Slave Labor: violation of human rights

Responsible researcher: Viviane Pires Ribeiro

Article title: Monitoring and evaluation of the Slave Labor Eradication Program

Article authors: Samuel A. Antero

Location of intervention: Brazil

Sample Size: Work Eradication Program

Major theme: Crime, Violence and Conflict

Type of Intervention: Effects of the Slave Labor Eradication Program in Brazil

Variable of main interest: Slave labor

Assessment method: Other - Exploratory applied research

Assessment Context

Even though more than a century has passed since the formal abolition of slavery in Brazil, the roots of slavery still persist, mainly in the rural areas of the country. Despite the 1988 Federal Constitution guaranteeing a series of rights to workers, in practice there is still a gap between formal law and everyday work relations. News of workers freed from slave-like conditions is not uncommon. Such an occurrence directly violates the democratic rule of law and represents a serious violation of human rights.

Slave labor goes beyond mere non-compliance with labor law and occurs, mainly, due to the excessive interest in increasing businessmen's profits at the expense of worker exploitation, being as economically advantageous as the time when slavery was considered a legal activity in the country.

Brazil is internationally recognized for the advances made in eradicating slave labor. Although there have been actions to combat this type of work since 1995, the culmination of this effort by the federal government took place in 2003, when the National Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labor was launched, focusing on inspection, structured in the Programming Eradication of Slave Labor, part of the 2004-07 Multi-Year Plan.

Workers rescued from conditions similar to slavery and benefiting from the program receive temporary assistance when necessary, which guarantees the cost of food, accommodation and transportation to their place of origin. The program also provides for the inclusion of the worker in unemployment insurance, with the value of one minimum wage, for three months after their release. In this context, according to information from the Labor Inspection Secretariat (SIT), between 1995 and 2006, 21,762 workers were released in Brazil and until July 2007, 3,434 workers had been released. On the other hand, since the program was created until mid-2007, 352 offenders and 190 employers were included in the registry.

Intervention Details

Antero (2008) sought to capture the monitoring and evaluation practices of the Slave Labor Eradication Program, with a view to checking whether they produce relevant information to systematically and objectively judge its relevance, performance and effects, to verify whether any changes are necessary in order to improve it.

The study was based on applied research, of an exploratory nature, using secondary data, with structured data (purely quantitative) and data of a qualitative nature. Quantitative data were collected in computerized systems, such as: Slave Labor Monitoring System (Sisacte), Planning System (Sigplan) and Financial Administration System (Siafi). Qualitative data was collected through research in books, magazines and specialized websites, as well as in university thesis databases. The author also carried out detailed research on the documentary collection of the Labor Inspection Secretariat, made up of laws, ordinances, regulations and fiscal action reports, which led to a survey of the history, guidelines and information on the results achieved by the program.

Methodology Details

In order to investigate the characteristics of the monitoring and evaluation system adopted by the managers of the Slave Labor Eradication Program, Antero (2008) started from an exploratory applied research, using secondary data. According to the author, monitoring and evaluation are management tools, procedures that aim to systematically and objectively measure the relevance, performance and effects of a given project or program.

The monitoring methodology proposed in the study aimed to collect data on the preliminary, intermediate and final results obtained quarterly from the Labor Inspection Secretariat and on the conditions (assumptions) of its execution. The main focus was on generating accurate information about the progress of the program for quick and safe decision-making. On the other hand, the evaluation methodology aimed to measure the effectiveness of the program, that is, the effects arising from the action to eradicate slave labor and the integrated actions promoted by the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE).

Results

The research carried out by Antero (2008) identified that the currently adopted system has characteristics that are closer to monitoring than monitoring and evaluating the program. This statement is based on the fact that the data observed in the inspection action, clearly explained in the inspection report, are assigned to control/supervision functions, strictly fulfilling their legal function. Furthermore, the results obtained are little shared, there is no feedback, nor a clear definition of criteria or indicators for monitoring the program.

Public Policy Lessons

Based on a review of specialized literature, Antero (2008) proposes a monitoring and evaluation system for the Slave Labor Eradication Program, duly validated by the program managers. The developed monitoring system is innovative in expressing values ​​through the adoption of developed criteria, in order to standardize understanding for both monitoring and evaluation. Based on the focal dimensions, input, process and results indicators were determined and, aiming at institutional learning, the system suggests a feedback strategy.

In this sense, the author emphasizes that the proposed monitoring and evaluation plan helps to determine a routine in terms of dates or forms of verification and the plan will only become effective if in fact used as a tool to support program management, generating learning institutional.

References

ANTERO, Samuel A. Monitoring and evaluation of the Slave Labor Eradication Program. Public Administration Magazine , v. 42, no. 5, p. 791-828, 2008.