Minister of Racial Equality spoke for the first time about the accusation of sexual harassment against Silvio Almeida; said he had noticed inappropriate behavior since December 2022
The Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, broke her silence and spoke publicly for the first time about the episode of sexual harassment that culminated in the dismissal of Silvio Almeida from the Ministry of Human Rights on September 6th.
In an interview published by the magazine Look This Friday (Oct 4, 2024), Anielle said that she began to notice inappropriate behavior from Almeida as early as December 2022, during the government transition. Months later, he allegedly physically harassed the minister during a meeting. Anielle highlighted that she expressed her discomfort to the then minister, who apologized – but again whispered a disrespectful phrase in her ear.
“I keep asking myself why I didn’t react right away, why I didn’t report it immediately, why I was paralyzed. I blamed myself a lot for the lack of immediate reaction, and these doubts kept haunting me.”stated the minister.
On Wednesday (Oct 2), she testified about the case to the PF (Federal Police). When asked what specifically happened during the harassment episode, she said she preferred not to go into details to “preserve investigations” and not “repeat violence” who suffered.
Anielle said she felt vulnerable when she saw the case become public through a portal report Metropolises almost 1 month ago, on September 5th. Anielle was the main name circulated as a victim after the organization Me Too Brazil accused Almeida of abusive behavior against other women, although without naming her.
“I remained silent because it was all very violent. It was crossed by the way the news came out and the siege of journalists”he said. And he added: “No victim, of any type of violence, has an obligation to expose themselves, to speak when people want them to speak. Victims must speak when they feel comfortable.”.
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The minister also highlighted the support received by First Lady Janja on the day the case became public. The president’s wife Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) published a photo hugging Anielle in her Instagram stories.
“Janja is a great fighting partner and since I arrived in government she has become a friend and partner. The post symbolizes more than solidarity. It is a manifestation of support and commitment to the agenda of protecting women, zero tolerance to violence and oppression”.
HARASSMENT
Silvio Almeida was accused of having committed sexual harassment against several people, including Anielle Franco. The reports were made in a note from the organization Me Too Brazil. The quote to Anielle appears in several media outlets (among them, Metropolises, Folha de S.Paulo and The Globe). The statement from Me Too Brazil did not mention the name of the minister.
According to the organization, the demand was sent through the column of journalist Guilherme Amado, from Metropolisesto confirm the accusations, and the disclosure of the case took place with the consent of the victims, as the information is kept confidential.
In a note sent to Power360the entity stated that the women were assisted through the organization’s service channels and received psychological and legal support.
According to the report published by Metropolisesthe harassment included touching Anielle’s legs, inappropriate kisses when greeting her and expressions of sexual content.
Almeida released a video on the night of September 5 to defend himself against the accusation of sexual harassment. In the recording, he stated that there was a group wanting “delete and decrease” its existence and says that it asked the Ministry of Justice, the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) and the CGU (General Comptroller of the Union) to investigate the case.
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@poder360 The Minister of Human Rights, SilvioAlmeida, released a video on Thursday night (September 5, 2024) to defend himself against the accusation of sexual harassment. Among the victims would be his colleague at Esplanada AnielleFranco, from Igualdade Racial. The attribution was made by the organization Me Too Brasil without detailing the cases. In the recording, Almeida states that there is a group wanting to “erase and diminish” its existence and says that he asked the Ministry of Justice, the PGR (Attorney General’s Office) and the CGU (General Comptroller of the Union) to investigate the case. 🔹 Read the report on Poder360.
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