Human Rights Minister Accused Of Sexual Harassment Fired In Brazil
Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired his human rights minister, Silvio Almeida, on Friday, amid allegations that he sexually harassed several women, including a cabinet colleague.
The scandal, which sparked outrage in Brazil, is the first to involve a member of Lula’s administration since the veteran leftist returned to power last year.
“The president considers the possibility of the minister remaining in office untenable given the nature of the allegations,” the statement added.
In a later statement, Almeida said: “I asked President Lula to dismiss me. It will give me a chance to prove my innocence and recover from this,” he said.
#FPVideo: Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sacked his human rights minister Silvio Almeida over allegations of sexual harassment. He is accused of sexually harassing several women, including his cabinet colleague Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco. pic.twitter.com/5LWXESDD1W
— Firstpost (@firstpost) September 7, 2024
The Metropoles news site reported on Thursday that several women, including Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, had filed complaints against Almeida with the women’s organization Me Too Brasil.
Me Too Brasil confirmed the report, stating that the women in question “received psychological and legal support.”
The federal police said Friday that they would investigate the claims, and the Presidential Ethics Commission also said it was looking into them.
Almeida, a 48-year-old lawyer and university professor who is regarded as one of Brazil’s leading intellectuals, previously dismissed the allegations as “lies”.
He claims that the allegations are intended to tarnish the image of “a black man who occupies a prominent position in public office.”
Franco, 40, is also Black. Following Almeida’s dismissal, she wrote on Instagram that it was “unacceptable to downplay or diminish acts of violence” and praised Lula for his “forceful action.”
She welcomed the expressions of solidarity she had received, saying that many women and girls face harassment on a daily basis at work, on public transportation, in schools, and at home.
On Friday, the UOL news website published the account of one of Almeida’s accusers, a university professor who claimed the minister groped her during a meal in 2019 in front of approximately 15 people.
“There were a lot of people, I was wearing a skirt and I remember his hand on my private parts,” she said, adding: “I felt ashamed.”
Before meeting with Almeida on Friday, Lula issued a stern warning about potential cases of sexual harassment in his team.
“What I can say is that whoever practices harassment cannot remain in government,” he told Brazil’s Difusora Goiania radio station.
Almedia’s wife, Edneia Carvalho, with whom he has a one-year-old daughter, called the minister’s accusations “unfair” and “absurd” on Instagram.
Human Rights Minister Accused Of Sexual Harassment Fired In Brazil
