After the podcast went viral, the mansion in Higienópolis became a tourist attraction. People from all over the city, and even from other states, wanted to take a closer look at the FBI fugitive's residence. The street, which used to be quiet and private, quickly became jammed with traffic jams due to curious onlookers who slowed down their vehicles to take a peek at the house's walls. Some people even camped out in front of the place hoping to meet the owner of the property.
This week, after releasing the last episode, Felitti commented on the program's impact. The podcast creator did not expect the story to reach so many people, but he regretted the sensationalization of Margarida's case. The journalist also explained that the main objective of telling the story was to highlight current cases of slave-like labor and encourage society to report these crimes. On the one hand, it seems that the podcast fulfilled its purpose.
In a survey conducted by the Labor Prosecutor's Office (MPT), at the oman mobile database request of Folha de S.Paulo, the number of reports of domestic work analogous to slavery in Brazil increased by 67% after the podcast was launched. This means that there was an increase in the identification of these cases throughout the country, especially in the São Paulo region, where reports tripled.
However, even though more reports are being made, the focus of the story is still the mansion, the woman who lives there, and the spectacle surrounding the suffering of the victims of contemporary slavery. Margarida will never be tried for having enslaved a black woman for twenty years, but her house will serve as a stage for the terrible circus that has formed due to this tragedy, until a new story starts to “pop up” on the internet and the case of the Woman of the Abandoned House is forgotten. Both for those looking for entertainment and for those who feel committed to supporting the cause behind the narrative.
Modern slavery in Brazil
Yes, slavery was formally abolished in 1888, with the signing of the Lei Áurea (Golden Law). But then, how is work analogous to slavery defined?
Article 149 of the Penal Code defines labor analogous to slavery as that in which people are subjected to forced labor, working hours that may cause physical harm, degrading conditions and restrictions on movement due to debts owed to an employer. The crime is aggravated when it is committed against children and adolescents or for reasons of prejudice based on race, color, ethnicity, religion or origin.