Child labor is also a serious concern, with 10,232,926 currently in the work force, including 3.4 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 and with 2,276,920 children between the ages of 10 and 17 working 40 or more hours a week. According to estimates from IPEC, 37.0% of child workers between the ages of 7 and 14 working in urban centers in activities considered degrading, dangerous or unhealthy are in the Southeast region, while 34.8% are in the Northeast, 12.0% in the North, 9.6% in the South, and 6.5% in the Central-West region. The type of work performed by these children include working in waste dumps, illegal activities, in outdoor markets and small food stands, as shoe shiners; and distributing newspapers and magazines.
Regional disparities continue, with child labor (children
between 7 and 9 years old) is predominant in the Northeast region
(42.55%) and the Southeast (26.2%). The Southeast heads the list for
the 10 to 14 year old age group. However, in all regions, the "waste
dump" activity has the highest incidence of child labor (44.3%),
followed by "illegal activities" with 38.4%, with the exception of the
Northern region where the percentage for "outdoor markets and small
food stands" is greater than "illegal activities" (IPEC 2001).
Similarly, the Northeast region accounted for the highest rate of children between
the ages of 10 and 14 (52.7%) and youths between the ages of 15 and
17 (36.8%) in the workforce, followed by the Southeast and South
region. The lowest rate, however, was in the North and Central-West
regions.
With regards to the increase in AIDS cases among children
and adolescents in Brazil, the Southeast region is by far the leading
area, followed by the South, Northeast, and North regions. The disease
is spreading at a much higher rate among teenage girls; in the thirteen
to nineteen year old age group, six girls are infected for every boy.
Violence and Sexual Exploitation
Different forms of sexual exploitation exist in Brazil, although
some are more predominant in certain regions than in others. This
exploitation includes prostitution, sexual role playing (e.g. bondage and
discipline), massage parlors, sex tourism, pornography and stripping.
The sex industry has adapted over time to exploit changing technology,
with, for example, the internet now providing strong support for the
industry.
The characteristics of those being exploited by the industry
has also evolved. According to studies, while women are the primary
victims of sexual exploitation, men are also victims. Similarly, while
the sex industry has typically preyed upon the poor and marginalized
within society, there also is evidence that the number of middle class
women, children and adolescents involved in the industry has
increased.
Data on children and adolescents in the sex industry and in
trafficking is sketchy and deserves more in depth research. What can
be noted is that the typical age of the children and adolescents involved
varies both within and among the five regions of Brazil, though overall,
most fall between 12 and 18 years old. A majority of these children are
Afro-descendents, who either migrate within the country or are sent
abroad.
Studies further indicate that women, children and adolescents
found participating in the sex industry generally have suffered some
type of family violence (sexual abuse, rape, seduction, negligence,
abandonment, physical and mental abuse or violence) or other types of
violence (structural and interpersonal violence). Generally, the
aggressor is a male, although cases exist where women, homosexuals
and other adolescents were involved.
Among the most predominant forms of sex crimes committed
against women in Brazil are rape, criminal assault, seduction and
eliciting criminal sexual behavior. Data obtained from the National
Council for Women's Rights in 1999 and published in "Psi" newspaper
(Jan./March 2002), showed 411,216 registered cases of serious and
simple assault.