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Stop
Slave Labor in the Amazon
Dear Denis,
 ***POOR, DESPERATE MEN ARE BEING LURED INTO THE
AMAZON, AND INTO A GRIM AND SOMETIMES DEADLY FORM OF SLAVERY.
IF YOU ARE IN A RUSH, PLEASE PRESS 'REPLY' TO SEND AN E-MAIL
TO THE BRAZILIAN EMBASSY - AND ASK THEM TO END THIS
TRAGEDY.***
Send
a letter to the following decision maker(s):
 |
Human
Rights Department, Embassy of
Brazil |
Below
is the sample letter:
Subject: Stop Slavery in the Amazon
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted here],
I write to you to express my shock and concern over recent
reports from Brazil that poor, desperate workers continue to
be lured into the Amazon and enslaved on
plantations.
As you are surely aware, a recent New York
Times article revealed that slavery thrives in Brazil. Victims
explained how they had been lured by the promise of good jobs
into remote parts of Brazil, only to find themselves forced to
cut trees at gunpoint. Slaves were even found on a plantation
owned by a former Secretary of Agriculture.
While
Brazil's Ministry of Labor has freed thousands of slaves over
the past few years, many more remain enslaved. The Brazilian
government's failure to prosecute slaveholders allows them to
continue enslaving people with impunity.
The Ministry
of Labor's anti-slavery Mobile Enforcement Team must be given
increased prosecutorial power. Perpetrators of forced labor
must be arrested and harshly sentenced, so as to deter future
abusers. Additionally, comprehensive rehabilitation programs
for former slaves must be developed to ensure that survivors
are not forced back into a life of bondage.
Brazil must
enforce strict and fair labor laws to reduce and ultimately
eradicate cases of forced labor in the Amazon. I implore you
to take action to end this tragedy.
Sincerely,
Denis Rail
544, Hermine #3
Quebec
G1N 2G6
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| Take
Action! |
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Instructions:
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What's
At Stake:
"When I
asked to receive my wages, the foreman told me `Kid, your
salary is right here,' and pointed to his revolver," explained
Gilvan Rodrigues Freitas. Gilvan is one of thousands of men
who have been lured into the Brazilian rainforest with the
promise of a good job, but who instead find themselves forced
to cut trees at gunpoint. A recent New York Times expose
revealed that these terrible conditions - despite past
protests - continue today. Tell the Brazilian government to
aggressively prosecute plantation owners and bosses, and to
assist the victims of forced labor.
Campaign
Expiration Date:
April 10,
2002 | |
