Brasília, 20 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The secretary for Human Rights, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, says that the fact that there is slave labor in Brazil in the XXI century is "shameful," and went on to say that the time for making farmers conscious of the problem has passed and that now it is time to punish those who use slave labor with expropriation of their land.

Pinheiro called on the Judiciary and the Bar Association to assist in cracking down on the problem and getting cases to court (some federal judges have ruled that slave labor cases should be adjudicated at the state level, allowing those accused to go free). Pinheiro also made an appeal to congress, calling for changes in the Penal Code, the Constitution and labor laws. (AB)