The operation was carried out on July 2 jointly by the Rio de Janeiro Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT-RJ) and the Labor Inspectorate, with the support of the Federal Police, but the case was only made public on Wednesday.
A 59-year-old woman worked for one family for 46 years. She was brought by “employers” from the state of Pernambuco to Rio de Janeiro.
The services stressed that the way the maid was treated could be described as slavery.
Brazil. She worked for one family for years
Investigators determined that the woman had been working as a maid since she was 13. The 56-year-old she didn't receive a salary and didn't take any time off. In addition, she was available to the family she worked for 24 hours a day.
Brazilian media report, citing a statement from the services, that the woman she did not have a bank account, did not maintain any social contacts, and had no contact with members of her family. She only lived with people related to the family she had worked for for years.
“The woman released in July had no financial autonomy, and maintaining interpersonal contacts with other people outside the house in which she lived was prohibited,” the prosecutor's office stressed.
Brazil: 56-year-old “lost freedom” fulfills dream before returning home
Prosecutor Thiago Gurjão, who handled the case, noted that she lived in constant subordination to the family that employed her. – Her existence during this period was limited to work.. This is an unacceptable form of exploitation of labor in conditions analogous to slavery, which must be limited and condemned by society – he said.
In turn, labor inspector Diego Folly warned the public to be vigilant because this type of domestic help, which can be compared to slave labor, is difficult to combat if it is not reported. He cited the fact that it is “an activity carried out in a safe place, such as a home.”
– Domestic help comparable to slavery goes far beyond the statement of irregularities in work, this exploitation leaves indelible psychological and moral traces on the formation of a person. In this case the employee completely lost her freedomincluding the freedom to manage one's own life, as well as the ability to socialize and maintain family ties, Folly emphasized.
After the action, the labor inspectorate issued a relevant notice and gave the woman guidelines that would allow her to apply for insurance. The woman is to receive compensation for the work she has done over the years, as well as compensation for moral damage. Before returning to Pernambuco, the 56-year-old fulfilled her dream – she went to see the Christ the Redeemer monument in Rio de Janeiro, something she had not had the chance to do before.
Sources: Terra, G1.Globo