“Starving to death little by little every day: Impacts on human rights caused by the Usina Trapiche company to a fishing community in the municipality of Sirinhaém/state of Pernambuco, Brazil”, 2016

…Established in the late nineteenth century,…[Trapiche]…mill occupies about 72% of the area of the municipality. It was acquired by the Serra Grande group…in 1997 and since then it has been controlled by entrepreneur Luiz Antônio de Andrade Bezerra. Since that year, pressure mounted for the families to leave the islands…, always with the support of the judiciary and other government agencies…[T]he actions undertaken by the Mill have actually resulted in cultural extermination, with disruption of community ties and of their typical way of life…[P]resent condition of these families: impoverished, vulnerable and living in slum-like conditions…[T]he image of a socially and environmentally responsible company that Usina Trapiche assigns to itself falls short of reality. The certifications and green seals through which the company advertises its commitment to the environment and the society conceal a continued situation of environmental degradation, work exploitation and encroachment on the territories of traditional communities…[I]t is necessary to deconstruct the myth of social responsibility of sugar and alcohol companies, which boast a false commitment to the environment and to the population in their surroundings…[I]naction and connivance by all instances of government…[are]…neither punishing the responsible parties nor restoring the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the traditional community…The history of violence by Usina Trapiche is no different from what is done by sugar and alcohol plants in the state of Pernambuco and throughout the country…[Recommnedations:]…Corporate Buyers of Usina Trapiche Products, such As Coca-Cola and Pepsi: It is recommended to the companies that buy sugar from Usina Trapiche that they try to convince the sugarcane mill to stop posing obstacles to the creation of the Extractive Reserve. Should it become impossible to move forward with the dialogue and the actions aimed at respecting the territorial rights of the traditional community, severance of commercial links is recommended…