Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Brazil (Ratification: 1957)
Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 - Brazil (Ratification: 2025)

The Committee welcomes the ratification by Brazil of the Protocol of 2014 to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930. The Committee hopes that the Government will provide detailed information on the application of the Protocol, in accordance with the report form adopted by the Governing Body.

The Committee notes the observations of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), received on 14 August 2024, and the observations of the Single Confederation of Workers (CUT), received on 2 September 2024.

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. “Labour akin to slavery”. 1. Systematic and coordinated action. In its previous comments, the Committee requested the Government to continue to combat forced labour in a systematic and coordinated manner, in particular by implementing the actions set out in the second National Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labour (PNETE Plan II). The Committee notes with regret the lack of information provided by the Government on this subject and on the actions taken by the National Commission for the Eradication of Slave Labour (CONATRAE). The Committee notes that, according to information available on the government website, a PNETE Plan III is being developed to adapt national policy to the current reality of slave labour in the country. This plan is based on the principles of prevention, repression and socio-economic reintegration.

The Committee notes that, in its observations, the CNI indicates that Brazil is a benchmark in the fight against forced labour and that the effectiveness of its actions depends on the capacity for coordination between the Government, civil society and the private sector. It highlights the important role played by the private sector in this fight, citing, for example, the adoption by several textile enterprises of a monitoring programme to ensure that there is no use of slave labour in their activities. The Committee notes that the CUT considers that, although Brazil has made considerable progress over the years, certain obstacles prevent the fight against this crime from being truly effective and more efficient, particularly in the areas of inspection and repression. The CUT indicates that the figures for identified victims remain alarming, with 3,100 in 2023 alone, and an increase in cases in domestic work.

Recalling the importance of taking systematic and coordinated action throughout the country, the Committee trusts that the Government will take the necessary measures to adopt a new National Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labour. It requests the Government to provide information in this regard, as well as on the measures taken by CONATRAE to ensure the coordination and evaluation of national action, specifying the results achieved and the difficulties encountered.

2. Action by the labour inspection services. The Committee previously requested the Government to intensify its efforts to provide the labour inspection services, and particularly the Special Mobile Inspection Group (GEFM), with sufficient human and financial resources to be able to carry out their mission throughout the territory. The Government indicates that in 2021 the number of GEFM teams was increased and that training on “slave labour” was provided to labour inspectors in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The Government also refers to the Ipê platform, which allows people to report situations of labour in conditions akin to slavery. Complaints are handled more efficiently and sent to the General Inspection Coordination Office for the Eradication of Labour Akin to Slavery and Trafficking in Persons. The Government emphasizes the key role played the labour inspection services in identifying victims, formalizing their situation, paying outstanding wages and referring them to support services. The Government indicates that the number of workers identified as being in situations of labour akin to slavery was 1,959 in 2021, 2,587 in 2022, 3,240 in 2023, and 2,187 in 2024. The sectors most concerned were agriculture and construction.

The Committee welcomes the measures aimed at strengthening the work of the labour inspection services and, in particular, the GEFM, which, through its inter-institutional composition (labour inspectors, representatives of the labour prosecution services, the federal police and the federal prosecution services), provides a coordinated response to identify and repress these practices. The Committee requests the Government to continue its efforts in this area and to provide information on the number of operations carried out, the number of workers freed, the sectors concerned and the fines and compensation imposed.

3. Application of penalties. Register of employers. With regard to the regular publication of the list of natural and legal persons found to be responsible for using slave labour (known as the “dirty list”), the Government states that this list is one of the main instruments of public policy for combating labour akin to slavery. The Committee notes that, according to the information available on the website of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the Ministry continues to update and publish the list every six months. The list published in October 2025 included 159 employers (101 natural persons and 58 legal persons), representing a 20 per cent increase from the previous update. The total number of natural or legal persons on the list is 691. The Government recalls that inclusion on the list is for a period of two years, only after the administrative proceedings from the finding of the offence have concluded (proceedings in which the right of defence and the adversarial principle are respected). The Committee therefore encourages the Government to continue to take the necessary measures to update, publish and disseminate the list of natural or legal persons found to be responsible for the use of labour in conditions akin to slavery.

Expropriation of property. The Committee requested the Government to provide information on the application of article 243 of the Constitution, which allows the expropriation of rural or urban property in which the use of slave labour has been identified and the consignment of this property to agrarian reform and social housing programmes. The Committee notes that the Government does not provide information on this subject, but indicates that some states have set up funds with resources received from convictions, fines or agreements reached before the judiciary for offences of reducing a person to a condition akin to slavery. These funds thus include resources to support prevention, assistance and reintegration measures for workers.

The Committee notes that the CUT indicates that it is not aware of any cases of expropriation in connection with this crime. It emphasizes that land expropriation is an essential element of a dissuasive sanction and that the absence of decisions to this effect prevents the country from making significant progress in the fight against labour akin to slavery. The CNI indicates, for its part, that expropriation procedures must be regulated by Parliament.

The Committee once again requests the Government to provide information on the measures taken to implement article 243 of the Constitution, on the expropriation decisions that have been handed down and on the measures taken to ensure their execution. Where applicable, please indicate whether the funds obtained benefit the victims.

Judicial proceedings and application of criminal penalties. The Committee requested the Government to ensure that cases of forced labour are addressed by the federal prosecution services and the competent criminal courts so that the perpetrators can be punished on the basis of section 149 of the Criminal Code. The Committee recalls that section 149 of the Criminal Code criminalizes “reducing a person to a condition akin to slavery”. The Committee notes that the Government does not provide information on criminal proceedings under way or on court decisions handed down on the basis of this section.

The Committee notes that the CUT reports that no measures have been adopted to ensure that the perpetrators of these crimes are adequately punished. The CNI indicates that it is necessary to clearly define what should be considered “labour akin to slavery” in order to ensure that simple violations of labour legislation, which do not constitute labour akin to slavery, are not characterized as such.

The Committee recalls that, in accordance with Article 25 of the Convention, really adequate criminal penalties must be strictly enforced for persons who have imposed forced labour. The Committee therefore urges the Government to provide specific information on the number of judicial proceedings initiated, as well as the convictions handed down and the penalties imposed on the basis of section 149 of the Criminal Code. The Committee also requests the Government to indicate the measures taken to reinforce coordination between the labour inspection, the police and the federal prosecution services for the gathering of evidence and the transmission of files, with a view to enabling investigations and prosecutions to be initiated. The Committee also requests the Government to indicate what legal action has been taken in the cases involving the 159 (natural or legal) persons who were added to the register of employers in October 2025.

4. Protection and reintegration of victims. With regard to the measures taken to protect and assist victims of forced labour and facilitate their social reintegration, the Government reiterates that victims are entitled to unemployment benefits (equivalent to thrice minimum wages) and to the recovery of outstanding wages and benefits. The Government also indicates that CONATRAE has set up the National Assistance Flow for Victims of Slave Labour programme. This includes the following stages of intervention: receipt of the complaint; planning of the operation; rescue; reception, care and assistance for victims; and return to the place of origin. The Committee requests the Government to provide detailed information on the care and assistance provided to victims of forced labour with a view to their rehabilitation and reintegration, particularly under the Flow programme, as well as on the actions taken to raise the awareness of workers in the regions and sectors most affected by forced labour of the risks involved and of their rights.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.