A woman from Brazil that have spent 40 years of her life being locked down as a slave in a household from the age of 8 and forced to marry an elderly member of the family has finally been rescued. The authorities were tipped off by neighbors.
The inspector in charge of the rescue, Humberto Camasmie, said that the family gave the woman food when she was hungry, but every other right was taken from her. The parents of the woman had given her up to a professor at Patos de Minas University when she was just 8-years-old. Ever since, she’d been living in a small room of an apartment in Patos de Minas.
The woman has worked for the family most of her life without any leave or remittance. She’s now 46, and she was finally saved when the authorities were tipped off by neighbors who received a note from the woman in which she requested them to buy food and hygiene products for her as she had no money at all.
The woman was also forced to marry an elderly member of the family so the family would receive his pension.
She has finally been put in a shelter where she receives psychological help. The authorities are also trying to reunite her with her biological family, and she now keeps her monthly pension of $1,560.
The professor has since been suspended by the university and all the legal measures have been taken. If found guilty, the people that did this to her could face prison punishment of eight years. Reportedly, the prosecutors are trying to strike a deal with the family to secure compensation for the woman.
