U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Brazil
- Author: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
- Document source:
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Date:
12 July 2001
Brazil (Tier 2)
Brazil is a source country for victims of both domestic and international trafficking. The majority of Brazilian trafficking victims are women and girls who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation to Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States. Young men are most often trafficked domestically in the agricultural labor market; however, they also have been trafficked as athletes to Europe. These men are then subjected to humiliating conditions or coerced into other areas of exploitation such as prostitution. Occasionally women are employed as domestic servants in conditions amounting to involuntary servitude. Trafficking for labor purposes of rural Brazilians and, in some cases, immigrant laborers, also occurs in urban areas of Brazil.
The Government of Brazil does not yet fully meet the minimum standards; however, it is making significant efforts to combat trafficking despite resource constraints and a lack of coordination between the federal and state levels. On the local level, corruption has in some cases hampered enforcement efforts. The Criminal Code prohibits some, but not all, severe forms of trafficking in persons. The penalties for trafficking are roughly commensurate with the penalty for rape or sexual assault. The Government actively investigates and prosecutes cases of trafficking. Between 1996 and 2000, courts convicted 94 individuals or groups of trafficking. As of early 2001, approximately 85 trafficking cases were under investigation. While victims of trafficking are not treated as criminals, access to shelter and to legal, medical and psychological services may as a practical matter be very limited due to a lack of government resources. The Government supports various programs to combat trafficking, including public information campaigns and an inter-ministerial campaign against the sexual exploitation of minors, and it works closely with a number of NGO's on issues of trafficking and forced labor. In November 2000, Brazil hosted the first international conference of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention on trafficking in human beings.
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