Thousands of labourers in Brazil's charcoal industry are beingforced to work as virtual slaves in hot and suffocatingconditions. Julian Pettifer ventures into remote parts of the country to meet those who tend the charcoal kilns and finds that even children are being ruthlessly exploited. He hears that thousands of people are tempted by promises of free housing and good wages. Workers typically arrive penniless and are advanced moneyforfood, charged for
"expenses" and begin their new life with a debt they can never repay.
In Spain, Frank Smith reports from the inland region of Aragon, where the local population is furious that precious water supplies are being diverted to help the tourist industry on the coast.
Editor Keith Bowers