2019-04-25
The "3rd Regional Conference of State Prosecutors - Midwest Region" will be held in the city of Goiania on 26 and 27 April. The objective is to discuss problems and solutions, and share good practices and experience regarding female representation in the Federal Prosecution Service, in order to achieve gender equity in the Brazilian Justice System.
The meeting was organized by the Board of the National Council of Public Prosecution (CNMP), through the Secretariat for Human Rights and Protection and Commission for Fundamental Rights, in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union in Brazil, and the Offices of the State Prosecutor in the Midwest (Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás) and the Federal District.
This will be the third of five regional conferences that will take place in the first half of 2019, seeking to shed light on the reality of women prosecutors in their regions. The first conference was held in Manaus-AM, on 21 and 22 February, and the second in Salvador-Bahia, on 29 and 30 March.
Raquel Dodge, CNMP chairwoman and Brazil's Attorney General, believes gender equity is an issue that requires special attention. "This event will encourage women prosecutors to reflect on the matter. It will also be an opportunity to discuss how institutions should seek equality within their own framework and work to ensure the participation of and respect towards women", Ms. Dodge said.
Maria Rosa Sabbatelli, representative of the European Union Delegation in Brazil, recalled the words of Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stressing that the fight for equality is a core value of the European Union and a principle for which they will keep fighting. "Equality between men and women is no exception," she said.
Methodology
At the conference, the prosecutors will discuss the path and obstacles to entry, assignment, training and career growth, reflecting on problems, solutions and good practices.
Six workshops will take place simultaneously, and each will discuss previously defined topics, under the guidance of two rapporteurs and one coordinator for each topic. The pedagogical method includes support materials and texts on gender equality and equity. The materials will be discussed in advance with the pedagogical coordination and with the coordinators and rapporteurs of the workshops. The conclusions will then be analysed at the final plenary session.
In addition to CNMP chair Raquel Dodge, the event was also attended by Maria Rosa Sabbatelli, Head of Section- FPI Regional Team Americas at EU Delegation to Brazil, and Aylton Flávio Vechi, State Prosecutor for the state of Goiás.
Gender inequality in Brazil's Federal Prosecution Service
The "Gender Scenarios" survey carried out by CNMP's Strategic Planning Commission confirmed women's underrepresentation in political and decision-making positions in the Federal Prosecution Service. The Commission collected data on the participation of women prosecutors in positions of power, decision, leadership and in advisory bodies in the institution since the 1988 Federal Constitution.
The figures show, for example, that in 2017 the Office was composed of 5,219 female members and 7,802 male members, a 40% to 60% ratio of women to men. According to the data collected in the project, since the 1988 Constitution, 52 women and 240 men have held prosecutor general positions in the Federal Prosecution Office, that is, female leaders accounted for around 18% while male leaders accounted for 82% of the total number.
This inequality remains unchanged in positions of trust such as chief of staff, secretary-general and attorney-general advisor: men are still the natural choice. The disproportion reaches ratios of 76% to 24% in secretary-general positions; 70% to 30% in chief-of-staff positions; and 70% to 30% among advisors.
In the Midwest of Brazil, data show that out of a total of 885 members, 36.7% are women and 63.3% are men. In Goiás, the state with the highest rate of women prosecutors, the number of women accounts for only 25% of the total. These numbers do not include the Prosecution Service of the Federal District and territories (MPDFT), which is part of the Federal Prosecution Service (MPU).
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