MARANHÃO, BRAZIL — Before dawn, Davi* returned to the workers’ quarters at the charcoal factory where he worked in Mirador, in the interior of Maranhão state, in northeastern Brazil. The violence, fearful atmosphere, and exhausting schedule in the charcoal furnaces—all described in federal labor reports—reveal more than isolated brutality. Full statements from Toyota, Viena and Ferinha’s legal counsel are available at this link. “At every charcoal factory where I’ve rescued workers from conditions analogous to slavery, Viena is the end customer,” federal labor inspector Ivano Sampaio observed. The biggest risk is the smoke getting in our eyes,’ says a worker at a charcoal plant in Maranhão (Photo: João Laet/Repórter Brasil)Many cases are traced to the charcoal business.