C 2.5. Are there any improper working conditions in Brazils sugar and ethanol industry according to the concepts of the ILO and the Brazilian legislation itself?
First and foremost, it is necessary to know how such improper working conditions are understood and dealt with within the scope of the International Labor Organization and Brazils criminal law (Criminal Code).* Once such understanding is gained, the answer is clear. There are no improper working conditions in the sugar and ethanol industry according to the concepts in question, as there is no curtailment of freedom and there is a history of strict compliance with the law, the inspection of which has been demonstrating intensively and effectively. Furthermore, the high level of formal employment and the existence of a strong, watchful civil society attest to this. It is also important to point out that the Ministry of Labor and Employment does not refer to the Brazilian sugar and ethanol industry as a business where labor is used in analogous conditions to those of slave labor. * The kind of work in question is referred to by the ILO as forced labor, and its fundamental characteristic i
