{"id":55526,"date":"2025-09-30T12:08:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:08:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/beaten-and-tied-up-in-brazil-how-a-charcoal-workers-photo-reaches-toyota\/"},"modified":"2025-09-30T12:08:43","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T15:08:43","slug":"beaten-and-tied-up-in-brazil-how-a-charcoal-workers-photo-reaches-toyota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redept.com.br\/blogosfera\/beaten-and-tied-up-in-brazil-how-a-charcoal-workers-photo-reaches-toyota\/","title":{"rendered":"Beaten and Tied Up in Brazil: How a Charcoal Worker\u2019s Photo Reaches Toyota"},"content":{"rendered":"

MARANH\u00c3O, BRAZIL<\/strong> \u2014 Before dawn, Davi* returned to the workers\u2019 quarters at the charcoal factory where he worked in Mirador, in the interior of Maranh\u00e3o state, in northeastern Brazil. On his day off, he had been drinking in a bar near the Cana Brava Indigenous Territory and returned in an agitated state. Disturbing other workers, including the foreman, he knocked over chairs and made a commotion.<\/p>\n

What happened next was brutal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [the charcoal plant manager] punched the young man in the face, slammed his head against a pillar and then began beating him with a broomstick,\u201d recounted a worker who says he witnessed the assault.<\/p>\n

The manager is said to have tied Davi\u2019s hands behind his back and restrained him before the crew. He then allegedly photographed the scene and later shared the images to assert his authority. \u201cHe would say that it was his way or nothing,\u201d the witness added.<\/p>\n

These photographs and testimonies appear in the official report from Operation 216, an inspection by Ministry of Labor officials in July 2021. When the inspection concluded, 11 workers were freed from conditions amounting to modern-day slavery.<\/p>\n

After the assault, the manager reportedly visited other charcoal factories, \u201cshowing the pictures and intimidating other workers with threats,\u201d according to statements collected from employees by the inspectors.<\/p>\n

The individual responsible for the operation, according to the Ministry of Labor and Employment (MTE), was Sirlei Martins Amaral\u2014known as \u201cFerinha\u201d\u2014who has repeatedly appeared on Brazil\u2019s official \u201cDirty List\u201d of employers held liable by federal labor inspectors for slave-like labor practices.<\/p>\n

The violence, fearful atmosphere, and exhausting schedule in the charcoal furnaces\u2014all described in federal labor reports\u2014reveal more than isolated brutality. They are part of a supply chain reaching the global market and Toyota, the world\u2019s largest carmaker.<\/p>\n

The Japanese manufacturer sold 10.8 million cars in 2024\u2014a slight drop from the previous year, yet enough to remain the top carmaker worldwide for the fifth consecutive year, ahead of Germany\u2019s Volkswagen.<\/p>\n

Between Ferinha\u2019s charcoal businesses and the Japanese multinational is Viena, a steelmaker with plants in Sete Lagoas (in the state of Minas Gerais) and A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia, in western Maranh\u00e3o. Viena is the region\u2019s largest charcoal buyer\u2014including the factory where the episode of aggression allegedly occurred. Although authorities formally submitted the complaint to police and prosecutors, no investigation was launched.<\/p>\n

Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/em> traveled through this part of the Amazon to document Davi\u2019s story\u2014how he was photographed bound and beaten\u2014and to trace the global trade networks exposed by that long-forgotten image from a 177-page government report.<\/p>\n

\"Carvoaria
Charcoal plant in the rural area of Graja\u00fa, Maranh\u00e3o. Workers face daily exposure to high temperatures and soot during exhausting shifts (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brazilian steelmaker shipped pig iron to Toyota in the U.S.<\/h2>\n

Within minutes of entering a charcoal plant in central-southern Maranh\u00e3o, the smoke causes your eyes to sting. Soot covers the ground and clings to the workers\u2019 faces. One worker, his entire body blackened with coal dust, said: \u201cThis is hard work. But it\u2019s the only thing available here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coal produced by sites tied to Ferinha supplied Viena Sider\u00fargica. The company\u2019s A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia plant is among Brazil\u2019s 40 largest steel manufacturers. There, charcoal is used to smelt iron ore into pig iron\u2014a metal alloy with various applications, including in the automotive industry. According to Viena, 80% of its production is destined for the North American market.<\/p>\n

\"Foto
Aerial view of the Viena steel plant in A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia, Maranh\u00e3o (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rep\u00f3rter Brasil examined official customs and port records, which show that Toyota\u2019s U.S. operations are among Viena\u2019s customers.<\/p>\n

At least four shipments\u2014totaling 8,000 tons of pig iron\u2014left the mill for Toyota between February and September 2022. These sales happened the year after the documented assault at the charcoal factory. <\/p>\n

Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/em> asked Viena about the origin of the pig iron exported to Toyota in the U.S.\u2014whether it came from Sete Lagoas or A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia. Through its press office, the company said it could not disclose this information, stating that its commercial agreements with clients and former clients are confidential.<\/p>\n

What those involved in the case say<\/h2>\n

In a statement, Toyota\u2019s office in Brazil said, \u201cOur operations are independent from other Toyota units worldwide and, as such, we have no influence over Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) suppliers.\u201d Toyota USA\u2014contacted multiple times\u2014requested more time to respond but ultimately did not reply to submitted questions.<\/p>\n

Viena Sider\u00fargica said it \u201crepudiates any form of worker exploitation and does not do business with suppliers who breach labor laws.\u201d The company said its business with plants linked to Sirlei Martins Amaral was restricted to units \u201cauthorized by the proper authorities\u201d and that, once aware of labor inspections, it removed those suppliers from its chain.<\/p>\n

Through his lawyers, Sirlei Martins Amaral (\u201cFerinha\u201d) maintains he \u201cnever condoned such practices\u201d and that \u201cthere is no criminal conviction against Mr. Amaral.\u201d The statement says the inspected charcoal factory\u2014where the assault took place\u2014was shut down. Additional points from Amaral\u2019s legal team appear elsewhere in this article. <\/p>\n

Full statements from Toyota, Viena and Ferinha\u2019s legal counsel are available at this link.<\/p>\n

\"Sediada
Based in A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia, the Viena steel plant says it has removed from its roster the charcoal supplier fined by Brazil\u2019s Labor Ministry inspectors (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Labor prosecutors discuss conduct adjustment agreement with steel producer<\/h2>\n

Ferinha deliberately set up a convoluted business structure to operate his charcoal factories in Maranh\u00e3o, according to a Labor Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPT) report.<\/p>\n

Multiple companies would operate in tandem\u2014separate only on paper, each with its own registration number and address but sharing the same workers, foremen, wood, and kilns.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on the accounts of workers and foremen, I found that all of Ferinha\u2019s production was destined for the Viena steel mill,\u201d said Luciano Arag\u00e3o Santos, an MPT prosecutor.<\/p>\n

Santos led an inquiry into slave-like labor in Maranh\u00e3o\u2019s charcoal industry, resulting in a formal investigation of Viena. Beyond eyewitness accounts, he found invoices and receipts charting commercial exchanges between the steelmaker and the charcoal plants.<\/p>\n

\"Min\u00e9rio
Ore transported by Vale\u2019s railway is mixed with charcoal to produce pig iron, a metal alloy with multiple uses (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Prosecutor Santos said Viena oversaw charcoal quality and set purchase prices. In several raids at Ferinha-linked sites, he reportedly found laborers forced to work grueling hours in degrading conditions\u2014which, under Article 149 of Brazil\u2019s Penal Code, may constitute a situation analogous to slavery.<\/p>\n

The Labor Prosecutor\u2019s Office is in final negotiations with the steel company for a Conduct Adjustment Agreement (TAC). Among the measures outlined in the agreement are the adoption of human rights due diligence\u2014a process requiring the company to identify, prevent, and remedy risks of violations such as forced labor within its supply chain\u2014economic reparations to victims already identified, and the implementation of effective mechanisms to trace the origin of charcoal used in production.<\/p>\n

While steelmakers may not impose abusive labor on direct employees, \u201cthey benefit, and profit, from the intensive exploitation of labor in the charcoal factories that supply their operations,\u201d Santos wrote in his investigation report, part of the MPT\u2019s Chain Reaction project.<\/p>\n

Ferinha is already well known among Brazilian labor inspectors and prosecutors. In at least seven operations since 2015, he has been linked to charcoal plants charged with slave labor practices, lack of protective equipment, hazardous housing and excessive working hours.<\/p>\n

Due to repeated violations, he was detained at the request of the Federal Public Prosecutor\u2019s Office in November 2022. Less than a month later, his defense succeeded in having his pretrial detention converted to house arrest with electronic monitoring. Four months later, a federal judge in Balsas (Maranh\u00e3o) lifted the restrictions. The proceedings ended in August 2023.<\/p>\n

Altogether, four companies tied to Ferinha have been fined 19 times by Ibama, Brazil\u2019s environment federal agency, for violations including illegal deforestation and unauthorized use of native wood. The total fines amount to US$7.05 million.<\/p>\n

Ferinha\u2019s lawyers assert the 2022 pretrial detention was vacated and the case closed \u201cprecisely because there is no evidence to support the charges.\u201d They also claim the environmental notices issued by Ibama are under appeal and do not represent final sanctions.<\/p>\n

Ferinha still controls two registered charcoal plant businesses: one in Araguatins (Tocantins) and another in Graja\u00fa (Maranh\u00e3o), according to the Brazilian Federal Revenue Service. Another six charcoal plants are listed in the agency\u2019s database but are considered inactive.<\/p>\n

\"Paisagem
Four companies once co-owned by Ferinha have racked up 19 fines totaling US$7.05 million for environmental violations, according to Ibama (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ferinha and his businesses have appeared on the official Dirty List of firms linked to slave labor at least five times\u2014most recently this April. After two stages of administrative appeals, the names of employers are placed on this federal list. While this brings no automatic sanctions, banks and companies use it for risk assessments.<\/p>\n

Ferinha\u2019s attorneys are challenging his latest inclusion on the Dirty List in court, arguing that it violates fundamental rights\u2014notably due process, the right to a full defense, and the presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n

\u2018The steel mill sets the rules\u2019<\/h2>\n

On paper, Viena Sider\u00fargica functions only as a buyer. But according to labor inspection records and the MPT\u2019s investigation, the steel company acted as though it were, in effect, the owner of the charcoal plants.<\/p>\n

The MPT claims Viena\u2019s technicians visit the furnaces, set charcoal quality standards, impose penalties for excess coal dust, demand production targets, and communicate directly with Ferinha when issues arise. \u201cThey control everything\u2014even how the logs are stacked,\u201d said one foreman interviewed by inspectors.<\/p>\n

\"Segundo
According to a report by the Labor Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPT), Viena oversaw the quality of the charcoal produced and also set the purchase prices (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Invoices gathered by labor inspectors and cited in the MPT report prove a direct supply relationship from Ferinha\u2019s furnaces to Viena\u2019s production line. \u201cAt every charcoal factory where I\u2019ve rescued workers from conditions analogous to slavery, Viena is the end customer,\u201d federal labor inspector Ivano Sampaio observed.<\/p>\n

Viena makes pig iron using ore from Brazilian mining giant Vale\u2019s Caraj\u00e1s complex in southeastern Par\u00e1 state. Like all mills in the region\u2019s steel district, its operations depend on the railroad and seaport of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds (Maranh\u00e3o), both run by Vale.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Vale suspended ore supply to four steel plants over labor and environmental violations\u2014but Viena was not affected by the temporary blocks. <\/p>\n

In a statement, Vale\u2019s press team said, \u201cThe commercial relationships established between the parties are governed by contractual clauses that set forth clear commitments regarding human rights.\u201d The statement further noted, \u201cProven non-compliance with these obligations will result in justified termination of the contracts.\u201d Read Vale\u2019s full statement here.<\/p>\n

\"Reportagem
Pig iron produced by Viena in Maranh\u00e3o uses ore extracted from Vale\u2019s mines in Caraj\u00e1s, Par\u00e1, as an input (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018At night, there\u2019s a danger of snakes\u2019<\/h2>\n

Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/em> visited two charcoal facilities in south-central Maranh\u00e3o, where the Ferinha-run plant\u2014where the photo of Davi was taken\u2014was based. Narrow, rutted roads wind through remote forest, leading to banks of round furnaces burning nonstop.<\/p>\n

The smell of charcoal hangs thick in the air. Black soot covers the earth and equipment. Furnace operators\u2019 faces are streaked with carbon dust. They wear boots and loose helmets, torn trousers and sweat-soaked shirts. They sleep in improvised huts, yards from the flames, close to the smoke and soot.<\/p>\n

Production follows the same cycle: native timber, felled on land cleared for grazing cattle or soy fields, is transported in carts (called cambonas<\/em>) to the kilns. The batches are fired, cooled, sifted, and bagged\u2014each worker responsible for several steps.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe worst danger comes from the smoke burning your eyes. At night, there\u2019s also a real risk of snakebite. I always carry a flashlight, but it\u2019s risky,\u201d said Jos\u00e9 Vagner Coelho Souza, 53, one of thousands of workers rescued by federal labor officials in Maranh\u00e3o from slave-like conditions.<\/p>\n

Souza lives in a rural settlement near the town of Graja\u00fa. Investigators found him working exhausting hours with no rest\u2014starting before dawn and laboring until midnight. \u201cWe work in the hope of saving a little money, but it\u2019s just an illusion,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Souza\u2019s experience is backed by the numbers: Maranh\u00e3o ranks third among Brazilian states for slave-labor rescues\u2014251 inspections since 1995 have saved 3,799 workers.<\/p>\n

\"\u201cO
The biggest risk is the smoke getting in our eyes,\u2019 says a worker at a charcoal plant in Maranh\u00e3o (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Many cases are traced to the charcoal business. Often, companies rebrand and swap names, the kilns resume and the same workforce returns to work within months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we generally observe is that people who are placed in these positions, or subjected to these conditions, almost always come from situations of profound social vulnerability,\u201d explained Morgana Meirelles, an attorney at A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia\u2019s Carmem Bascar\u00e1n Human Rights Defense Center.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a vicious cycle. Workers are rescued and end up back in the same places months later. No education, no assistance, no path to productive employment. It is state neglect drives them straight back into these exploitative systems,\u201d Meirelles added.<\/p>\n

Recidivism is all too familiar to Raniere da Concei\u00e7\u00e3o, an agent with the Land Pastoral Commission (CPT), which tracks slave labor cases. \u201cThese communities have no guarantee of staying on their land. Without policy support, they leave\u2014or are forced to accept such degrading conditions. It\u2019s not a voluntary choice\u2014it\u2019s having no option at all,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Informal labor is commonplace. Each investigation sends some workers fleeing into the undergrowth. In one raid, a worker reported that bosses warned them to run as soon as authorities arrived: \u201cHe told us to hide and stay out of sight until the inspectors left.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a global chain\u2014but local people bear the consequences. Those buying these products must recognize they are consuming something produced at the expense of suffering and fundamental rights,\u201d said Mikael Carvalho, coordinator of the NGO Justice on the Trails, who lives in A\u00e7ail\u00e2ndia.<\/p>\n

\"Ferrovia
Vale\u2019s Caraj\u00e1s Railway transports pig iron to the port of S\u00e3o Lu\u00eds, Maranh\u00e3o, from where it is exported to various countries (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cLook at what\u2019s been done to my son\u201d<\/h2>\n

Rep\u00f3rter Brasil<\/em> found Davi\u2019s parents living on a remote farm in rural Graja\u00fa. Their humble wooden house sits among open fields and woods, beside the Graja\u00fa River. The father face bears the traces of a seasoned charcoal worker; he spent eighteen months tending kilns like those operated by his son. He knows the furnace\u2019s searing heat.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never said much. But I know what happened. He\u2019s still afraid to talk,\u201d the father said, noting that his son continues to work in charcoal yards nearby. Davi refused to be interviewed, telling his parents he would rather forget what happened.<\/p>\n

Davi\u2019s mother learned of the attack, but has never seen the photograph. When shown the image of Davi tied up, she fell silent for several seconds before speaking. \u201cLook at what they did to my son,\u201d she said, her voice choked with tears.<\/p>\n

\"MPT
Brazil\u2019s Labor Prosecutor\u2019s Office (MPT) proposed a Conduct Adjustment Agreement with Viena. The measures require the company to identify, prevent, and address risks of violations among its suppliers (Photo: Jo\u00e3o Laet\/Rep\u00f3rter Brasil)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His parents did their best to persuade Davi to leave charcoal work, offering support and even a place to stay. But he insisted on continuing. Fear, they say, outweighs desire. \u201cHe keeps quiet. But if he ever decides to pursue something better, I\u2019ll stand by him. He\u2019s my son,\u201d his father said.<\/p>\n

No formal complaint was ever filed in the justice system regarding Davi\u2019s assault; it survives only in labor inspection records. The company failed to report it. The foreman was dismissed, but factory operations continued as before.<\/p>\n

Viena continued selling pig iron to Toyota\u2014the world\u2019s most prolific carmaker.<\/p>\n

Four years after the photographed attack, Davi was again rescued in a Ministry of Labor operation\u2014this time one of 49 workers found in conditions tantamount to slavery at a different charcoal factory in Benedito Leite, southern Maranh\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

*The worker\u2019s real name has been withheld to protect his identity.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Leia tamb\u00e9m<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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The post Beaten and Tied Up in Brazil: How a Charcoal Worker\u2019s Photo Reaches Toyota appeared first on Rep\u00f3rter Brasil.<\/p>\n

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