Records of racial abuse in Brazil’s Federal District up almost 40% in 1 year

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Data released by the Secretariat of Public Safety (SSP-DF) shows an increase of 38% in records of racial abuse in the Federal District. The period includes data from January through October this year compared to the same period in 2020. Last year, the portfolio recorded 336 occurrences, which increased to 463 in 2021.

In relation to cases of racism, the SSP-DF noted 9 incidents in the same period. In 2020, there were 10 notifications.

For Human Rights and Racial Equality Policies of the Federal District’s Secretariat of Justice and Citizenship (SEJUS) Juvenal Araújo, despite making up the majority of the population in the country’s capital, the black population still suffers on a daily basis.

“Today we are 57% of the population in the Federal District. The majority still lives in the outskirts and faces challenges related to health and basic sanitation. But the main demand is employment. This is the main difficulty,” he points out.

According to Juvenal, Black Awareness Day (November 20) is a date for reflection. “It is an important day for us to discuss and achieve true racial equality. Black people have not yet risen to positions of power,” he says.

Juvenal says he feels there is a lack of blacks in the three branches of government: executive, legislative, and judiciary. “In a country that says it isn’t racist, why aren’t there black people in positions of power?,” he asks.