The Ministry of Women released a statement this Friday (6) in which it classifies as “serious” the complaints from the organization supporting victims of sexual violence Me Too against the Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship, Silvio Almeida, accused of sexual harassment.
In the note, the ministry expresses solidarity with all women “who break the silence every day and report situations of harassment and violence”; it reaffirms that no violence against women should be tolerated and highlights that all complaints of this nature need to be investigated, “giving due credit to the victims’ words”.
“The practice of any type of violence and harassment against women is unacceptable and does not comply with the principles of the Federal Public Administration and democracy. All complaints must be investigated quickly, rigorously and from a gender perspective, giving due credit to the victims’ words, and the aggressors must be held accountable in an exemplary manner,” the ministry states.
The note recalls that Brazil is a signatory to international agreements that ensure women’s rights and establish national commitments in favor of eliminating discrimination and gender-based violence.
“It is also worth reiterating that protection for reporting individuals and mechanisms for reception, active listening, guidance and monitoring are among the actions provided for in the Federal Program for Preventing and Confronting Harassment and Discrimination within the scope of the direct, autonomous and foundational federal public administration.”
Launched in July of this year by the federal government, the program applies to both civil servants and public employees, including actions for outsourced workers.
Complaints
The allegations against Minister Silvio Almeida were made public by the news portal Metrópoles on Thursday afternoon (5) and later confirmed by the Me Too organization. Without revealing names or the number of cases, the organization states that it has assisted women who claim to have been sexually harassed by Almeida.
“As is often the case in cases of sexual violence involving perpetrators in positions of power, these victims face difficulties in obtaining institutional support to validate their complaints. In light of this, they authorized the confirmation of the case to the press,” explained Me Too, in a statement.
According to the Metrópoles website, among Almeida’s alleged victims was the Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, who has not yet spoken publicly on the matter.
The Minister of Human Rights and Citizenship refuted the accusations, repudiating “with absolute vehemence” the charges, which he referred to as “lies” and “absurd inferences” with the aim of harming him.
“I repudiate such accusations with the strength of love and respect that I have for my wife and my beloved 1-year-old daughter, in the midst of the struggle that I wage, daily, in favor of human rights and citizenship in this country.”
In the statement, the minister assessed that “each and every complaint must be substantiated” and expressed sadness about the entire situation. “It hurts my soul. Once again, there is a group trying to erase and diminish our existence, attributing to me the behaviors they practice. With this, Brazil loses, the human rights agenda loses, racial equality loses and the Brazilian people lose.”
“Each and every complaint must be investigated to the fullest extent of the law, but to do so, the facts must be exposed so that they can be investigated and processed. And not just based on lies, without evidence.”
Hours after the allegations became public, the minister was called to provide clarifications to the Comptroller General of the Union, Vinícius Carvalho, and to the Attorney General of the Union, Jorge Messias, as reported in a notethe Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency of the Republic (Secom).
According to the secretariat, the minister himself will send a letter to the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU), the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) so that they can investigate the case. Also according to the statement, the Ethics Committee of the Presidency of the Republic decided to open proceedings to investigate the allegations.
“The federal government recognizes the seriousness of the allegations. The case is being handled with the rigor and speed that situations involving possible violence against women require,” concluded Secom.
