In 1997, under President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, the Brazilian Ministry of Labor created a special unit to monitor slave labor across the country. Over 52,000 workers subjected to inhumane conditions have been freed since then. Cardoso’s successor, Lula, went further, and started to publish a “blacklist” of companies profiting from slave labor. They were not only publicly shamed, but were also not able to contract loans from public banks for two years. Brazil started to receive international praise for its policies against the modern exploitation of people.
Sitting President Michel Temer, however, has set us back 20 years with a...
