BUENOS AIRES/RIO DE JANEIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st March, 2023) The Brazilian Federal police said on Tuesday they had liberated 19 Paraguayans held as slaves at an underground cigarettes factory in the country's state of Rio de Janeiro.
"The federal police discovered a clandestine factory, where counterfeit cigarettes were being produced. The officers freed 19 Paraguayans, who were working at the facility as slaves," the police said in a statement.
The Paraguayans, who were held in one room with no windows and with 10 beds, were working 12 hours every day of the week. The captives did not know the address of the factory and were in contact only with one person, who was armed, the Veja news portal reported.
Although, slavery is not as rampant in Brazil as in some other countries, such as Mauritania and Somalia, where the share of people in slavery compared to the total number of population is higher, the problem still remains a pressing issue. In particular, in December 2022, a number of Brazilian companies supplying Europe with sugar were accused of using forced labor.
