Brazil abolished slavery of new-borns in 1871, and, supposedly, all slavery in 1888.
Slavery in Cuba (and the Caribbean) was abolished in 1886. Slavery in French Guiana of ex-prisoners continued until after WWII.
Peonage in the U.S. is prosecuted almost every year. Recently, a number of Thai prisoners were freed from slavery in California.
Chinese and Filipino slaves are still held in Saipan, Commonwealth of Marianas.
However, in 1996 the following was put on the web.
A survey by the Pastoral Land Commission in Sao Paulo uncovered 25,000
Brazilians working in conditions of slavery or semi-slavery last year. Forty per cent
of them are children between the ages of 7 and 16.
Official Ministry of Labour data back up the findings. Fifty-six firms were
charged last year for different sorts of human exploitation. A typical finding was the
discovery of hundreds of men, women and children, especially Indians, working
15-hour shifts in return for a meal, under the supervision of hired gunmen. Rising
unemployment has contributed to the problem. Jose de Souza Martins, a sociologist
at Sao Paulo University, who has been researching the issue for 18 years, estimates
that there are up to 95,000 slaves in the country.
For more information, contact: Brazil Network, PO Box 1325, London, SW9. |
