveillance in Redenção.
Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS) Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons Persons This website article was funded by a grant from the United States Department of State. The opinions, findings and conclusions stated herein are those of the author[s] and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of State.
