Popular surveillance of contemporary slavery

Abstract

Considering social movements (MH) as agents for the production of information and actions that are fundamental to improve the health conditions of workers and their relevance in the history of health-work relations in Brazil, the article analyzes MH knowledge and practices related to collection, systematization, dissemination of information and intervention actions in contemporary slavery from the perspective of worker’s health surveillance (VISAT). Exploratory research of a qualitative nature was carried out on discursive practices of MS in the struggle for the eradication of slave labor in Brazil. Interviews with activists, documents produced by MS and observation of meetings and seminars were analyzed here according to Foucault. The results demonstrate the existence of a popular surveillance of contemporary slave labor, operated by MS with pioneering and original mechanisms for collecting, systematizing and publicizing data on occurrences of slavery associated with intervention strategies to defend the lives of workers. It is concluded that this popular practice of slavery surveillance challenges the SUS to expand dialogues with different knowledge and MS to include the theme in its VISAT actions.