CRS in Brazil

Catholic Relief Services works closely with the Catholic Church and partners to combat slave labor and promote a culture of justice. CRS is part of national mobilization and advocacy efforts aimed at raising awareness on the issue of slave labor, reporting cases, providing legal counsel, and protecting victims from further violations. CRS has supported numerous projects throughout the country in human trafficking and slave labor.  Among many other activities, CRS has been involved in flagship issues such as the creation of the National Front for the Eradication of Slave Labor and the monitoring of the 1st National Plan for the Eradication of Slave Labor.

CRS' History in Brazil

Since 2004, CRS has managed over $2 million USD in Brazil, implementing 20 projects in 12 different states and reaching over 75,000 individuals through prevention, protection, monitoring of legal cases, information and data collection, and advocacy. CRS convened critical actors within the Catholic Church in Brazil, such as the Brazilian Bishops Conference (CNBB) and the Standing Commission on Confronting Trafficking in Persons, to promote an agenda of social justice. CRS has linked the church’s extensive network of pastoral offices with efforts of the International Labor Office and civil society watchdog organizations like Repórter Brasil who offer broad channels of advocacy and policy influence. In addition to convening actors to influence public policy, in 2016 CRS published a report documenting cases of slave labor in the coffee industry in Brazil that encouraged the Specialty Coffee Association of America to adopt measures to address the issue. As a result, the National Federation of Coffee in Brazil has discussed the issue of slave labor in supply chains and has joined the National Pact to Eradicate Slave Labor.

The historical role of the church and CRS’ relationships with other key stakeholders over the last ten years in Brazil, including CNBB, Pastoral Land Commission (CPT), Repórter Brasil, International Labor Office (ILO), National Commission for the Eradication of Slave Labor (CONATRAE), allows CRS to leverage its position and influence to convene actors.