Migration Jurisprudence from the South › Brazil
Workers of the Hacienda Brasil Verde v. Brazil
Inter-American Court of Human Rights · Brazil · 2016-10-20 · Regional court or body
Citation: Series C No. 318
Type of case: Constitutional and human rights
Outcome: Decided for the migrant side
Question
Was Brazil responsible for slavery on a ranch where workers recruited from poorer states were held by debt?
What the court decided
Yes. Brazil failed to prevent slavery and to investigate and punish it; the Court found structural discrimination based on economic position.
In plain language
Men recruited from poor regions of Brazil were taken to a remote ranch and kept working by debt and threats. It was the Inter-American Court’s first judgment on slavery, and it found Brazil responsible.
Dalam bahasa sederhana
Pria yang direkrut dari wilayah miskin Brasil dibawa ke peternakan terpencil dan dipaksa bekerja dengan utang dan ancaman. Ini putusan pertama Mahkamah Inter-Amerika tentang perbudakan, dan Brasil dinyatakan bertanggung jawab.
Pertanyaan: Apakah Brasil bertanggung jawab atas perbudakan di peternakan tempat pekerja dari negara bagian miskin dijerat utang?
What happened afterwards
- 2000-03: Workers rescued after inspection.
- 2016-10-20: Judgment.
- 2019: Court supervision of compliance continues. [Check.]
Sources
Open this decision in the interactive collection (compare, filter, Indonesian view, downloads).
Cite as: Institute for Migrant Rights (2026), Migration Jurisprudence from the South, version 0.1, https://theimr.org/court-decisions/d/brasil-verde-2016/. This page summarizes a court decision for research and advocacy; it is not legal advice.