“Inter-American Court hears evidence on slave labour in Brazil”, 22 February 2016

The Inter-American Court on Human Rights is…deciding on its first ever case related to slave labour – in a case brought to the regional tribunal by the anti-slavery campaign of the Brazilian Pastoral Land Commission (CPT) and the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), a human rights NGO. The testimony by CPT staff on 18 and 19 February was delivered after decades of sustained efforts to secure justice in the Brazil Verde Estate vs. Brazil case. The final verdict of the court should be given within the next six months. Between 1989 – 2000, 340 workers were rescued from slave labour on the Brazil Verde estate by Brazilian labour inspectors, and two teenagers working there had disappeared. According to their families, the boys were missing after trying to flee…[A]lthough there were several such inspections at the estate, none of the workers received reparations beyond their ordinary labour rights, and the necessary measures were not taken to penalise the perpetrators. The hearings are a landmark for anti-slavery efforts: CPT and CEJIL are focusing the attention of the Court on whether Brazil’s mechanisms for eradicating slavery are adequate, and whether they provide for appropriate support for rescued victims. The case could also have a catalytic effect across member states of the Organisation of American States…