Parallel event on the human rights situation in Brazil took place at the Palace of the United Nations in Geneva

In times of crisis and human rights curtailment, it is very good to know that there are people who seek the construction of a more fair and solidary country along with CESE

 

The parallel event on the human rights situation in Brazil took place at the Palace of the United Nations in Geneva and was attended by at least 50 representatives of Brazilian and international organizations.

The activity was organized from a debate table coordinated by Conectas Human Rights with the participation of the Articulation for the Monitoring of HR in Brazil, the Maranhense Society of Human Rights, the Tupinambás / BA Association of Indigenous People; Land of Rights; ABGLT, Article 19.

The agenda dealt with several topics on the reality and the timeliness of human rights in Brazil, with special attention to actions that have been carried out by the current government, such as MP 870 (Provisional Measure), which frontally attacks the right and freedom of organization and association, this issue is seen as a major threat in the country at this time.

Along with this theme, there is also the process of paralysis and extinction of social participation spaces that are fundamental for the achievement of policies and the monitoring of these policies, as is the case, for example, the extinction of CONSEA (National Council on Food Security and Nutrition).

Issues such as the advance of violence against human rights defenders, against women, against the LGBT population, against traditional and indigenous people and communities, the advancement of militias in the peripheries and also in the countryside.

The representative of the Tupinambá indigenous community of the Serra do Padeiro / Ba, made a very strong report on the situation of threat that all her community and their leaders face daily.

In addition to other issues addressed by the Brazilian partners, the Articulation drew attention to the proposed Pension Reform presented to the Congress by the Bolsonaro government, stating that the central and critical points of the proposal are in line with the destruction of the proposed social security provided by the Federal Constitution of 1988. To the Articulation:

“The government’s reform proposal inaugurates a new form of non-social security, but social insurance, from a perspective of capitalization rather than rights. This proposal deeply attacks the poorest since it joins the already approved labor reform that relaxes and worsens in a profound way the labor relations”.

The agenda was very positive because it marks the first international event within the UN, where Brazilian civil society can carry information jointly and broadly on how it is seeing the human rights work of the current government.

 

Brazilian Committee 

The proposal is that we can intensify this type of events, at least every six months between Brazilian partners, so that we can also keep the international community informed about the progress of the human rights agenda in Brazil, giving visibility, above all, to setbacks in policies, legislation and situations of violations by which people, communities, groups and human rights defenders suffer daily.

The Meeting with the Churches took place at the Ecumenical Center in Geneva. It was attended by the Articulation for Monitoring Human Rights in Brazil, the Maranhense Society for Human Rights, the Indigenous Missionary Council and the Tupinambá Indigenous Association of the Serra do Padeiro / BA.

 

Agenda with the churches

The entourage was received by Odair Pedroso Mateus, representative of the World Council of Churches (WCC), who welcomed the demands made by the entourage and made a commitment to bring the issues to the members of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran International Federation and ACT Alliance.

The central agenda of themes that were presented:

1-Indigenous rights in Brazil: the reality of indigenous peoples, in a scenario of permanent violence and violations, and the process of dismantling indigenous structures and policies in the country, and the role of the churches in facing this situation. It was suggested that it would be very positive in the current scenario to have some kind of direct action by the Churches with the Brazilian government to address the indigenous issue.

It was also suggested that churches at the international level take some kind of action with the Churches in Brazil, in the sense of sensitization and call for involvement with the indigenous question in a more forceful way.

 

2- Agenda building the culture of peace – with emphasis on the role of the Churches in this theme.

– The issue of Decree 9.685 / 19, dated January 15, 2019, was established, which eases and facilitates the carrying of weapons in Brazil.

Allied to a debate on the issue of armament in the country, the highlight was the challenge of building peace in a strong scenario of advancement of crimes because of hatred and intolerance in Brazil; the advancement of violence against women (feminicide); of violence against LGBT population; of violence on the part of the militias (both in the urban scenario – mainly affecting the peripheries, the young and black population, the defenders of HR and, also in rural settings – strongly affecting indigenous peoples, traditional communities and human rights defenders)

 

3- Finally, we dealt with the advance of the extreme Christian right in Brazil – manifested on several fronts:

– in the society, the conservative agenda of setbacks with regard to customs is on the rise, with serious consequences for the freedoms of expression and choice – having the religious question even as a central issue – very strongly marked by violence and persecution of the peoples and traditional communities and their cultural and religious manifestations; gender violence; traditional family etc.

– It was emphasized that this conservative agenda strongly present in the society helped to put the Bolsonaro government in power and finds support in the current government to attack freedoms. In this context, it is even more urgent to debate the State Laity in Brazil, a complex subject that requires concrete and direct treatment in the dialogue between churches.

We emphasize that there is an understanding that such topics are difficult and complex to deal with, but one cannot dwell in the argument that Brazilian society is polarized, as a motivation not to stand… In this sense, we also understand that, precisely because the Churches have autonomy in the political party arena and also because of their theological commitment, is that they should position themselves more effectively. There is a very strong silencing, including of the traditional Christian Churches in Brazil regarding issues of rights and social interests in the country.

The agenda was very important to maintain and strengthen the dialogue with the churches at the international level and it was the proposal that we have to create the conditions to maintain a more permanent and strategic relationship in the international field between Brazilian partners and Churches.

 

AGENDA OF INTERLOCUTION WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

On the afternoon of the 13th, the Brazilian Civil Society Organizations Committee held at least two moments of political dialogue with international partners.

We first met with representatives of the World Committee against Torture and also a representative of the Franciscans International. The agenda was focused centrally on the challenge of building a more fluid and connected dialogue between organizations and human rights defenders in Latin America. Issues such as the environment, migration, human dignity, fighting against torture are common themes and that dialogue with common agendas among others.

It is understood that efforts should be made to build some spaces and references on strategic issues to strengthen the partnership and solidarity ties between organizations in the continent, in order to address human rights violations in a more macro and regional levels.

It was the commitment of this moment to carry out the processes of dialogue with these partners and also to include other partners who were not able to participate at this time.

                                                                                    

Report of Enéias da Rosa – Executive Secretary of the Articulation for the Monitoring of HRs in Brazil.

By PAD Communication – Process of Articulation and Dialogue