Human rights in Brazil are legally protected by the Brazilian Constitution, statutes and laws, however, there are serious issues in regard to human rights abuses. Brazil had a remarkably poor record during the dictatorship of the 1960s, and still has many problems today. These include the use of police brutality, torture and summary executions by civil and military police and prison authorities. Slavery persists against the excluded persons.
The federal government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, however, there continued to be numerous, serious abuses, and the records of several state governments were poor. The following human rights problems were reported: unlawful killings, excessive force, beatings, abuse, and torture of detainees and inmates by police and prison security forces; inability to protect witnesses involved in criminal cases; harsh prison conditions; prolonged pretrial detention and inordinate delays of trials; reluctance to prosecute as well as inefficiency in prosecuting government officials for corruption; violence and discrimination against women; violence against children, including sexual abuse; trafficking in persons; discrimination against black and indigenous persons; failure to enforce labor laws; widespread forced labor; and child labor in the informal sector. Human rights violators often enjoyed impunity.
Read more about Human Rights In Brazil: Slave Labor and Labor Exploitation, Domestic Violence, Ethnic Minorities, Women, Prisoner Violence, Summary Executions and Police Violence, Torture, Agrarian Violence and Oppression, Indigenous Violence, Refugees, Impunity, Violence Against Human Rights Defenders
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