Argentines subjected to slave-like labor rescued in Brazil

Brazil's Federal Police and the Ministry of Labor and Employment rescued on Saturday night (Apr. 1) four Argentine workers in slave-like conditions—one of the victims was a minor—in Rio Grande do Sul, a state that borders Argentina.

The victims were working cutting firewood on a rural property in the municipality of Nova Petrópolis. According to the Federal Police, they had been abandoned by their employers and had no money for food and lodging.

The Federal Police took action after receiving a complaint from the Military Police of Rio Grande do Sul, which also participated in the operation. 

A man, responsible for the activities, was arrested for submitting workers to slave-like labor, a crime provided for in the Brazilian Penal Code.

When they arrived at the rural property, federal police officers, military brigades and Ministry of Labor and Employment inspectors found the workers camped in the forest under unhealthy conditions and unassisted. The Argentineans had no access to drinking water, electricity, and bathrooms.