Brazilian Woman, 62, Rescued After 55 Years of Unpaid Domestic Servitude

A 62-year-old Brazilian woman has been rescued after spending 55 years working as an unpaid housemaid for the same family. She was just seven years old when she began living and working with the household in Fortaleza, a city in northeastern Brazil.

Over the decades, she served three generations of the Brasil family. She woke at 4:30 every morning to prepare breakfast and take the children to school. But she never learned to read or write. At 62, she had no bank account, no friends, and did not know how to handle money. She had never even been to the beach alone.

"She lived in a kind of prison," said the public prosecutor specializing in domestic slavery. "She didn't know how to get around the city. She was afraid of the violence outside. Because she received clothing, food, and shelter, she felt she was being paid for her work."

Authorities are now trying to locate her biological relatives, as she lost contact with them decades ago.

The Brasil family denies all allegations, stating through their lawyer that the claims "do not reflect the relationship of coexistence, care, and affection built over the decades." However, the family has agreed to provide her with a fully furnished home worth $30,000 and a compensation payment of 10,000 euros.

Prosecutors also suspect the family fraudulently collected the approximately $115 per month she received through Bolsa Família, Brazil's anti-poverty program. The family denies this as well.

Despite the rescue, the woman remains with the family for now. National coordinator Luciano Aragão Santos explained that reintegrating someone who has been isolated since childhood requires a genuine effort to help her build an independent life.