Consumption Slaves

The situations, in which workers' employment conditions are degrading and, in order to fulfill their duties, they are forced to take up exhaustive work days or to serve akin to bonded labor, are equivalent to modern slavery. In the picture (2007) there is a man found living in degrading conditions by a charcoal plant Mato Grosso (photo: Sergio Carvalho).

Labour and Employment Ministry data shows that between 1995 and 2015, 49,816 people were released from jobs in conditions similar to slavery in Brazil. All inspections were carried out by the Ministry of Labor, Federal Police and Federal Highway Police. In the picture there is a cane field worker in Ceará, in 2009 (photo: Sergio Carvalho).

According to the organization Reporter Brazil , the freed workers are mostly internal or external migrants who have left their homes for agricultural expansion region or large urban centers. Seeking new opportunities or they were lured by false promises. In the image, cane field worker in Ceará, rescued in operation 2008 ( photo : Sergio Carvalho).

Only in 2015, there were at least 1,111 workers released from jobs in conditions similar to slavery in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Labour. Minas Gerais was the state with the highest number of cases, followed by Maranhão and Rio de Janeiro. The image from 2008 shows a man rescued from poor working conditions in charcoal Piaui (photo: Sergio Carvalho) .

While people subjected to forced labor suffer the consequences of a degrading life, like the charcoal production workers in several regions of Brazil, their employers earn a lot of profit - illegally. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), linked to the United Nations agency, sectors that use forced labor have approximate earnings of US $ 150 billion every year (photo: Sergio Carvalho).

Have you ever heard about "quartinho de empregada" expression (very common in Brazil)? Those who live in an apartment must have seen this distinctive space: small, windowless, where a bed barely fits. But, unfortunately, it is where many people, especially women , are allocated when hired to work in family homes. In Philippines, for instance, mothers leave children behind towards richer countries, such as Singapore, where they are hired as nannies or cleaning service. However, many of them are literally trapped in homes, sleeping on the floor often without any chance to return home (photo: Sergio Carvalho).

According to the Brazilian Constitution, children under 16 are prohibited from working, except as apprentices - but only from the age of 14. However, official data shows that, until 2014 , in a group of children 5-13 years old - 554,000 committed child labor. Of these, 70 thousand were between 5 and 9 years old and 484 thousand, were between 10 and 13 years of age. In the image, boy working in cattle in Para (photo: Sergio Carvalho).

Where are these children? They are merged with the urban landscape - around traffic lights, factories, warehouses - or employed in rural areas, agricultural, mining, charcoal, or even housework. In the photo, you can see a child carrying a sugar cane in Ceará (photo : Sergio Carvalho).

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 168 million children worldwide commit child labor. Almost 85 million perform dangerous activities. Agriculture is an area in which most children and adolescents find employment irregularly. In the picture, a boy is plugging holes in federal highway in Piaui, Brazil ( photo : Sergio Carvalho).