ILO releases documentary on slave labour with subtitles in English and Spanish

Film “Precisão” portrays the stories of six Brazilian workers rescued from working on conditions analogous to slavery

Notícias | 21 de Fevereiro de 2022
Brasília – The documentary “Precisão”, which portrays the life stories of six people rescued from working on conditions analogous to slavery in Brazil, is now available with subtitles in English and Spanish. (Watch the movie “Precisão”: with Spanish subtitles - short and full version) and with English subtitles - short and full version).

“Precisão” (“Neediness”) is a word commonly used in Northeastern states of Maranhão to define the extreme poverty and need to fight for survival. Living in conditions of socioeconomic vulnerability, many Brazilian workers end up being subjected to working conditions that resemble slavery (‘trabalho análogo ao escravo´ under Brazilian law).

Forced labour is a crime and a serious violation of human rights, and it is present in all regions of the world and in all types of economy. In both urban and rural areas, thousands of people are still exploited through forced labour.

"It's very sad, it's shameful to admit that forced labour still exists in Brazil. It exists.", says Marinaldo Soares Santos at the opening of the documentary.

Marinaldo is one of six workers whose stories are portrayed in the documentary. He started working at the age of 10 in agriculture and, at the age of 30, after a complaint presented by the NGO Centro de Defesa da Vida e dos Direitos Humanos/Carmen Bascarán (CDVDH/CB), Marinaldo was rescued from work in conditions similar to slavery during a labour inspection mission.

The concept of “trabalho analogo ao escravo” is provided by Brazilian legislation in the Article 149 of the Penal Code: “reduce someone to a condition analogous to slavery, either by subjecting a person to forced labour or exhausting working hours, or by subjecting a person to degrading working conditions.”, or restricting, by any means, his/her mobility by reason of debt contracted in respect of the employer or a representative of that employer.”

According to the Global Estimates of Modern Slavery released in 2017, it is estimated that around 40.3 million people are still subjected to modern slavery worldwide - with one in four victims being children.
From 2003 to 2021, labour inspectors in Brazil rescued more than 57,000 workers in conditions similar to slavery, according to data from the Observatory for the Eradication of Slave Labour and Human Trafficking. In 2021, 1,937 people were victims of this practice, the highest number since the 2,808 workers rescued in 2013, according to information from the Brazilian Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

There is a close relationship between child labour and forced labour, as many children and adolescents subjected to child labour may become victims of the exploitation that characterizes forced labour. According to data from the PNAD Continuous (National Household Sample Survey) of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), in 2019, there were about 1.7 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 17 trapped in child labour in Brazil.

The documentary “Precisão” was initially launched in Portuguese by the ILO and the Labour Prosecution Service (MPT), in 2019. Now the release of the film with subtitles in English and Spanish marks the World Day of Social Justice, celebrated on February 20. Proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 2007, the date aims to raise awareness of the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equality and access to social well-being and justice for all people.