Debt slavery on the rise in Brazilian sugarcane plantations: report

In Brazil, a report issued by the Pastoral Land Commission of Brazil, created by the Catholic Bishops of Brazil, revealed that debt slavery cases in 2008 rose to 280, up six percent from 2007. The UN International Labor Organization estimated in 2003 that between 25,000 and 40,000 Brazilians live in debt slavery, common in the sugar plantation areas where illiterate workers become indebted to plantation owners who overcharge for food and shelter while paying low wages for sugar plantation work.

Workers are required to swing a machete an average of 3,000 times per day in Brazilian plantations, according a recent report in Ethical Traveler.

Father Tiago, a Scottish Catholic monk who has for many years been helping the abused workers, told Der Spiegel, “The promise of biofuel is a lie. Anyone who buys ethanol is pumping blood into his tank. Ethanol is produced by slaves.”

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