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NEWS FROM BRAZIL supplied by SEJUP (Servico
Brasileiro de Justica e Paz).
Number 504, February 6, 2004
Human trafficking: A Modern Form of Slavery
Although slavery officially ended in Brazil at the end of the 19th
century, it continues in practice into the 21st century here and in other
parts of the world. One modern form of slavery that has most recently
manifested itself is “human trafficking.” Worldwide, there are over 4
million victims of this type of slavery which generates 12 billion dollars
per year. The majority of victims are women and children.
Next month, a new study concerning human trafficking will begin in four
states here in Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Ceará and Goiás. The
Ministry of Justice has already determined that in all airports and bus
terminals there will be phone numbers posted to where people can call when
they suspect a case of human trafficking. However, various women’s
groups, such as Service to Marginalized Women, have complained that those
who administrate airports and bus station are not given proper
orientation. They say it is easier to find a phone numbers to denounce
trafficking wild animals than humans.
The difficulty of implementing a program against human trafficking, women
specifically, is partly due to the nature of the crime; that is, due to
machismo in the society, many men do not feel that women have any rights
to begin with, much less women who are engaged in prostitution. This
attitude is evident in that very few cases of women trafficking are
investigated and the perpetrators punished.
Leila Paiva, the coordinator of one governmental initiative called the
Global Program of Prevention of Human Trafficking, explains that one of
the objectives of her program is to expose the barriers which prevent
culprits from being punished. The study being done by this group will
include an analysis of cases which are currently being investigated. And
this will only be a study of known cases. Paiva further commented that the
well of violence is probably much deeper because, according to a study
that the US State Department did in 2001, Brazil is considered to be one
of the principle sources of human trafficking domestically and
internationally, Regarding the trafficking of women, Brazil is responsible
for 15% of women trafficked in South America, a great majority being from
the northern part of the country where there are borders with seven
countries.
The majority of the women who are exported to other countries are lured in
by false promises. These women want to better their lives, but find
themselves in worse situations than they had at home--they often are held
prisoners, are treated poorly, have their documents taken from them, and
are in the country illegally, and hence no recourse. Most of the women are
young--between 12 and 18 years old, have little schooling, and are of
African descent. Many are trying to support a child, and have suffered
some sort of sexual violence.
Currently, the “market value” of a Brazilian woman is up to US$15,000.
A study of the Center of Studies of Children and Adolescents showed that
there are 241 trafficking routes in 20 states of Brazil. More than half of
these routes lead to international destinations. The majority of these
routes originate in the North and Northeastern states, which are the
poorest regions of the country.
An Animal in a Zoo
Below is the testimony of L.A.S., a young woman ensnared in the traps of
human trafficking:
I was born in Poranga, Ceará, near the border with Piauí. Like all of
the young girls in my city, I began to go out with boys early, at 12 years
of age. At age 14, my father kicked me out of the house because of a boy I
was dating. My mom didn’t say anything, so I just had to leave. I
hitchhiked alone to Fortaleza. I had never seen such a huge city. I
started to “make a life” [prostitute] for myself, some days earning up
to R$100, while other days I didn’t even make enough to eat. At one
point, I tried to be a cashier, but one day a former client recognized me,
so I got scared and left the job. I later had to return to prostitution.
One day, a taxi driver talked to me and invited me to go to Europe. He
said that I was pretty, and I could work as a model. Who knows, maybe I
could marry and get my life in order. I was 17 at the time. I was afraid
in the beginning, but after talking to him everyday, I finally accepted.
It took him a month to arrange everything for me. He got me a passport, a
ticket, and some clothes for cold weather which he said I would need. I
traveled on August 18, 2002 to Spain. He told me that when I arrive, there
would be another taxi driver who speaks Portuguese and would leave me at
the house where I would be staying. I had US$100 and all of my documents
with me, along with a lot of fear and many dreams. Three other girls went
with me.
I thought I was going to make a lot of money and would be able to help my
family. But it was all a lie. After we arrived at the airport, the taxi
driver, who was Spanish and didn’t speak Portuguese, took our passports.
He said that we should trust him because the city was very dangerous. When
we arrived at the place, we saw that it was in fact a house of
prostitution. It was only then that we got the truth: the work was from 6
p.m. to 6 a.m., everyday except for Monday. The house manager had paid for
the air fare, some R$5,000, which they had not told us in Brazil. If we
wanted to leave, we could get back our passports, but only after we paid
off the manager. Later we discovered that the Spanish taxi driver was
connected to a European trafficker who got us in Fortaleza.
Before leaving Brazil, I suspected prostitution but I never imagined that
I would be a prisoner, threatened day and night. At the house, we were
slaves. I never got anything, not money, not clothes. I didn’t have my
documents so I couldn’t leave. We were given very little food, and we
had to stay up until 5 a.m. every day, trying to get customers. We
couldn’t even leave the house without being accompanied by
“security.” One of the girls was threatened with death after she left
for a weekend. They thought she went looking for the Brazilian consulate.
We never had routine medical exams, much less tests for AIDS.
I fled when I met a Brazilian customer to whom I told my story. It seems
that he had contact with other groups because nine days after I told him
my story he returned, gave me a false passport and a ticket back to
Brazil.
I escaped, but even today I think of my friends there who are being held
prisoners, like animals in a zoo.
Source: Brasil de Fato
January 29-February 4, 2004
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The reproduction of this material is permitted as long as the source is
cited.
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