(CNN Spanish) -
In Brazil, a government operation in recent days rescued some 110 people who were in working conditions that the authorities describe as "similar to slavery."
The Federal Police reported this Thursday in a statement that the so-called "Rescue Operation" began last week, is still ongoing and was launched in 23 states of the country.
The rescue of workers subjected to "modern forms of labor slavery" was the result of a joint action by the Federal Police, the Labor and Federal Prosecutors, the Undersecretary of Labor Inspection and the Federal Public Defender.
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The joint action of federal agencies was also aimed at verifying compliance with labor protection standards, collecting evidence to ensure the criminal responsibility of those who profit from exploitation, and repairing the individual and collective damages caused to those rescued.
The Federal Police statement does not indicate potential legal responsibilities or charges in relation to these operations.
Credit: Federal Police of Brazil
The announcement of the results of the operations coincides with the National Day of Fight against Slave Labor in Brazil, on January 28.
That day was established by law in October 2009 in honor of three tax auditors and a driver who had been killed in January 2004 when they attended an inspection of farms in the Unaí region in the state of Minas Gerais, in the southeast of the country.
The event is known as the "Unaí massacre."
According to official data, in 2020 the authorities rescued 942 workers from these conditions.
