Ray of hope

 
Published: Sunday 31 October 2004

Thousands of slave labourers in Brazil have something to rejoice about. The Brazilian Congress recently passed a constitutional amendment that is crucial to the eradication of the inhuman practice in the country. The amendment states that any rural or urban property found using slave labour would be confiscated and used for agrarian reforms or low-income housing programmes. What is more, the owners of such properties would not be given any compensation. The amendment has to be voted again in the Congress, but the result of the first voting reveals tremendous support for it.

According to estimates, there are upto 100,000 slave labourers in Brazil. The government has recently accelerated efforts to end the practice. The number of slave labourers rescued in 2003 was the same as the number rescued from 1995 to 2002.

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