Auditors indicate that Temer has withdrawn 70% of the funds allocated to combating slave labor.
Monitoring child exploitation and forced labor is not a priority for the Temer government; last year, 70% of the sector's budget was frozen, and the number of auditors is the lowest in 20 years.
Current Brazil Network - Monitoring child exploitation and forced labor is not a priority for the Temer government. Last year, 70% of the sector's budget was frozen, and the number of auditors is the lowest in 20 years.
From 2015 to 2017, the rescue of workers in situations analogous to slavery fell by almost half. "We have the lowest number of labor inspectors of all time, since labor inspection was instituted in Brazil. We had a last major recruitment drive in 2010 that admitted about 400 inspectors, then, in 2014, we admitted another 96. But since then, we haven't had any," says labor inspector Lívia dos Santos Ferreira.
Tax auditors and the Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT) work in partnership, but the Temer government's neglect of oversight hinders the investigation of complaints that the MPT forwards to the auditors. According to the Annual Budget Law, R$ 3,2 million had been previously allocated for oversight actions in 2017.
"We have had a historical process of progress in tackling child labor. In the 90s, we had a contingent of 9,6 million children and adolescents in situations of child labor. This number was reduced to 2,7 million, according to the PNAD (National Household Sample Survey) of 2015. This was possible through income and social policies; Brazil was a reference," says Elisiane Santos, Labor Prosecutor.
With the economic crisis and labor reform, the amount of precarious work and child labor has increased. The reduction in the inspection budget hinders the fight against this type of irregularity. "The tax auditor actually recovers and calculates severance payments. This information is fundamental to our work as well," adds Elisiane.