Table of Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 2
Historical Background ............................................................................................................ 2
Education .............................................................................................................................. 3
Programs............................................................................................................................... 4
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 4
References............................................................................................................................. 6
Introduction
When thinking about Brazil, the thought that often comes to mind is a tropical country whose
people love football and enjoy the rhythm of samba in Carnaval. In almost every corner, there is a
field where young boys are often playing football. However, not everything is flowers, as the
Brazilians say. Inequality and poverty are deeply rooted in society, and the country faces a daily
struggle against these issues. As a consequence, child labor remains an obstacle for Brazil in the
pursuit of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Recognizing the roots of child labor
in poverty and lack of accessible education, the country has established several policies to reduce
the statistics. Successfully achieved, the percentage of children under 17 working has decreased over
the decades due to federal programs aimed at expanding education and reducing poverty. However,
it is still a significant problem that deserves attention, as cultural perceptions still normalize and
encourage child labor to some extent. To certain people, working since childhood is honorable and
essential in shaping acceptable behavior for adulthood. However, as seen in this research, the
problem has an underlying cause that can be traced back to colonial times and be regarded as a
legacy of slavery.
Furthermore, studies show that working during childhood lowers the possibility of acquiring
formal education and earning higher salaries. The younger the individual is when entering the labor
market, the lower their salary in adulthood; this only contributes to the cycle of poverty.
Furthermore, statistics show that children whose parents worked during childhood are more likely
to become young workers as well. Parents who worked as children tend to view child labor more
naturally and are more inclined to have their children engage in work (Carvalho 2008).

Historical Background
When the first Portuguese Caravelas docked at Porto Seguro, the sailors were faced with birds
that talked, dense forests, and undressed people who painted their bodies with red paint. It did not
take them long enough to discover the first resource that would name the newly discovered paradise:
pau-brasil. A tree that was red inside and used by the natives to make red paint. It was red as “brasa,”
a Portuguese word for ember, which inspired the name “Brazil.” From that point on, Europeans
would start a full-scale exploitation of the lands using enslaved labor from the natives. The
domination and colonization forever changed the society of those who lived and would live in
Pindorama lands. Although (successful) attempts from the Church inhibited the enslavement of
natives, the demand for labor in the fertile lands resulted in the importation of enslaved Africans.
Inevitably, a racially hierarchical system would be established, resulting in extreme inequality that
would curse generations of African descent.
The practice of child labor in Brazil originated during the colonial era. African children were
among those transported on ships by human traffickers, but there were also children born in Brazil
who were destined to be lifelong enslaved people from birth. After centuries of exploitation, a law
granting automatic freedom to all newborn children of enslaved people was passed in 1871.
However, these children were not immediately freed; instead, they remained under the guardianship
of their “owners” until they reached a certain age. This meant that even after the birth of these
children, they could still be compelled to work under conditions of servitude for many years, often
until they reached adulthood. Even after the abolition of slavery in 1888, child labor was still an issue
due to the high levels of poverty Brazil faced; children needed to work. No support was extended to
the recently emancipated Black community, including housing. The contemporary favelas are a
direct consequence of the displacement experienced by the newly freed population, left without
alternatives. The lack of welfare in the slums resulted in high levels of poverty, opening space for the
flourishing of drug trafficking. Today, the lack of opportunities for the poorer part of the population,
added to the normalization of violence in the favelas, contributes to the recruitment of children
working for the cartels (Carvalho 2008).
The lack of education accessible to all was also an issue, not only for black children but also
for the recently settled European immigrants from Italy, Spain, Germany, and Portugal in the 1800s.
The new settlers were brought by policies of the first republic, which continued the programs of the
empire to whiten the Brazilian population (Lima 2022). The first ships carrying Italian immigrants
docked in 1888 at the port of Santos. Most of these immigrants were brought mainly to contribute
to the workforce needed to expand further the industrialization process that had recently started in
Brazil. Composed of large families, these people who had sold most of their belongings to afford
the transatlantic tickets did not dispose of the means for a good start in the New World. Even with
considerable assistance from the state governments with housing, they still needed to work hard to
make ends meet. The majority of these immigrants established themselves in sparsely populated
southern regions, while some also found their place in major cities like Sao Paulo to meet the
demand for labor in factories. Following the Great Migration, child labor in Brazil became a concern
that transcended racial distinctions.

Education
In 1889, Brazil transitioned from an Empire to a Republic. The leaders of the First Republic
acknowledged the existence of a significant national educational challenge; the illiteracy rate was at
75,27% in 1900. They had to formulate a comprehensive strategy to expand educational accessibility,
with the ultimate goal of advancing the nation’s industrial development. Previously, education was
predominantly a privilege of the elite, with limited access for lower-income classes. (Catani, n.d.)
The introduction of the Education Act of 1891 marked an important moment, serving as a
precursor to a series of subsequent reforms. However, the First Republic’s educational initiatives
primarily focused on literacy and were confined to primary education only, delegating the
competency to states. There was a lack of a national plan to fix the issue on a federal level (De
Oliveira and Machado 2015). As a result, when children completed their primary schooling at
approximately ten years old, they were frequently compelled into the workforce. Facing leisure time,
poverty, and the normalization of children working (a mindset inherited from the legacy of slavery),
kids had no choice but to enter the labor market (Warde 2000).
The year 1930 marked the end of the First Republic and the beginning of the autocratic rule
of Getulio Vargas. Although not democratic, Vargas established several policies to improve the
quality of the well-being of the general population. One of them was the 1934 Educational Reform
in Brazil, which marked a crucial advancement in education. It aimed to modernize and centralize
the education system by introducing a national curriculum, emphasizing teacher professionalization,
and promoting technical and vocational education. By centralizing education under federal control,
it sought to standardize and enhance the quality of education across the nation. Despite these
advancements, challenges related to access to education, especially for rural and marginalized
populations, persisted (Filho, 2005).
 At the time, the Brazilian educational system was divided into pre-primary education, four
years of primary education, and secondary education, lasting 7 to 8 years, which was further divided
into a four-year phase (ages 11 to 14) and three years into high school (ages 15 to 17). However, the
law stipulated that in cases of parental poverty, insufficient availability of schools, or the presence of
a severe illness or anomaly in the child, families were not compelled to enroll their children (Zinet
2016). It was only in 1967 that education became mandatory for a total of 8 years, which included
primary and secondary education and covered children up to 14 years old.

Programs
After the publication of the Constitution of 1988, Brazil entered a phase where it praised
democratic values that secured the well-being of the population. In 1992, the country joined several
international organizations that aimed to reduce child labor, including the creation of the PETI and
Bolsa Familia programs, the first aimed at reducing child labor, and the second nationwide poverty
(Rosati et al. 2011). Between 1992 and 2009, Brazil witnessed a substantial reduction in child labor
and a significant surge in school attendance for 7-15-year-olds, based on findings from the Pesquisa
Nacional por Amostra de Domicilios (PNAD) survey program. Child labor rates declined by over
half, decreasing from 18 percent to less than seven percent. At the same time, school attendance
rates increased from 85 percent to 97 percent within the same age group. These positive trends were
evident across the entire 7-15 age range, with the most notable reductions in child labor and the
greatest boosts in school attendance occurring among 12-15-year-olds.
Gender, rural-urban, and regional disparities in school attendance also experienced
significant reductions or eliminations during the period from 1992 to 2009. School attendance
increased; by 2008, children entered school earlier and left it later compared to 16 years prior. The
PNAD data also enable us to construct a statistical profile of those still engaged in labor: they are
more likely to be boys than girls, residing in rural areas rather than urban centers, and tend to be
older within the 7-15 years age bracket. The majority of them are employed in the agricultural sector
or engaged in unpaid family or informal work, largely outside the scope of formal labor inspections.
Nearly all of them are also students; however, the necessity to dedicate an average of nearly 20 hours
per week to work reduces their time and energy for studying, consequently impeding their ability to
keep pace with their non-working peers (Rosati et al. 2011).

Conclusion
In conclusion, child labor remains a persistent challenge in Brazil, rooted in a complex
historical legacy of slavery, inequality, and racial hierarchy. Despite significant progress and the
implementation of policies to combat child labor over the years, it continues to be a pressing
concern, with detrimental effects on education and future economic prospects for children. Efforts
to reduce child labor and improve school attendance have shown promising results, especially
among 12-15-year-olds, but gender, rural-urban, and regional disparities persist. To achieve the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a strategy involving policies to reduce poverty is
essential. The real problem of which why children are working, even alongside their studies, is
because they need the money. Improving the economic situation of Brazil and establishing policies
that discourage the concentration of wealth are the key solutions. As shown by the data, schooling is
not enough to combat child labor. A multi-faced strategy from the federal government is necessary.
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