Elderly man is rescued from conditions analogous to slavery in Pará The 65-year-old worker rescued from a situation analogous to slavery in a difficult to access location in Altamira, in the southwest of Pará, lived isolated from people and surrounded by animals. According to the Public Ministry of Labor of Pará (MPT-PA), he shared the accommodation where he lived with animals from the rural property where he worked, including cattle and pigs, which "roamed freely inside the house". The 65-year-old man told labor inspectors that he kept vigil at night because of bats that attacked the pigs and even shared his scarce food with the pigs, including some of the piranhas he caught in a nearby river. In addition to sharing space with the animals he cared for on the property, he was exposed to venomous animals and had already been stung twice by jacacaras in the accommodation, in addition to being stung twice by stingrays in the river he used to bathe. "Another risk factor identified was constant exposure to wild animals, especially jaguars, common in the region", added the MPT about the place where he was. Images released by the work auditors show the precarious situation in which the elderly man lived, without water, without a bathroom and in a wooden shack with parts of dirt floors, few cemented areas and gaps in the walls. The bed was covered in debris and shared space with accumulated trash. ? A Federal Police helicopter had to be used for work auditors to arrive at the farm and rescue the elderly man on the rural property where he had worked for 8 years, inside the Terra do Meio Ecological Station, a federal conservation unit. ?Altamira is the largest city in the country in terms of territory and is more than 800 kilometers away from the capital Belém. The rescue site can only be accessed by boat or air and is so far away that the flight from the center of Altamira to the rescue site took two hours. The worker was rescued in an operation coordinated by the Labor Tax Audit, linked to the Ministry of Labor, with the participation of the Public Ministry of Labor in Pará and Amapá (MPT PA-AP), the Federal Police (PF) and the Federal Public Defender's Office (DPU). ? Follow the g1 Pará channel on WhatsApp Man worked in conditions similar to slavery. AFT Isolation in the forest According to the Labor Tax Audit, since 2018 he had lived on the farm without drinking water, with precarious food and in degrading housing. Furthermore, he was in complete isolation, in an area surrounded by forest, without regular access to public services, means of communication, medical care or minimum conditions of dignity. The man consumed water taken directly from a river and stored in reused containers of engine lubricating oil. The worker waited for the clay to settle before consuming it, but the water still remained cloudy and unfit for consumption. "The inspection also found a situation of food insecurity. The worker ate only once a day and rarely consumed meat (protein), as it was not provided by the employee, showing signs of malnutrition. The water for consumption, bathing and food preparation was muddy, coming from the Pardo River, with no proof of potability", the MPT further detailed. When he needed medical attention for severe pain in his kidneys, the worker, who is illiterate, has severe hearing impairment and vision problems, walked 27 kilometers through thick forest for about a day and a half until he reached the place where another worker lived. In addition to the degrading situation, he had responsibilities for: the maintenance and conservation of the property by monitoring the farm maintenance of the airstrip, animal management and cultivation of small subsistence crops. "The gradual abandonment of the property occurred after environmental inspection actions, which led to the removal of part of the herd on the site years ago. Even in the face of a reduction in activities, the worker remained on the farm with the function of taking care of the few cattle and pigs that were not removed by environmental inspections, in addition to the fear of losing his labor rights. The worker was inserted into the Altamira social assistance protection network, received medical and psychological care and was sent to a shelter, before returning to the municipality where family members reside. A conduct adjustment agreement was signed in the amount of R$ 120 thousand between severance pay and compensation for moral damages. Elderly man is rescued from conditions similar to slavery on a rural property in Altamira Long periods without human contact According to the inspection, for years the worker remained practically alone on the property. Supplies were brought in sporadically. In some periods, he spent up to three years without contact with family. With no phone signal or internet, he lived completely isolated. After the rescue, the task force reported that it arranged for the issuance of a new identity card, registration with the CPF, referral to medical care and initiation of procedures for applying for social security or assistance benefits. In addition, clothes, hygiene products, food and a cell phone were purchased, which allowed him to reestablish contact with family members in Maranhão, Goiás and São Félix do Xingu (PA), the city where he will stay. Complaints Cases of work similar to slavery can be reported anonymously through the Ipê System, available on the website of the Labor Inspection Secretariat.