A 90-year-old woman is among the 532 people who were rescued from slave-like conditions in August, Brazilian authorities revealed Tuesday.
The woman, whose name has not been released, had been working for 50 years for a family in the northern Rio de Janeiro town of Grajaú.
The woman performed maid services for 16 years and also cared for the 100-year-old mother of her former boss.
She was forced to sleep on a sofa so that she could be by the side of her ex-employer’s mother if the event she required assistance and was only allowed to use a bathroom that was located next to the house.
Agents assigned to the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the Public Ministry of Labor and Employment and Federal Police rescued the woman from the home on August 22 after they received an anonymous call, local media outlets reported.
They believe she is the oldest person who was subjected to modern-day slavery.
Investigators said the woman had not been allowed to return home since December 2022.
Brazilian authorities estimate that ‘Operation Rescued III’ was the country’s biggest mission to free people from modern-day slavery.
The government legally defines slavery as forced labor, but also covers debt bondage, degrading work conditions and long hours that pose health risks.
Prosecutors said authorities carried out 200 inspections in 22 states and the capital, Brasilia.
Agents rescued 26 children and teenagers, and at least 74 people that had also been victims of human trafficking.
Authorities raided a garlic farm in the state of Mina Gerais where 97 workers were rescued.
‘At the work site there were not enough bathrooms, a place to heat food and chairs for employees to sit on,’ the government said in a statement.
‘The workers did not have a formal work permit nor did they receive protective equipment.’
