Volkswagen do Brasil Indústria de Veículos Automotores Ltda. controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2025
R$165 million labor judgment over Amazon farm abuses
A Brazilian labor court ordered Volkswagen do Brasil to pay R$165 million in collective moral damages over the exploitation of workers at Fazenda Vale do Rio Cristalino. The case concerned conduct during the 1970s and 1980s, including alleged coercion, violence and degrading working conditions.
2024
Civil action over slave-like labor at Fazenda Vale do Rio Cristalino
Brazil's labor prosecution service filed a civil action alleging serious human-rights violations and labor conditions analogous to slavery at a Volkswagen-linked agricultural property in Pará during the 1970s and 1980s.
2020
Compensation for dictatorship-era persecution
Volkswagen agreed to compensation connected with claims involving former workers who were persecuted, detained or tortured during Brazil's military regime.
2014
Cooperation with Brazil's military dictatorship and worker surveillance
Historical investigations and Brazil's Truth Commission identified evidence that Volkswagen do Brasil security personnel cooperated with military authorities and helped identify or monitor workers and union activists during the 1964–1985 dictatorship.