Rio has four cases of racial insults every 24 hours; majority are women | Rio de Janeiro

Between August and September this year, 245 individuals were victims of racial discrimination in the state of Rio de JaneiroReproduction/ Social Media

Published 20/11/2023 19:01 | Updated 11/20/2023 19:06

Rio – On Black Awareness Day, an unprecedented survey by the Public Security Institute (ISP) shows that, between August and September this year, 245 individuals were victims of racial discrimination in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This number represents 54% of all insult crimes recorded during the period analyzed, showing an average of four new cases of racism every 24 hours.

Analysis of the victims’ profiles revealed that the majority were female, aged between 18 and 59 years old. The capital of Rio de Janeiro emerges as the leader in statistics, accounting for 117 occurrences, equivalent to 47.7%, almost half of the cases. Following closely behind are the municipalities of Nova Iguaçu and Niterói, both with 15 (6.1%) records.

“Racism is a deep-rooted issue that crosses all sectors of society, often in subtle ways. For this reason, the dissemination of data is essential not only to support the creation of public policies to combat racism, but also to improve existing coping instruments”, says the vice-president of the ISP, Leonardo Vale.

The State Secretariat of Civil Police has a specialized unit to assist victims of racism, the Police Station for Racial Crimes and Intolerance Offenses (DECRADI), located in the center of Rio, has professionals trained to welcome citizens. In addition to Specialized, the Hotline receives and monitors registered complaints and works in partnership with bodies specialized in combating human rights violations.

Another initiative of the State Government is the Secretariat for Social Development and Human Rights, responsible for developing public policies to help combat and raise awareness about crimes resulting from discrimination or prejudice based on color, race, ethnicity, religion or national origin. In July this year, the State sanctioned Law No. 10,053/23, which establishes the Vini Jr. State Policy for Combating Racism in Stadiums and Sports Arenas in Rio de Janeiro. Among the measures envisaged are the interruption of sports matches in the event of denunciation or demonstration, as well as carrying out educational campaigns in stadiums.

Discrimination Panel

Available for public consultation, the Discrimination panel plays a crucial role in analyzing statistics relating to discrimination against individuals or groups based on their ethnicity, race, color, sexuality and religion. Its objective is to provide information that can be used in the development of public policies that contribute to combating prejudice. According to the annual survey, throughout 2022, 322 cases of prejudice based on color, race, ethnicity and religion were recorded. To access the statistics in full, click here.