A Brazilian woman enslaved as a maid from the age of eight for almost four decades and forced into marriage has been rescued in a rare crackdown on domestic slavery, officials said on Monday. However, the adoption was never formalized between the family and Gordiano's mother, who had eight other children. Madalena Gordiano was enslaved as a maid from the age of eight in Brazil. Labor prosecutors said they were trying to strike a deal with the Rigueira family to pay compensation to Gordiano. Domestic servitude hit the headlines in Brazil in June when authorities rescued a 61-year-old maid who they judged to have been enslaved by a woman working for beauty company Avon.

Source: Daily Mail December 21, 2020 23:01 UTC