For many, the destruction of our environment is an idea that we simply will not stand for. We think of the deaths of thriving ecosystems, the misplacement of animals living in areas being destroyed, and the irreversible consequences on our trees and plant life. However, when many consider the destruction of forests and nature, the idea that it increases enslavement never comes to mind. The fact is that in many locations, deforestation and the growth of slave labor are directly connected.
The enslavement as a result of deforestation is growing very rapidly in Brazil. Since April 2010, deforestation has increased from 103 km in March and April 2010 to 593 sq km (229 sq miles) in the same period of 2011. One clear case of this was in Mato Grosso del Sul, Brazil, where the destruction of land for economic purposes left many people without a safe place to live and a steady job to uphold. Kevin Bales, author of “Disposable People” chronicled the drastic increase of slave labor in Mato Grosso. He explained the repercussions of deforestation on these villages by saying “ As the native ecosystem and peoples are uprooted, displaced workers, even the urban unemployed, become vulnerable to enslavement” (Bales 122). In the case of Mato Grosso del Sul, slave labor was used to convert the excess wood from the trees being cut down into charcoal.
The enslavement process occurred as a manipulation of the inhabitants desperate for jobs. When the need came to get rid of the wood, recruiters known as “gatos” came into the towns looking for men to work creating charcoal. When the men agreed they were taken to camps far away from their homes and told they were indebted to the “gatos”, a former worker named Ronaldo recounts his experience by saying “ When we reached the camp we could see it was terrible: the conditions were not good enough for animals. Standing around the camp were men with guns”(Bales 127). From that moment on, the workers had to put in long grueling days in dangerous conditions.
Since it takes a short time to destroy these forests, the enslavements of these workers are not long term. However, the physical effects of deforestation as well as the traumatic psychological effects of their labor can cause true harm to their lives. Kevin Bales explains how in many cases, the laborers have no other options of making money, and are coerced into this form of slavery. It is put best when he writes “ In this case, the people who live in the forest and rely on it are usually the ones forced to destroy it. Tree by tree, the hands of slaves wrench the life out of their own land and prepare it for a new kind of exploitation”(Bales 122). This vicious act of harming the environment as well as its inhabitants must be stopped immediately. Without the proper guidance into how Brazil can create a stronger economy without deforestation or slave labor, the cycle will continue until there is no land left.
Bales, Kevin. Disposable People.Los Angeles California: University of California Press Ltd. 2000.Print.
Photo Credit: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/deforestation-2.jpg
Wow Molly!! What an interesting topic!!! I knew that deforestation was on my list of things I hate, but only because it destroys the essential rain forests. I never knew that the indigenous people were being forced to destroy their homes. what can be done to prevent this "temporary" bondage or significantly reduce deforestation?
ReplyDeleteEnslavement as we learned can occur in any environment or culture but the connections with enslavement and deforestation if often if rarely thought of. Before this blog I would not be able to find a way they can be linked. As I was reading i came across the facts that slaves dealing with deforestation are not likely to be long term relays heavy on psychical labor that can cause bodily harm if the work is not done correctly.
ReplyDeleteIt would not surprise me if having to destroy the environment one lives in were to cause serious psychological damage. These workers are using their own hands to destroy the earth around them and I'm sure this guilt and stress (along with the stressors of their enslavement) can lead to some kind of disorder.
ReplyDeleteAlthough their periods of labor are short we can assume that the same manipulation and cruelty is practiced on these laborers and the emotional after affect is essentially the same.
I think it is terrible that they are forced to destroy their native lands. Even more surprising to agree with Ashley is the shocking fact that the NATIVES are destroying the rain forest; an issue people seem not to know about. I am curious if you know specific cases in which the people suffered psychological effects, and what exactly happened to them? Is the government aware of this and if so are they involved?
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