There are almost always laws on the books that would protect these people, but they've often never heard of those laws, and the systems that are supposed to enforce those laws are corrupt or broken or both.
Quase sempre há leis que protegeriam essas pessoas, mas, normalmente, as pessoas nunca ouviram sobre essas leis, e o sistema que deveria aplicar essas leis é corrupto, falido ou as duas coisas.