Brasília, March 11, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The Minister for the Promotion of Racial Equality, Matilde Ribeiro, provided details, yesterday (10), on the report presented by the Brazilian government to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. In the document, Brazil acknowledges the existence of slave-like labor in its territory and defines the policies for its elimination. The report also explains what the government is doing for the social inclusion of Black and Indian populations.

According to the Minister, the experts seemed to be satisfied with the transparent way in which the government presented the data, admitting that racism exists and that the government is acting to overcome it. The Ministry is awaiting the Committee's recommendations in order to prepare the initial version of the next report, which will be presented at the end of 2006. (DAS)