Publications
ACTIVITY REPORT 2022-2023
The Federal Constitution of 1988, known as the "Citizen Constitution," establishes the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples, thereby creating fertile ground for the development of new and better conditions for the relationship between the state, society, and indigenous communities in Brazil.
An important conceptual innovation was introduced by Article 231 of the Constitution. In recognition of the fact that they were the first inhabitants of Brazil, the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands are defined as original rights, which means that they precede the creation of the state itself (Barbosa & Caponi, 2022). Indigenous peoples are thus constitutionally recognized as having an essential role in the stewardship of the forest's environmental resources, the preservation of which is necessary for their well-being. They have the right to fulfill this role in accordance with their customs, traditions, and practices. However, 35 years after these rights were enshrined in the Constitution, ensuring the effectiveness of these constitutional rights in indigenous public policies remains a challenge, and authoritarian political scenarios have complicated the relationship between indigenous peoples and the Brazilian state over the years.
RESEARCH REPORT: INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND HEALTH IN BRAZIL.
The Federal Constitution of 1988, known as the "Citizen Constitution," establishes the constitutional rights of indigenous peoples, thereby creating fertile ground for the development of new and better conditions for the relationship between the state, society, and indigenous communities in Brazil.
An important conceptual innovation was introduced by Article 231 of the Constitution. In recognition of the fact that they were the first inhabitants of Brazil, the rights of indigenous peoples to their lands are defined as original rights, which means that they precede the creation of the state itself (Barbosa & Caponi, 2022). Indigenous peoples are thus constitutionally recognized as having an essential role in the stewardship of the forest's environmental resources, the preservation of which is necessary for their well-being. They have the right to fulfill this role in accordance with their customs, traditions, and practices. However, 35 years after these rights were enshrined in the Constitution, ensuring the effectiveness of these constitutional rights in indigenous public policies remains a challenge, and authoritarian political scenarios have complicated the relationship between indigenous peoples and the Brazilian state over the years.
REPORT: GOOD PRACTICES AND CHALLENGES FOR CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS DURING THE PANDEMIC
Throughout the first half of 2021, Pour le Brésil met with civil society organizations (CSOs) to understand their main challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic. In a context of increased social vulnerability caused by the health crisis, their role has become even more essential than before.
Whether performing the same activities or completely restructuring the projects that were carried out before, CSOs continued to act during the pandemic context.
The report "Good practices and challenges of civil society organizations in the pandemic" is the result of the work of the Advocacy team of Pour le Brésil, which collected the particular perspectives of the following CSOs: Edumais, Instituto Adus, Minas Programa, and Redes da Maré.
The material aims to be a tool for sharing best practices used by the organizations that took part in this study. But it also indicates the main obstacles for the CSOs' actions during the pandemic.
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Slum in Grajaú, São Paulo, SP. Photo by : Danilo Alves on Unsplash
RE-INTERPRETING THE ROLE OF NGOS IN MANAGING THE PANDEMIC IN FAVELAS
Article written by Julia Rennó Guimarães
When favelas were hit hard by the pandemic, NGOs had to step up and work to save lives by organizing food, health and hygiene sourcing for families in those communities. In addition to the infrastructure deficits that already make it difficult for favelas to face the pandemic, Rio de Janeiro is also suffering from general institutional and political fragility. While the state action seems to be reduced, Redes da Maré interrupted its ongoing actions and redirected itself to pandemic management: distributing food, disseminating information, helping foster access to health care, purchasing personal protection equipment for clinics, etc. When NGOs are doing so much, it’s time to turn our attention: whose role are they having to fulfil?
BLACK ACTIVISM IN BRAZIL: CONSIDERATIONS
FROM LAST EDITION’S PANEL
Article written by Camille Trannoy
In Brazil, 56% of the population is black. However, all areas of society, be it education, health, income, politics or violence, are affected by racial inequalities. If 3.9% of the white population is illiterate, this number increases to 9.1% when it comes to the black population. When talking about higher education, this difference is even more striking: 22% of the white population has a university degree versus 9.3% of the black population. Violence is even more disproportionate: 75% of people murdered are black and 67% of people incarcerated are black. According to BBC Brazil, only 24% of federal deputies are black—a clear minority.
Pour le Brésil asked Elisa Lucinda, Erica Malunguinho and Kelly Silva Baptista, three inspiring women and renowned figures of black activism in Brazil, what, in their opinion, could be done to promote awareness and change in this very unequal country.
A LOOK AT GENDER (DIS)EQUALITY: THE GENDER EQUALITY PANEL AT THE CONFÉRENCE POUR LE BRÉSIL 2020
Article written by Jing-Jie Chen
Brazil lives a paradox: despite having made some legislative and institutional advances for the greater protection of LGBTQIA+ people and against gender violence, high levels of inequality and violence still persist, in addition to social prejudice thats directly affects these individuals. The article addresses these issues from the perspectives of Sueli Carneiro, Bruna Gurgel Benevides, and Débora Diniz, panelists at the Gender Equality panel of the last edition of Pour le Brésil.