HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN BRAZIL: A BRIEF HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 1 Human Trafficking in Brazil: A Brief Historical Analysis and Strategic Recommendations Ana Paula Rodriguez https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8763-6957 Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 1 This policy brief presents a brief historical and analytical overview of human trafficking in Brazil, from the colonial period to the present day, highlighting changes in flows, interests, and associated criminal dynamics. Based on specialized literature, international documents, and national data, it discusses the evolution of illicit networks, the economic links of human trafficking, and the need for integrated responses. The document proposes practical recommendations to strengthen cooperation, improve prevention, protection, and accountability mechanisms, and offer guidelines for their operational implementation. The incorporation of a feminist perspective is also relevant to understanding how gender inequalities shape vulnerabilities and differentiated patterns of victimization in the country. Human trafficking in Brazil has deep roots in the colonial period, when the forced enslavement of Africans structured the country's economy and social relations. Authors such as João José Reis (2018) and Luiz Felipe de Alencastro (2000) demonstrate that the logic of commodification of human beings in the South Atlantic created transnational economic circuits that lasted for centuries and shaped exploitative practices that still resonate today. With the formal abolition of slavery in 1888, new forms of exploitation emerged, including the trafficking of European women for prostitution, a phenomenon documented by Jeffrey Lesser (2013) and reported in police documents from the early 20th century. This historical trajectory highlights how the exploitation of women and girls has always been traversed by gender inequalities, a point reinforced by contemporary feminist literature. During the 20th century, urban consolidation and industrial growth expanded the domestic market for sexual exploitation and labor analogous to slavery, especially in rural areas, in construction, and in the textile sector, as pointed out by Souza (2010) and Sakamoto (2017). From the 2000s onwards, studies by UNODC (2004, 2009, 2020) and reports from the Ministry of Justice, now the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, indicate an intensification of internal and international trafficking, mainly affecting women, girls, LGBTQIA+ people, and migrants. The Palermo Protocol, adopted in 2000 within the framework of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, represents the main international legal framework in combating human trafficking. The document globally standardized the understanding Summary Background Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 2 of exploitative practices, including sexual exploitation, forced labor, servitude, and organ removal. For Brazil, its ratification in 2004 boosted the formulation of normative frameworks and governmental actions, such as the National Plan to Combat Human Trafficking and the creation of specialized state centers, consolidating an institutional agenda focused on legislative harmonization, international cooperation, and strengthening state capacities for prevention and response. Furthermore, the National Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons (PNEPT) of 2008, revised in 2013, institutionalized public policies and fostered combat centers in the states. However, authors such as Piper (2015), Kempadoo (2016), and Piscitelli (2016) emphasize that gender, race, and class inequalities remain central drivers of human trafficking in the country. In parallel, organized crime has begun to exploit human trafficking as part of diversified illicit portfolios, connecting sexual exploitation, irregular migration, document forgery, and money laundering. In this context, recent economic analyses, such as those in Freitas (2023), reinforce that the socioeconomic vulnerabilities of women, especially from peripheral countries, considerably increase the risk of recruitment. The integrated analysis of the literature, official documents, and recent data allows for the identification of structural patterns of human trafficking in Brazil. Historically, there is continuity between colonial practices of exploitation and contemporary mechanisms of commodification of bodies, reinforced by persistent social inequalities. A change in flows is also observed: in the colonial period, Brazil was essentially a destination country; at the beginning of the 20th century, it became a transit country; since the 2000s, it has consolidated itself as a country of origin, transit, and destination simultaneously. These patterns disproportionately affect women and girls, as demonstrated by feminist studies that point to the combination of economic vulnerability, gender inequalities, and coercive migratory flows. Another result is the growing role of the illicit economy: studies by UNODC (2020) and authors such as Shelley (2010) show that human trafficking moves billions of dollars globally, integrating into drug trafficking networks, illegal mining, Online sexual exploitation and corruption. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), this crime generates approximately US$32 billion annually, encompassing both sexual Findings Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 3 exploitation and forced labor (UNODC, 2020). Although this is a conservative estimate, the value highlights the economic centrality of transnational human exploitation networks. Complementary reports from the International Labour Organization expand this calculation by considering forms of labor and sexual exploitation associated with trafficking, estimating that these activities together generate approximately US$150 billion per year worldwide (ILO, 2017). These figures, even if subject to methodological variations, demonstrate that human trafficking operates as a significant cog in the global illicit economy, reinforcing its capacity to finance other criminal activities, infiltrate legal production chains, and increasingly challenge the regulatory capacity of States. In Brazil, data from the Ministry of Justice (2022) indicate a significant incidence of trafficking for sexual exploitation, followed by contemporary slave labor, especially in rural areas and low-cost sectors. Freitas (2023) demonstrates that human trafficking is linked to flexible illicit economic chains, with high profitability and low risk perception, a characteristic that explains the persistence and expansion of these practices. State action, although more structured after the Palermo Protocol, still presents gaps in integration, data collection, victim support, and effective accountability of criminal networks. The literature by Boin & Lodge (2016) and Lutterbeck (2013) demonstrates that fragmented policies reduce operational efficiency and hinder coordinated responses. Human trafficking remains a structural problem in Brazil, linked to historical inequalities, illicit economic dynamics, and institutional weaknesses. An effective response requires a multidimensional approach, based on inter-institutional and international cooperation, qualified evidence, and long-term public policies. The consolidation of integrated prevention, protection, and accountability networks can strengthen state capacity and reduce the vulnerability of the most affected groups. Investing in coordinated and data-driven policies, even if they do not reveal the real numbers, represents a strategic opportunity to improve human security and reduce this type of organized crime activity throughout the national territory. The incorporation of feminist perspectives and economic analyses increases the precision of policies and strengthens their capacity to reduce structural vulnerabilities. Conclusions Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 4 To strengthen the fight against human trafficking in Brazil, it is recommended to expand cooperation with clear mechanisms for sharing information between federal, state, municipal, and international agencies. The creation of standardized protocols for victim flows, investigation, and accountability can reduce operational discrepancies. It is also essential to improve the production of integrated data; unified databases fed by police, the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Federal Revenue Service, the assistance network, and international organizations can increase transparency and analytical capacity. Including a feminist perspective in the production of this data contributes to mapping specific vulnerabilities and guiding more effective policies. Prevention should include ongoing campaigns, especially in vulnerable areas, focusing on education, rights, and reporting channels. Strengthening socioeconomic protection policies, as advocated by Kempadoo (2016) and Piscitelli (2016), can reduce structural vulnerability. In the area of repression, specialization of police stations and investigative teams is recommended, as well as combating related crimes such as money laundering and document forgery. Integration with international agencies via UNODC and Interpol is essential for transnational cases. Economic analyses, and integration with the Federal Revenue Service, suggest that actions against illicit financial flows are strategic for dismantling human trafficking networks. The implementation of these recommendations requires investment in ongoing training, expansion of Human Trafficking Response Centers, increased resources for Reference Centers, cooperation agreements with the Labor Prosecutor's Office, and coordination with civil society organizations to ensure humane treatment and reintegration of victims. Alencastro, L. F. (2000). O trato dos viventes: A formação do Brasil no Atlântico Sul. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras. Boin, A., & Lodge, M. (2016). The politics of crisis management. Cambridge University Press. Freitas, T. C. de. (2023). Indústria global do sexo: O braço da prostituição como Recommendations References Interagency.Institute N.01 DEZ 2025 ISSN 2789 – 8040 DOI 10.5281/zenodo.17912292 5 uma alçada da Economia Política Internacional (Monografia de graduação). Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Câmpus de Porto Nacional. International Labour Organization. (2017). Global estimates of modern slavery: Forced labour and forced marriage. ILO. Kempadoo, K. (2016). Trafficking and prostitution reconsidered: New perspectives on migration, sex work, and human rights. Routledge. Lesser, J. (2013). A negociação da identidade nacional. São Paulo: Unicamp. Lutterbeck, D. (2013). Policing migration in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean Politics, 18(3), 234–251. Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública. (2022). Relatório nacional sobre tráfico de pessoas. Brasília. Piper, N. (2015). Migration and gender. UNRISD. Piscitelli, A. (2016). Economias sexuais. Campinas: Unicamp. Reis, J. J. (2018). Ganhadores: A greve negra de 1857 na Bahia. São Paulo: Companhia das Letras. Sakamoto, L. (2017). Escravidão contemporânea. São Paulo: Boitempo. Shelley, L. (2010). Human trafficking: A global perspective. Cambridge University Press. Souza, R. (2010). Trabalho escravo no Brasil contemporâneo. Revista Brasileira de Ciências Sociais, 25(74), 77–94. UNODC. (2004, 2009, 2020). Global report on trafficking in persons. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. InterAgency Institute https://interagency.institute/ [email protected]