ABSTRACT
Brazil’s origins as a nation are heavily enmeshed with slave owning and the slave trade. As a destination in the peak of the triangular trade, Brazil received more African slaves than any other country in the Americas. The use of slave labour went through several phases as various economic needs rose and were then replaced by others. The fact that these industries contributed majorly to the Brazilian economy and to the wealth of the Brazilian ruling elite reduced any enthusiasm for following the rest of the world in banning slavery. Slave owning was only outlawed some 50 years after the British made slavery illegal in its colonies around the globe. Modern slavery has emerged in Brazil along lines similar to the international pattern: forced labour involving agriculture and ranching dependent mostly on male slaves and sexual exploitation involving overwhelmingly female slaves as adults or children. This slave-owning past heavily influences inequality in Brazil, where disproportionate economic power lies with those with European origins when compared to those from Africa and from indigenous tribes. Whilst it is difficult to estimate the total number of slaves in the hospitality industries, there have been a notable number of people rescued from slave-like situations within the restaurant sector.
