Human trafficking in Brazil is an ongoing problem. Brazil is a source country for men, women, girls, and boys subjected to human trafficking, specifically forced prostitution within the country and abroad, as well as a source country for men and boys in forced labor within the country. The United States Department of Homeland Security, describes human trafficking as "the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act."[1]
Human trafficking is a condemned violation of human rights by international law. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.[2] A country being rated a Tier 2 country means that the specific country does not fully meet minimum expectations set for countries by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, but are making clear effort to meet the standards of compliance.[3]