Elderly Woman Who Was 'Enslaved' in An Upscale Neighborhood of São Paulo Wins Compensation of $ 71.126

A court ruled that an elderly domestic worker kept in a situation similar to slavery in a house in the Alto de Pinheiros region, a noble area of Sao Paulo, will receive R$ 350 thousand ( $ 71.126) compensation for moral damages. The former employers must pay the amount. The court decision was made by the labor court. The defense said it will appeal. The Public Ministry of Labor and the Civil Police rescued the woman in June 2020, after an anonymous complaint was made to Dial-100, which is under the Secretariat for Human Rights of the Presidency of the Republic. In addition to the indemnification, the Court also determined that her labor rights should be recognized, such as official employment and the payment of wages and social security contributions. According to the Labor Prosecutor's Office, the woman started working with her family in 1998. As of 2011, she had moved to live in a house owned by another member of the family, because the property she lived in had collapsed.