This article presents an overview of five decades of struggle against contemporary slave labor in Brazil. It analyzes the action of social movements that fight to place this issue at the heart of national debate, making it a priority on the human rights agenda. The analysis indicates that recent public and private initiatives have made considerable advances, but due to conflicts of interests particular to the issue, slave labor is still far from being eradicated. The paper contributes to the knowledge of the context in which actions are taken against contemporary slave labor in Brazil and the current situation, highlighting impasses in the implementation of national plans and in the approval of a Proposed Constitutional Amendment (PEC) concerning Slave Labor.
Contemporary slave labor; Social movements; Agenda