X-NUPop-Charset: English Date: Thu, 4 Apr 1996 17:18:36 -0600 (CST) From: "Alan Spector" Sender: spector@calumet.purdue.edu Reply-To: spector@calumet.purdue.edu To: revs@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Fw: Sexual harrassment (fwd) Note from Alan Spector: The following message was forwarded to me with the request that I foward it on to organizations with members that might be interested in this issue. If you are interested, please respond directly to the names and addresses at the end of this post, rather than to me. Thank you. Forwarded message follows: =================================================== > > ATTENTION: If you have received a similar message, please go over the details > about "how you can help" again: we are adding new addresses so that you can > send your protest letter to Brazilian institutions. > > SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN BRAZILIAN UNIVERSITY BECOMES POLITICAL WAR - YOU CAN HELP II > > ========================================================= > This message is about a serious case of sexual harassment in Brazil. We are > asking for the HELP of > concerned people and organizations. Please forward this message to whom you > think appropriate. > ========================================================= > > This account is about power and about its abuse. It is about the unwritten prohibition of stating sexual harassment, spurious allegiances and other power games freely played by some > university professors, > protected from truth by their violent corporate practices. Vera Helena Monezi > is an administrative > worker at the University of Sao Paulo (USP) since 1981. She used to work at > the Biology Department, at > the Institute of Biosciences and she also had regular political activity in > her local Union. In October 19, > 1993, she was forced to report sexual harassment at the police department: the > head of her department had > been insistently harassing her and, in face of her open refusals, he made her > life in her workplace > unbearable. Finally, he threatened to fire her. Vera had a witness to one of > her boss's strikes: a colleague > of hers. What followed her report was an incredible series of attacks. First, > they threatened her witness > until he denied having seen or heard anything that could impute guilt on their > boss. Then they refused to > transfer her if she didn't agree to withdraw her denounce. The agreement where > they stated their > conditions is properly documented. With no witness and - documents attest it - > the interference of > influential people in high courts of the country, the charge was filed in > march 1994. Vera was transferred > this same month to the Center of Marine Biology of the USP, in a little town > about three hours from Sao > Paulo. The director revealed herself a server of the Institute's policy > towards Vera's reports: despite the > acknowledged competence of this worker (and the director wrote letters stating > her position), she was put > "in disposability" in June, 1994. Well, the electoral period in Brazil started > in may 1994 and the law is > clear about the impossibility of transferring public workers for seven months > around the election. > Although illegal, the University's official moves couldn't be revoked. The > Union's attorneys were > powerless against its strength. Police and judges are condescending and > probably intimidated by this > University - the most important one in the country, the home of our president, > a kind of sacred institution. > In January 1995, VEJA magazine (an important weekly magazine, like Times or > Newsweek) went after > Vera for a news story about sexual harassment. It was published in march 1995. > Supported by powerful > and renown professors of the USP and with obscure political forces interceding > in his favor, the head of > department sued Vera for "calumny, defamation and perjury" and also > "calumnious denunciation". The > sentence for the first law suit has already been divulged and the second one > is also concluded. Although > the evidences exhibited during both trials strongly demonstrated Vera's > innocence, she was considered > guilty in the first case. Observers have found the sentence to lack legal > basis and to indicate strong external > interference. The statement emphasizes the professor's academic and social > position as an argument in > his favor, in a prejudiced and immoral text. > > WHAT WE ASK: > 1. You can help by stating your objection to that sentence, protesting against > the procedures and > demanding its correction. The larger the number of organizations that put > forward their indignation > towards this sort of treatment of sexual harassment, the better for our cause. > 2. You can also help by forwarding this message to all the organizations and > people you know that might > add to this campaign. If anyone has an e-mail list of organizations concerned > with sexual harassment and > violence against women in general, please send it to > mcoutinho@originet.com.br. > 3. Finally, you can help by keeping in touch and not leaving us alone. > > WHAT TO DO: > 1. First, send a COPY of your protest by fax or snail mail to: > Vera H. Monezi > SINTUSP - Sindicato dos Trabalhadores da USP > Universidade de Sao Paulo > Travessa J, 374 - Cidade Universitaria > CEP 05508-900 - Sao Paulo, SP > Fax: (55-11) 814 57 89 > > 2. Send letters to Brazilian important newspapers asking them to give the > necessary attention to this story: > A FOLHA DE SAO PAULO: folhaweb@folha.com.br > O ESTADO DE SAO PAULO: webmaster@estado.com.br > O GLOBO: oglobo@embratel.net.br > JORNAL DO BRASIL: jb@ax.apc.org > > 3. Send a letter to Amnesty International. The e-mail of our regional office > is: szaitune@bra000.canal-vip.onsp.br > > 4. Send a letter to the "Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil" (OAB - Order of > Brazilian Lawyers), asking them to gather efforts to CHANGE THE LEGISLATION > ABOUT SEXUAL HARASSMENT (There is no specific law for that): > Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil - Seccao Sao Paulo > Praca da Se 385 - 8o. andar > CEP: 01001-001 - Sao Paulo, SP > Brazil > > 5. Send a letter to the "Conselho da Condicao Feminina" (Counsel for Feminine > Condition): > Conselho Estadual da Condicao Feminina > Rua Antonio Godoi 122 - 6o. andar > CEP: 01034-001 > Sao Paulo, SP > Brazil > > 6. Send a letter to the University of Sao Paulo. The head of this institution > is Dr. Flavio Fava de Morais and the e-mail is: mcsilva@spider.usp.br > > 7. Send a confirmation of your correspondence to: > mcoutinho@originet.com.br > with the subject: "harassment" > > THANK YOU! > > >