Scandal Strikes Brazil: Human Rights Minister Faces Harassment Allegations from 14 Women

It is the first scandal of its kind for President Lula’s government.

“The Federal Police confirms that it will investigate the allegations of sexual harassment” against the minister, it said in its terse statement.

The scandal erupted on Thursday night when the website Metropoles revealed that the non-governmental organization Me Too Brasil had received complaints from several women, including another minister in Luis Inacio Lula da Silva’s government, Racial Equality Minister Aniele Franco . The association Me Too Brasil confirmed that these complaints have been made, noting that the women received “psychological and legal help”.

Lula said today that he would meet with the two ministers within the next few hours to decide Almeida’s fate. “What I can say is that someone who harasses cannot stay in government (…) But we must guarantee him the presumption of innocence, he has the right to defend himself,” the president told local radio station Difusora.

Silvio Almeida denied the accusations, with a video he posted on social networking sites. He said these are “absurd lies” and part of a “campaign” to tarnish his image as a black activist holding public office.

Aniele Franco, an activist known for her struggles for black equality, has yet to speak out on the issue. Aniele is the sister of Mariele Franco, the Rio de Janeiro city councilor who was shot in her car in 2018. Her killing sparked strong reactions in Brazil and beyond.

48-year-old Silvio Almeida is a university professor and an important figure in the Afro-Brazilian community. His wife, Edneya Carvalho, with whom he has a one-year-old daughter, called the accusations against him “unfair” and “absurd”.

According to Metropoles, a total of 14 complaints have been made against Almeida, some by friends of Aniele Franco and other government officials.

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