The farms were tucked away into the verdant countryside of Brazil. So were the ramshackle buildings that served as lodging. No one could stumble on these agricultural sites; no one was going to notice what was happening there unless they went looking.
Fortunately, The Exodus Road’s police partners in Brazil were on a mission to do exactly that.
10 women and 16 men from Paraguay were being housed in these shacks, forced to work long, strenuous hours in the fields. Law enforcement observed, gathering intelligence using tactics and digital forensics devices from The Exodus Road and Cellebrite. Finally, BPFRON (Batalhão de Polícia de Fronteira) moved on the farms. They found the workers and transported them to a shelter.
Image Representative. 10 women and 16 men from Paraguay were being forced to work long, strenuous hours in the fields on a farm in Brazil.
Meanwhile, using the evidence they had gathered, law enforcement apprehended the employers who had been trafficking these Paraguayans for labor. The traffickers were required to pay a hefty fine for their violations. Once the case was finished, Paraguayan authorities took action to help repatriate the laborers back home.
Labor trafficking can often happen out of sight, which keeps it out of mind for most. The Exodus Road is grateful for dedicated partners who are willing to keep looking until all are free.
