The Brazilian Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida, was denounced by several women for sexual harassment in front of the Me too Brazil organizationwhich defends women victims of sexual violence in the South American country.
“Me Too Brasil confirms, with the consent of the victims, that received complaints of sexual harassment against Minister Silvio Almeida“the organization said in a statement sent to EFE on Thursday.
The news was revealed by the Metrópoles portal, which indicates that the cases occurred last year, although The NGO did not specify names or the number of complainants or the type of harassment. nor the moment in which it occurred, information that “is confidential,” he told EFE.
According to the NGO, the victims were assisted by the organization’s support channels, which also provided them with psychological and legal support.
In the statement, the organization said that the victims authorized the disclosure of what happened to the press for the “difficulties” they had “in obtaining institutional support”something that, he said, “often occurs in cases involving ‘aggressors in positions of power.'”
“Reporting an abuser in a position of power helps break the cycle of impunity that often protects them. Public denunciation exposes abusive behaviour that is sometimes covered up by institutions or networks of influence,” the NGO said, stressing that this can lead to other victims “breaking the silence.”
The allegations were “vehemently repudiated” by Minister Almeida, who, in a note sent to EFE by his press office, said that he “perceives” that this is “absurd conclusions” with the sole purpose of harming him.
The head of the Human Rights portfolio emphasized that all complaints “must be investigated with all the rigor of the law, but for this to happen, it is necessary that the facts be exposed to be investigated and processed and not just based on lies, without evidence.”
The senior official said that the issue is part of a campaign “to damage” his image “as a black man” who holds a prominent position in public power, and he assured that “these will not be successful.”
Almeida assumed the Human Rights portfolio in January 2023. He is a lawyer and professor, and was president of the Luiz Gama Institute, a human rights organization focused on the legal defense of minorities and popular causes.
The 48-year-old lawyer, philosopher, writer and professor is the author of various works on racism, human rights, politics, philosophy and political economy in Brazil.
