In the fight against human trafficking and state-run forced labor, repeat offenders remain a significant challenge. Once someone has found a profitable way to traffic others, they often have little incentive to stop. This problem is laid bare by a recent case of human trafficking in Brazil and similar instances around the globe by Chinese-owned worksites abroad. These cases highlight the need for swift and effective punishment of trafficking whenever it occurs, not only as a form of justice but also as deterrence.
Trapped and Exploited: The BYD Factory Scandal in Brazil
Before December 2024, a group of 163 Chinese nationals was brought to Brazil under false pretenses to build a factory for the Chinese car manufacturer BYD. The job initially appeared to be an appealing opportunity for the workers because of the $7-an-hour pay — twice the minimum wage in much of China — by the subcontractor Jinjiang Group. However, their hopes were soon shattered when they found themselves trapped in an exploitative work environment.
Once in Brazil, any fears or apprehensions the workers may have had were quickly realized. In December, Brazilian authorities halted work on a new electric vehicle factory then under construction for the Chinese electric vehicle brand BYD, citing “slavery-like conditions.” Workers endured grueling hours, with 60% of their wages withheld. Brazilian authorities even went so far as to request a halt on issuing temporary work visas to BYD.
To keep workers from leaving, the company reportedly made sure that it would be punitively difficult for them to try. Many workers’ passports were seized, making escape almost impossible. When signing their contracts, workers were required to pay a $900 deposit, which they would forfeit if they did not work for at least six months. Finally, if a worker decided to quit and return to China, they would have to work for at least six months before they could afford a plane ticket.
Other egregious violations were related to the living conditions the workers were provided. The Ministério Público do Trabalho (Public Labor Prosecution Office) reports that many workers slept in beds without mattresses, leading at least one to suffer a sleep deprivation-related injury. Cooked food was left open and unrefrigerated until it was served the next day. In addition, there was only one bathroom for every 31 workers, which meant they had to wake up at 4:00 am in order to wait in line before work.
Backtracking and Blame
Initially, the response from BYD seemed promising. On December 23rd, the company acknowledged the issue, relocated the workers to hotels, claimed it had previously asked Jinjiang Group to improve working conditions, and cut ties with the subcontractor. By December 26th, there was a notable shift in rhetoric, with the subcontractor Jinjiang Group claiming, “Being unjustly labeled as ‘enslaved’ has made our employees feel that their dignity has been insulted and their human rights violated, seriously hurting the dignity of the Chinese people.” Even BYD changed its tone by declaring, “In the matter of smearing Chinese brands, smearing China, and attempting to undermine the friendship between China and Brazil, we have seen how relevant foreign forces maliciously associate and deliberately smear.” BYD even went so far as to release a video of a worker reading a statement that the accusations were false and the result of cultural misunderstandings. Both statements were a call for the Chinese government to step in on behalf of the workers, a call that appears to have gone unanswered. Aside from China’s foreign ministry’s statement that it was in communication with the Brazilian government to ascertain the truth of the accusations, the Chinese government has remained silent on the issue.
In January 2025, BYD changed its story to claim it never knew about conditions at the site until the Brazilian media broke the news in December, although Jinjiang Group continued to deny the allegations. With BYD willing to cut ties with Jinjiang Group, the car manufacturer came to a tenuous agreement with the Brazilian government to improve conditions and, in return, resume construction for the factory to which it invested some $620 million.
A Pattern of Exploitation
This may seem like a relatively contained event — Jinjiang Group and BYD trafficked workers, but the crime was discovered, the victims were rescued, and BYD vowed never to work with Jinjiang Group again. The problem with this narrative is that this incident is not the first and certainly not the last instance of human trafficking or modern-day slavery perpetrated by a Chinese company on Chinese or foreign soil.
Throughout sub-Saharan Africa, there have been many incidents of Chinese companies abusing their workers in similar ways. A Human Rights Watch report in 2010 on Zambia’s copper mining industry highlighted numerous instances of labor rights violations, including withheld wages and excessively long work hours—five 12-hour shifts and one 18-hour shift per week, with commute times turning 12-hour shifts to 14 hours. It also highlighted the lack of safety equipment despite exposure to hazardous substances and gases, as well as anti-union activities such as intimidation and the dismissal of striking workers.
The report did note that there has since been improvement, problems have continued. The Business and Human Rights Resource Center found a total of 181 cases of human rights abuses “linked to Chinese investment” in Africa from 2013 to 2020, with most taking place in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In 2020, the manager of a Chinese gold mine in Zimbabwe shot and injured two African workers when a dispute over backpay escalated. In 2022, the owner of a Chinese-owned mine was sentenced to 20 years in prison for torturing two African employees by whipping them while they were tied to a tree. The Institute of Security Studies, an African-based research and policy organization, argued that “African governments need to define strategic priorities and a common policy that can guide China-Africa relations. It’s the responsibility of states to create an environment where the rights of all workers are protected.”
According to the Zimbabwe Environment Law Association (ZELA), human rights abuses are not an uncommon occurrence at many Chinese-owned mines. “ZELA is aware of several cases of abuse of Zimbabwean workers by Chinese employers, and this happens on a regular basis at some of the Chinese mining companies,” the organization commented.
Addressing the Problem at its Root
When one considers these situations in Africa, the flare-up in Brazil, and the accusations of forced labor in China, a pattern begins to emerge. Clearly, once one source of human trafficking opens, unless it is closed at the source, it is almost impossible to contain. The only solution is to address the problem at its root by immediately forcing the Chinese government to desist and crack down on trafficking. Governments of countries where Chinese-owned companies violate basic human rights must take swift action to prevent future abuse.
This is easier said than done when speaking of the government of a world power, but it also applies to other perpetrators of human trafficking. While we can do everything in our power to help victims, an ideal solution would be, of course, to prevent them from being victimized in the first place. To have any chance at this, offenders must be prosecuted promptly. If they serve prison sentences and get criminal records, they may begin to understand that they will be caught and punished should they traffic others again.
Kurt Sell is a graduate of Temple University’s history and political science programs with a passion for research and writing. He believes in educating the public through well-researched, well-written, and entertaining content while educating himself through the process of research and creation. He hopes to help the inquisitive and curious through the creation of quality research pieces since he believes we all must continually learn about ourselves and the world around us.
