Government launches plan against harassment after cases involving Silvio Almeida

The government of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) made official this Tuesday (1st) a plan to prevent and combat harassment and discrimination in public administration weeks after allegations against the now former Minister Silvio Almeida, of Human Rights, came to light. .

The so-called “Federal Plan for the Prevention and Confrontation of Harassment and Discrimination in Public Administration” was made official by an ordinance published in that day’s edition of the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU) although it is dated September 13, a week after the dismissal of Almeida on suspicion of sexual harassment.

In the ordinance signed by Minister Esther Dweck, of Management and Innovation in Public Services (MGI), the plan will be applied to civil servants, public employees and outsourced workers, who will have to make a “commitment to the development of policies to combat harassment and discrimination in its work relationships, as well as in its management, and training actions for its employees” (see in full).

According to the government, the plan began to be discussed in 2023 with the establishment of an interministerial working group to develop actions to combat harassment and discrimination in the federal public service. However, this was not enough to avoid the accusations that emerged this year involving Silvio Almeida, and which had, among the victims, Minister Anielle Franco, of Racial Equality.

“Since the beginning of the government, we have made significant efforts to improve procedures for receiving and investigating cases of harassment and discrimination at the federal level. With these ordinances, we are further strengthening the fight against harassment and discrimination in the federal public service, with an integrated network of operations”, said Esther Dweck.

One of the plan’s guidelines is, he points out, to promote more humanized management in institutional environments, whether in physical or virtual spaces. This includes active listening, guidance and monitoring of people affected by cases of violence at work.

The ordinance also points to strengthening the Executive Ombudsman System, which covers more than 300 units, to reduce psychosocial risks and improve the reception of complaints.

The plan establishes that all reports must guarantee the confidentiality of the complainants’ personal data, in addition to protecting against possible retaliation. It will also be ensured that the investigation processes avoid the re-victimization of victims.

Companies contracted by the government, with exclusive dedication, must include clauses that commit to the adoption of policies to combat harassment and discrimination, in addition to promoting employee training on these topics.

The implementation of the plan will begin in public competitions, where the test contents must address issues of harassment and discrimination. New employees, upon taking office, will be informed about the plan, which will be part of a continuous training and qualification process.

Furthermore, the plan guides the creation of educational strategies to train public agents, who should incorporate these themes into instruments such as the National People Development Policy (PNDP) and People Development Plans (PDP).

The Federal Plan will be implemented by a Federal Network for the Prevention and Confrontation of Harassment and Discrimination, which will involve several committees and public bodies working together to share good practices, collaborate with each other and promote work environments free from harassment and discrimination.

The Federal Plan Steering Committee will be coordinated by the Ministry of Management and will have representatives from several ministries, including Human Rights, Citizenship, Women, Racial Equality, Education, Health, Labor and Employment, Justice, Indigenous Peoples, in addition to the Comptroller General of the Union (CGU) and the Attorney General of the Union (AGU).