Brazil’s misguided public security policy: The systemic racism behind the deadliest massacre in Rio de Janeiro’s history

Brazil’s misguided public security policy: The systemic racism behind the deadliest massacre in Rio de Janeiro’s history

Rio de Janeiro, October 29, 2025.– The police operation carried out on October 28, 2025 in the Alemão and Penha complexes, in Rio de Janeiro, with 64 people officially confirmed dead[1], was deemed the deadliest in the history of the state, surpassing in scale the Jacarezinho Massacre (2021), which resulted in 28 deaths and was, until then, the most violent action in the capital of Rio de Janeiro. The real number of victims may be even higher, with reports of locals collecting about 60 additional bodies (mostly of black people) that were not initially accounted for in the official toll.

Public security experts already classify the event as “the largest massacre in the history of Rio” and “something completely unprecedented,” which highlights the failure of a public security model based on violent confrontation. This episode is part of a tragic historical pattern of lethal violence in police operations in Brazil, which includes massacres such as those in Vigário Geral (1993, with 21 deaths) and Baixada Fluminense (2005, with 29 deaths), repeating cycles of brutality and impunity that victimize mostly young black people and residents of the peripheries.

Rio de Janeiro, in particular, has been the site of daily police operations and the impact on the city reaches all people, indiscriminately. However, it affects much more intensely the people living in the peripheries – mostly black, women and children – who are forced to cope with multiple forms of violence. The State does not have a plan to combat this violence;  the State itself is seen being one of the main protagonists in the generation of violence and deaths.

Brazil has frequently received visits from experts from the UN and other multilateral mechanisms. These experts have issued concrete reports and recommendations, which indicate ways to combat violence and, at the same time, to establish structuring public policies that, in the medium and long term, can change this scenario of ongoing civil war.

The report issued by the International Mechanism of Independent Experts for the Advancement of Racial Equality and Justice in Law Enforcement – EMLER, in October 2024, highlighted that “police culture and a public security policy based on repression, violence, and hypertoxic masculinity. In the context of police operations that seek to eliminate the public enemy (criminals), people of African descent are often unfairly associated with criminality or as collateral damage operations. The Mechanism has observed symptomatic and widespread erosion and a profound lack of trust of people of African descent in police forces, especially among marginalized communities, mainly due to historical and ongoing police violence, which creates a sense of systemic oppression aggravated by long-standing impunity for these acts.”[2]

The numbers of the operation in the Alemão and Penha complexes show – and evidence – a mistaken policy that, over the last 20 years, has proven to be inefficient in the fight against crime and has generated many deaths, indiscriminately. The EMLER mechanism also considers that a human rights-based approach to policing should be part of the strategy to reverse these gaps. A human rights-based approach to policing is a comprehensive, systematic, and institutional approach to law enforcement that conforms to international human rights standards and practices and that promotes policy and action analysis through the tripartite obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill.

Another highlight of the report is the fact that the numbers and circumstances in which people are murdered by the police in Brazil are alarming. In the last ten years, 54,175 people have been killed by police officers in the country, with more than 6,000 individuals killed every year (17 per day) in the last six years. Deaths caused by police increased significantly: from 2,212 in 2013 to 6,393 in 2023. The most recent data represents 13% of the total intentional violent deaths in the country. Of the 6,393 people killed by police in 2023, 99.3% were men; 6.7% were children between 12 and 17 years old; and 65% were young adults: 41% were between 18 and 24 years old and 23.5% between 25 and 29 years old.

There is no way to dissociate this state of violence from structural and systemic racism in Brazil. The excessive use of force, which leads to thousands of deaths every year, and excessive incarceration, which disproportionately affect people of African descent, are a consequence of systemic racism which, combined with the current policies of “war on crime”, results in a process of social cleansing that serves to exterminate sectors of society considered undesirable,  dangerous and criminal. This is a pervasive systemic issue that requires a systemic and comprehensive response.

The Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) renounces the operation carried out by the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday (28), which has resulted, so far, in 64 confirmed deaths, and reinforces that the fight against organized crime must be rethought, as it has only served to generate panic and various human rights violations in favela territories,  strongly affecting the most vulnerable people, who find themselves hostages of this mistaken security policy.

 

 

[1] Bodies are left in a square in Complexo da Penha after an operation that left dozens dead in Rio. Image: Flávia Fróes/Video playback… – See more at https://noticias.uol.com.br/cotidiano/ultimas-noticias/2025/10/29/atualizacao-corpos-mortos-rio-de-janeiro.htm?cmpid=copiaecola

 

[2] Microsoft Word – A-HRC-57-71-Add-1-unofficial-Portuguese-version.docx

MUDE, a shelter threatened for defending the rights of black women and children in Palmira, Colombia

Bogotá, October 20, 2025 – On July 15, 2024, members of the Movimiento de mujeres unidas, diversas y emancipadas (MUDE, by its initials in Spanish) reported that, in the early hours of the morning, several people violently entered the house where the organization’s headquarters were located, in the municipality of Palmira, Valle del Cauca. Through their social media accounts, they made public how computers were destroyed, along with the shelter of more than 300 people, including children, adolescents, and black and diverse women from this region of Colombia who are beneficiaries of MUDE. 

That day, the women of this organization felt that the “last straw had been drawn,” after years of threats, harassment, acts of racism, transphobia, and hate campaigns spread through social media. They were left with a clear message: if they continue to do this work, their lives are in danger.

A year after the raid, the events remain unpunished and the members of MUDE continue to denounce what happened and demand recognition and guarantees of their rights in this area of the Colombian Pacific. “We continue to call on the authorities and other organizations to listen to us and respond to our demands. We want to know that we have support, that our lives matter, that people care about what happens to MUDE, to children, and to diversity,” says María Camilia Saa, a member of the organization. 

The Movimiento de mujeres unidas, diversas y emancipadas was founded in 2019 and, since then, has accompanied and transformed the lives of more than 6,000 children, adolescents, women of African descent, and diverse women, along with their families, in Palmira and other municipalities in Valle del Cauca. Sady Carreazo, another member, affirms that MUDE is a space for “collectivization.” 

“Coming together guarantees the lives of Black people; it is another way in which we can be and live in freedom. It is another opportunity to study, work, be, and express ourselves,” adds Carreazo. The organization promotes advocacy, training, and visibility strategies with an ethnic and diverse focus through art and music. One example of this is MUDE’s Agojie group, whose songs address issues such as Afro hair, feminism, and sexual and gender dissidence.

Following the attack, MUDE was forced to relocate its headquarters to another area of Palmira, while its members continue to report ongoing threats and harassment due to their diverse identities and their work defending the rights of their communities.

From the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) expresses its support for MUDE and reiterates its urgent call on the competent authorities to act diligently, guarantee the protection of its members, and ensure that acts such as these do not go unpunished. Defending the lives, diversity, and leadership of Black and diverse women is an inescapable responsibility of the Colombian state.



Afro-descendant activists in the region condemn the effects of racism on Afro-descendant women

  • Five female leaders from Latin America and the Caribbean, along with Professor Justin Hansford, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, participated in the discussion “Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership” on September 18 in Bogotá.

Bogotá, September 22, 2025.– Within the framework of the regional consultation of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which brought together more than 60 Afro-descendant activists from Latin America and the Caribbean, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) held the discussion “Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership,” which took place on Thursday, September 18 in Bogotá.

The meeting brought together women leaders from different countries in the region, who shared experiences regarding the multiple forms of violence and discrimination faced by Afro-descendant women, as well as the strategies of community building and resistance that they have implemented.

The president of the Central American Black Organization (ONECA), Afrohonduran Mirtha Colón, highlighted the significance of strengthening cultural identity among members of the younger generation. The coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women, Afrobolivian Paola Yañez, emphasized that “we cannot talk about racism without talking about sexism, because they are so intertwined.” Meanwhile, Afromexican Teresa Mojica, president of the Petra Morga Afro-Mexican Foundation, called for the promotion of an Afro-descendant, Afro-centered, intersectional, and decolonial agenda. 

Afrodominican María Bizenny Martínez, coordinator of the Department of Human Rights and Political Advocacy at MOSCTHA, denounced discrimination and xenophobia toward the Haitian population, especially women. Meanwhile, Afrocolombian Luz Marina Becerra Panesso, legal representative of the Coordination of Displaced Afro-Colombian Women in Resistance (La Comadre), noted that the armed conflict in Colombia has exacerbated the vulnerability of Afro-Colombian women, many of whom remain silent out of fear.

After listening to the leaders, Professor Justin Hansford, member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, highlighted the situation of Afro-Colombian women in Latin America and reiterated some of the recommendations raised by the activists during the discussion.

This dialogue offered a platform for collective construction and exchange, in which the voices of Afro-descendant women from the region and the diaspora illustrated the various ways in which racism and sexism affect their lives and reaffirmed their central role in the defense of rights and social development. It also served as a prelude for the activists, who also participated in the regional consultation of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, which was conducted on September 19 at the Colombian Foreign Ministry. They highlighted the need to visualize the reality of Afro-descendant women within the draft declaration, which is currently being developed by some members of the Forum.

Race and Equality remains committed to the promotion of initiatives and spaces that facilitate these types of meetings. Our objective is to continue to denounce the human rights violations experienced by Afro-descendant individuals in the region and to contribute to a world in which the dignity of all individuals is honored and all individuals have the opportunity to fully reach their potential.

United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent to hold regional consultation in Bogotá

Bogotá, September 16, 2025. This Friday, September 19, the United Nations Permanent Forum on People of African Descent will hold a regional consultation for Spanish-speaking Latin America, a space that is part of the process of drafting the future United Nations Declaration on the respect, protection, and fulfillment of the human rights of people of African descent.

This meeting, which will begin at 9 a.m. at the headquarters of the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and will bring together more than 60 leaders, is part of the regional consultations being conducted by the Permanent Forum in different parts of the world to gather input and ensure that the voices of Afro-descendant communities are taken into account in the drafting of the Declaration. The meeting in Bogotá will be the second regional consultation, following the one held in December 2024 in Barbados, which focused on the Caribbean.

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), around 200 million people of African descent live in the region, equivalent to 30% of the total population. However, structural barriers persist that limit their access to justice, political participation, education, health, and decent employment. These gaps are even greater in the case of women of African descent, who face the intersectional effects of racism and sexism. The regional consultation in Bogotá, aimed at Afro-descendant communities in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries, seeks to generate an assessment of the multiple forms of discrimination and structural racism in the region, while consolidating proposals to strengthen the draft Declaration.

The event, which will take the form of a broad and participatory dialogue, will focus on priority issues identified by the Permanent Forum, including: the recognition and addressing of systemic and structural racism; restorative justice in the face of the legacies of colonialism, slavery, apartheid, and genocide; the collective rights of Afro-descendant peoples; sustainable development and the reduction of inequalities; as well as urgent and emerging human rights issues, such as the impact of artificial intelligence, climate change, environmental injustice, and the need to reform the international economic order.

The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality) supports the participation of prominent women leaders from the region, who will contribute their experiences and expertise to the discussion. Among them are: Paola Yánez from Bolivia, coordinator of the Network of Afro-Latin American, Afro-Caribbean, and Diaspora Women; Mirtha Colón from Honduras, president of the Central American Black Organization (ONECA); María Bizenny Martínez from the Dominican Republic, coordinator of the Human Rights and Political Advocacy Department at MOSCTHA; Luz Marina Becerra Panesso from Colombia, legal representative of the Coordination of Displaced Afro-Colombian Women in Resistance (La Comadre); and Teresa Mojica from Mexico, president of the Petra Morga Afro-Mexican Foundation. Their participation will raise awareness of the specific realities faced by women of African descent in the face of racial violence, forced displacement, and exclusion.

Voices of the diaspora: Women of African descent in resistance and global leadership

As a prelude to the consultation, on Thursday, September 18, at 4:00 p.m., at the Hotel Suite Jones (Chapinero, Bogotá), a dialogue will be held entitled Voices of the Diaspora: Women of African Descent in Resistance and Global Leadership. This meeting will feature the participation of the aforementioned leaders and Professor Justin Hasford, a member of the UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, whose career in the United States and involvement with Afro-descendant movements in the diaspora will allow for a comparative analysis between Latin America and the Global North.

The event, organized by Raza e Igualdad, will have simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation and seeks to consolidate a space for exchange and collective construction, strengthening the link between the historical struggles of Afro-descendant communities in Latin America and those that are developing in other international contexts.



Race and Equality will hold two Kátia Tapety School meetings in Colombia

Bogotá, September 16, 2025 – The Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality), in partnership with the Grupo de Acción y Apoyo a personas Trans (GAAT) and the Fundación Somos Identidad, will hold two meetings of the Kátia Tapety School of Political Training in Colombia, which will take place on September 23 in Cali and on September 26 in Bogotá.

The Kátia Tapety School of Political Training is a project of the Institute created in Brazil in 2022, with the purpose of training LBTI, black, and indigenous women so that they can fully participate in spaces of power and decision-making. Since its creation, more than 60 women leaders in Brazil have participated in these training sessions.

The program is named after Kátia Tapety, recognized as the first transvestite elected by direct vote in Brazil in 1992, whose political legacy is a benchmark in Latin America for the defense of human rights and the expansion of political participation by trans women, transvestites, black women, and indigenous women.

During the meetings to be held in Colombia, sessions will be held on the following topics:

  • Concepts and scope of political participation.
  • Manifestations and consequences of political violence.
  • International mechanisms for the protection of human rights.
  • Exchange of experiences and lessons learned from the School in Brazil.

If you are an LBTI, Black, or Indigenous person and would like to participate in this space, please register at the following link. Space is limited: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/sckf9qMPXt 



Second Decade for People of African Descent: It Is Time for States to Ratify the Inter-American Convention against Racism 

Washington, D.C., March 21, 2025.– Commemorating yet another year of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination leads us to reflect on the events that gave rise to this date, but also on the persistence of this evil and the steps that are necessary to combat and eradicate it, such as the ratification and implementation of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance (ICRIID). 

On March 21, 1960, 20,000 black people in South Africa protested against a law restricting their movements, leading to the Sharpeville massacre, in which 69 people were killed. In memory of the victims, the United Nations (UN) designated this date as the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.  

More than seven decades later, structural racism continues to affect people of African descent and Indigenous peoples in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in precarious access to education, housing, and work. This is compounded by disproportionate violence by law enforcement and illegal groups. 

For example, data from the 2024 Atlas of Violence show that in Brazil, in 2022, 66.4% of murdered women were black, with a total of 2,526 victims, and 76.5% of registered homicides were of black people.  

Meanwhile, in Cuba, extreme poverty mainly affects people of African descent, according to a study conducted between May and June 2024 by the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH), which details that “of the total sample (1,148 surveys), 61% said they had problems to buy the most essential things to survive, while in the Afro-Cuban population the figure stands at 68%”. 

A Key Opportunity to Combat Racism 

On December 17, 2024, the United Nations proclaimed the Second International Decade for People of African Descent. This marks a key opportunity for the Americas to promote concrete actions to combat the legacies of structural racism, slavery, and colonialism. The success of this initiative will depend on the political will of the States, something that was evident during the First Decade (2015-2024), where, despite significant progress, the lack of commitment of governments prevented transformative change. 

Barbara Reynolds, chair of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent (WGEPAD), was clear that the first Decade “raised awareness of anti-black racism but lacked sufficient political will and investment by Member States”. 

In Latin America and the Caribbean, structural inequalities continue to disproportionately affect Afro-descendant and indigenous communities. Education, health, housing, access to economic opportunities and political representation remain significant barriers. In addition, these populations face compounded vulnerabilities due to the climate crisis, digital exclusion and environmental injustice. 

In this context, if the States really want to eradicate racism in the region, a fundamental step is the ratification of the Inter-American Convention against Racism, Racial Discrimination and Related Forms of Intolerance (ICRIID). 

CIRDI: A Pending Commitment 

CIRDI, adopted by the Organization of American States (OAS) in 2013, is a crucial legal instrument for combating racism in the region. However, few countries have ratified it, leaving millions of Afro-descendants and indigenous people without effective protection against racial discrimination. 

Let us recall that ICRIID establishes clear obligations for States, including: the development of public policies to eliminate racial discrimination, the promotion of equal opportunities for Afro-descendant and indigenous communities, the strengthening of justice systems to avoid the disproportionate criminalization of these populations, and the protection of Afro-descendant human rights defenders, among others. 

Despite its importance, lack of political will remains the greatest obstacle. While some countries have taken significant steps with affirmative action laws and racial equity offices, the absence of a binding regional framework prevents sustainable and coordinated progress. 

The New Decade: A Turning Point 

The Second International Decade for People of African Descent cannot repeat the mistakes of the first. To ensure real structural change, Race and Equality believes that States must: 

  1. Ratify and implement ICRIID. Symbolic speeches and commitments are not enough; it is necessary for countries to incorporate its principles into their national legislation.
  2. Design national action plans with the participation of civil society. Without their voice, policies will continue to ignore the real needs of people of African descent and indigenous peoples. 
  3. Collect disaggregated data on the socioeconomic situation of the Afro-descendant population and indigenous peoples. Without accurate figures, there is no way to design effective policies.
  4. Implement affirmative actions in education and employment. 
  5. Protect Afro-descendant and indigenous human rights defenders. Their work in defense of their territories and environmental justice exposes them to constant risks.
  6. Comply with the recommendations of the Inter-American Human Rights System. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has issued key reports on racism in the region, but few States have taken action.

A Call to Action 

Racism and racial discrimination are not abstract concepts, but daily realities for millions of Afro-descendants and indigenous people in the Americas. Combating this injustice requires more than good intentions; it requires concrete political decisions, starting with the ratification of CIRDI. 

Latin America and the Caribbean must lead this fight. There are no excuses for further delaying the adoption of this fundamental treaty. It is time to act. 

11 Latin American leaders strengthen their capacities in Ecuador

Images from a conference held at the end of October in Quito, Ecuador, which brought together 11 leaders from Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and Uruguay, who shared their experiences and strengthened their capacities during a series of training sessions facilitated by FLACSO Ecuador, which addressed topics such as human rights in the region and the main challenges facing Latin America. 

This meeting, which took place within the framework of the project ‘Empowerment of emerging leaders’ carried out by Race and Equality, brought together a total of 10 independent civil society organizations, such as the Asociación Panameña de Debate (ASPADE), the Fundación Arias para la Paz y el Progreso Humano, the Fundación Mujer, the Fundación Convive Panamá, the Organización Social Salvador, the Unión Trans, the Centro de Promoción Social (CERPROS), the Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Negra Peruana, Mujeres Rímenses, and the Fraternidad Trans Masculina Perú. 

In Cuba, Extreme Poverty Mainly Affects People of African Descent on the Island

Bogota, October 30, 2024 – “Cuba is not as they tell you,” warns Yaxys Cires, Director of Strategy for the Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos (OCDH), the independent Cuban civil society organization, which published in July 2024 the seventh report on social rights in this country, revealing that extreme poverty on the island had climbed to 89%.

The lawyer, a native of the Cuban province of Pinar del Río, explains each of the findings that show how the lack of resources mainly affects people of African descent in Cuba. “Of the total sample (1,148 surveys), 61% said they had problems buying the most essential things to survive, while in the Afro-Cuban population the figure stands at 68%,” he says.

Twelve percent said they were unemployed, a reality that affects 15% of the Afro-Cuban people surveyed. It was also reported that eight out of ten Afro-descendants who took part in this study stated that they had stopped eating breakfast, lunch or dinner, a situation that affected seven out of ten white or mestizo people in this report.

On the other hand, 92% of Afro-Cubans disapproved of the public health service; and 81% said they did not receive remittances, a figure higher than the 71% of white people who indicated that they did not obtain this type of income from relatives living outside the Island either. “Undoubtedly, they have less support to face the harsh reality of life in Cuba,” adds Cires.

The findings evidencing how extreme poverty mainly affects people of African descent in Cuba had already been recorded in 2023, in the sixth OCDH report on social rights in this country. At that time, 21% of Afro-Cubans said they resided in housing in danger of collapse, a figure that contrasts with 15% of the total number of people consulted (1,353), who said they were in the same situation.

This survey also revealed that 23% of Afro-descendants lacked permanent drinking water service, a reality that affected 17% of the total number of those who participated in last year’s study.

The findings of the Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos show that Afro-Cubans in Cuba have greater difficulties in finding a job, feeding themselves, accessing potable water, and owning decent housing, compared to other population groups in the same country. “The situation of Afro-Cubans is very precarious; they live in unhealthy areas, have the lowest salaries, and little schooling,” says Eroises González, an Afro-Cuban woman from Havana who coordinates the organization Plataforma Femenina.

Another Havana woman of African descent in Cuba, Laritza Diversent, who heads the NGO Cubalex, says that these human rights violations are, more often than not, naturalized by civil society itself. “Racial discrimination, for example, is not a priority issue, so we don’t go there to do these studies, to identify these behaviors,” she adds.

Population Census

According to the expert on the rights of Afro-descendants, Afro-Uruguayan Noelia Maciel, the OCDH figures show the systemic racism that exists in Cuba, “and has been present throughout the socialist process.”

“These inequalities are reflected in the lack of access to employment, inequalities in educational levels, the non-receipt of remittances, which is what sustains daily life on the island, and also in the migratory processes. Afro populations are the ones that have more barriers to leave the country,” says Maciel, who also affirms that in the last population census of the Island (in 2012), these inequities were not evident because the existence of differentiated ethnic-racial ascendancies was unknown, “denying how the racial component is a factor of vulnerability and obstacles to the exercise of rights.”

In 2022, the State of Cuba should have conducted a new population and housing census; however, this process was postponed to 2025. According to the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI), the delay was caused by the severe economic crisis suffered by this country.

“Cuba by self-definition is in a moment of war economy, and carrying out censuses is very costly, and even more so at this time when there are certain standards that are imposed at the regional level, such as making these processes in more electronic formats. But equally on the part of the Cuban State there is no interest in carrying out a census and beginning to make these inequalities visible, especially incorporating the recommendations made by international organizations, such as the incorporation of the term Afro-descendant (which represents people belonging to various cultures descended from the African population that survived the slave system, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC),” says Maciel.

In the last population census of the island it was known that in 2012 this country had 11,167,325 inhabitants, including white, black, and mestizo people. However, in this statistical count no distinction was made between those who were black, mestizo, and mulatto, so it was not possible to establish who the Afro-descendants in Cuba were, nor what their actual housing conditions were.

Racial Profiling

The findings of the last two reports on social rights in Cuba show how extreme poverty affects the majority of the Cuban population, mainly people of African descent in this country, who in addition to lacking the essentials for survival, are also victims of prejudice on the part of Cuban authorities, who persecute, repress, harass and detain them “for the simple fact of being black people,” according to Diversent.

“The repression is also linked to the persecution of people of African descent for what is known as racial profiling,” adds Diversent, who maintains that an analysis by the organization Cubalex revealed that the Afro-Cubans convicted for having participated in the historic and massive protests of July 11, 2021, had received harsher sentences compared to the white people who took to the streets that day to demand their rights.

According to this document, black people “that the State classifies with ‘unfavorable conduct’ receive sanctions with an average duration of 13.02 years, while non-Afro-descendants, under the same classification, have average sanctions of 12.0 years.” This finding adds to the aforementioned figures, evidencing how this population survives on the Island.

“In 2009, I was a victim of racial profiling. On one occasion I was working in a tourism center and some Canadian guests wanted to know where to see and enjoy Cuban jazz, so I indicated ‘La zorra y el cuervo’ (a club located in El Vedado, Havana’s commercial area), but they asked me to accompany them. We went along the Malecon, continued walking and then some policemen arrived to ask me for my identification. They detained me right there, put me in a patrol car, and took me to a station until they felt like it. I could not accompany the tourists,” says Norberto Mesa, an Afro-Cuban activist who in 1998 founded the organization Cofradía de la Negritud (Brotherhood of Blackness), a citizen project that emerged with the purpose of fighting discrimination and structural racism in this country.

The Pinareño (from the province of Pinar del Río) and human rights defender affirms that these types of situations continue to occur in Cuba, and adds that the Afro-Cuban population in penitentiary centers is much larger in comparison with other population groups. He also says that there is racial discrimination in the workplace, and very little representation of black people in micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

Unfulfilled Recommendations

In 2018, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD or the Committee), adopted its concluding observations after examining the national report submitted at that time by the State of Cuba, on Afro-Cubans. The Committee noted, among other things, that the Afro-descendant population continued to be “victims of racism and structural discrimination, as a product of the historical legacy of slavery,” which manifested itself “in the inequality gap” related to the economic, social, and cultural rights of this population, in comparison with the rest.

CERD registered several concerns about the census, the situation of defenders of the rights of the Afro-Cuban population, racial discrimination, access to justice, excessive use of force, racial stereotypes, and the non-recognition of this type of violence by the State. These problems are still latent in Cuba, and are reflected in the findings released by the OCDH, and in the analysis conducted by Cubalex.

The body of independent experts that oversees the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination also made a series of recommendations to the State that aim to allow more people to self-recognize themselves as Afro-descendants, to know how black people really live on the island, and to combat inequality, which, after six years of this document, is still prevailing.

According to Maciel, the State of Cuba should present an official report on the implementation of the CERD recommendations in 2025, due to the delay of the review schedule by countries, which resulted fromthe Covid-19 pandemic.

The conclusions found by the Observatorio Cubano de Derechos Humanos and the analysis conducted by Cubalex, also evidence that the authorities of this country have not met the objectives of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), which focus on the recognition, justice, and development of this population.

“Cuba, like most Latin American countries, the countries of the diaspora, have done very little during the decade.There have been no plans to create differentiated public policies. In the case of the island, there is a particular problem, and that is that they deny racial discrimination. So the government, by denying racial discrimination, evidently does not raise the need for differentiated public policies,” says Carlos Quesada, director of the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality), who adds that the decade proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly will end on December 31, 2024.

The figures of the last two OCDH reports also reveal, according to Quesada, how structural racism in this country has prevented the Afro-Cuban population from being able to climb or access a slightly higher social ladder, including, for example, the engine of the national economy, which is tourism. “Cuba, in terms of the fight against racial discrimination is at least seventy years behind all Latin American countries, including the United States,” adds the Costa Rican lawyer and journalist.

As Cires mentioned at the beginning of this article, the reality of people of African descent in Cuba is not as Cuban authorities tell it; in their daily lives they face discrimination and violence in various forms.

The last census does not recognize people of African descent in their totality, and as documented in the recommendations of the CERD, the existence of racial discrimination is denied on the island; even though there are activists and human rights defenders denouncing the precarious conditions in which the Afro-Cuban population lives, and despite the publication of reports, such as those of the OCDH, and analyses, such as the one conducted by Cubalex, which show a reality opposite to that described by the State.

Race and Equality echoes the findings that reveal racism and structural discrimination in Cuba, and we request that the Cuban State recognize these inequalities, promote actions that allow the self-recognition of Afro-Cubans, and create public policies aimed at improving the living conditions of this population, and to combat poverty, social exclusion and marginalization, which disproportionately affect Afro-Cubans.



In the face of the rise of the extreme right in Latin America and the Caribbean, Afro-Latino, Indigenous and LGBTI+ leaders held advocacy meetings in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C., October 16, 2024 – In the face of the growing influence of far-right movements and the worrying advance of racist and xenophobic agendas in Latin America and the Caribbean, a delegation of Afro-Latino, Indigenous, and LGBTI+ leaders, led by the Institute on Race, Equality, and Human Rights (Race and Equality), held key advocacy meetings in Washington D.C. with the U.S. Congress, the Department of State and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. During these meetings, the delegation presented critical perspectives on problems such as racial and gender discrimination, police brutality and the systematic lack of access to essential services such as health and education. 

The delegation also presented recommendations to promote the formulation and integration of more inclusive and equitable policies in key frameworks such as the Joint Plan of Action for Racial and Ethnic Equality (JAPER), the Plan for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in the Americas (CAPREE), and the North American Declaration of Partnership for Racial Equity and Justice.  

During the meetings, Mauricio Ye’kwana, Executive Director of Hutukara, addressed the crisis of violence facing indigenous territories in Brazil, highlighting the constant threats arising from illegal mining exploitation and the lack of government recognition of their ancestral lands. Ye’kwana pointed to the government’s neglect to protect them and the impunity surrounding the killings of indigenous leaders. He also warned about the concerning recruitment of indigenous youth into armed groups, which weakens community unity. In addition, he made an urgent call for indigenous representation in international forums such as the COP, emphasizing the need to recognize their rights, both individual and collective, in the defense of territory and the environment. 

Bruna Benevides, President of the National Association of Transvestites and Transsexuals (ANTRA), of Brazil, exposed the human rights violations faced by trans women, especially black trans women. Benevides noted that the racial component of transfemicide is deeply rooted in Brazilian society, and that black trans women are disproportionately affected by violence and exclusion. Benevides also emphasized the lack of representation of trans people in anti-racist movements and that the invisibilization of their issues within LGBTQ+ spaces is a key concern.  

For her part, Lucía Xavier, Executive Director of CRIOLA (Brazil) warned about a conservative wave that has spread through Brazil and that significantly increased violence against black women, both cis and trans, who face multiple barriers to accessing basic resources due to discriminatory financing policies. Xavier called for greater political representation of Black women, as well as effective public policies that protect their rights and promote their well-being. 

María Martínez, of the Socio-Cultural Movement of Haitian Workers (MOSCTHA), denounced the constant threat of expulsion and police brutality suffered by Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic. The Dominican government’s recent policy of deporting 10,000 Haitians per week has exacerbated the discrimination and structural racism already suffered by these communities, with Haitian women being particularly vulnerable to gender-based violence. Martínez also explained that the lack of civil recognition and the situation of statelessness exclude these people from access to basic services such as health and education.  

Erlendy Cuero, vice president of the National Association of Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES) of Colombia, warned about the difficult situation of Afro-descendant youth in Colombia, particularly affected by violence and armed conflict. Racial discrimination by security forces has resulted in an alarming increase in homicides and enforced disappearances of young Afro-Colombians, who are frequently stigmatized and treated as suspects only because of their skin color.  

Sandra Arizabaleta, Director of the Afro-descendant Foundation for Social and Sexual Diversities “Somos Identidad” (Colombia) explained how political polarization in Colombia has exacerbated violence and discrimination against Afro-descendant and LGBTI+ people. For Arizabaleta, it is urgent to create public policies that effectively address the intersectionality between race, gender, and sexual orientation, something that is currently absent in Colombian political discourse. She also denounced the violence that still persists on the part of armed groups against these vulnerable populations. 

Cecilia Ramírez, Executive Director of the Center for the Development of Peruvian Black Women (CEDEMUNEP), Peru explained that the Afro-Peruvian development plan, which was designed to improve the conditions of these communities, has stalled due to a lack of financial resources and technical support. Ramírez also emphasized how structural racism continues to be an obstacle to the social and economic progress of people of African descent in Peru, who continue to have the worst socioeconomic indicators. She proposed the implementation of ethnic quotas to ensure the political representation of Afro-descendants and indigenous people, and emphasized the need for more inclusive self-identification processes that consider both gender and ethnicity. 

Patricia Torres Sandoval, Representative of the Continental Link of Indigenous Women of the Americas (ECMIA), focused her intervention on violence against indigenous women and girls, emphasizing how this situation is aggravated by the structural violence that comes from racism, poverty and colonialism. She also underscored the devastating impact of extractive activities in the region, which not only cause environmental destruction, but also deepen poverty and social exclusion of indigenous communities, intensifying violence against women. Torres stressed that the lack of political will and the ineffective implementation of international agreements contribute to the marginalization and exclusion of these communities, which requires urgent and sustained attention. 

Finally, the leaders presented a series of key recommendations to the authorities, focused on strengthening representation, promoting inclusive policies and ensuring accountability: 

  • Fund programs that promote the leadership and political participation among Afro-Latino, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. 
  • Urge Latin American and Caribbean governments to adopt legislation that protects marginalized communities while promoting anti-racist and anti-discrimination policies based on SOGIESC, incorporating an intersectional approach. 
  • Implement effectively bilateral and trilateral agreements focused on addressing violence against marginalized populations, including Indigenous and Black women, like JAPER, CAPREE and North American Declaration on Partnership for Equity and Racial Justice. 
  • Facilitate dialogue between governments and civil society to improve transparency in human rights monitoring and ensure accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses.

Race and Equality strongly supports these recommendations and reaffirms its commitment to continue accompanying these leaders in promoting their voices before government agencies and other advocacy spaces. It will also continue to work on documenting human rights violations and building proposals that foster more inclusive, equitable, and respectful societies. 

 

Political Representation of People of African Descent, a Key Step in the Fight Against Systemic Racism

Washington, DC; August 31, 2024.– Promoting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent, as well as combating systemic racism, also implies facing the crisis of political representation and working for more inclusive democracy. Under this premise, the Institute on Race, Equality and Human Rights (Race and Equality) commemorates this International Day of People of African Descent by highlighting their right to political participation, especially of Afro-descendant women, and emphasizing the recommendations of activists from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Honduras.

The International Day of People of African Descent focuses on celebrating the contributions of the African diaspora at the global level and eradicating all forms of discrimination against people of African descent. This day was declared by United Nations Resolution 75/170, on December 16, 2020, which was promoted by the then Vice-President of Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell Barr, through the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations in New York.

Defending the right to political participation of people of African descent not only includes guaranteeing their access to spaces of power, but also combating political violence that affects people of African descent, especially black and LBT women. For this reason, Race and Equality highlights the work of partner organizations that fight for more inclusive democracy with greater representation of the Afro-descendant population. Political participation is, after all, an inalienable human right.

Quota Allocation

Lins Robalo, an Afro-descendant travesti, social worker, and activist with the Asociación Nacional de Travestis y Transexuales (ANTRA), in Brazil, emphasizes the importance of political parties assigning quotas for candidacies of black people, which she believes should go hand in hand with the allocation of resources to promote their candidacies. “Racism directly affects black incomes. As a result, black candidates have less money to run for election, which reinforces racial inequality,” she says.

“To improve the political representation of people of African descent, we need to have parity and an intercultural democracy,” says Milene Molina Arancibia, president of the organization Colectiva de Mujeres Afrodescendientes Luanda, from Chile. For her, the allocation of quotas should be for the Legislative Branch and in public entities from which it can influence to improve the lives of the population.

To the proposal to guarantee representation of people of African descent in candidacies and public entities, Bicky Bohórquez, from the organization Somos Identidad de Colombia, adds the responsibility of generational renewal, as a way of giving space to young Afro-descendants who nurture new ideas both in their collectives and in the spaces where they achieve representation. “So that the diversity we have as a population is evident,” she says.

Meanwhile, Nedelka Lacayo, of the Enlace de Mujeres Negras de Honduras (ENMUEH), stresses that, above all, States must offer guarantees of representative democracy and ensure that people of African descent fully exercise their citizenship rights, with equal opportunities.

Beyond Occupying Positions

Systemic racism manifests itself in multiple ways, and in the case of the political sphere, the occupation of public office by people of African descent is not enough to combat it, as this effort must be accompanied by processes of decolonization and awareness so that the needs and demands of this population are taken into account.

Racism, and the legacies of racism, exist to the extent that they benefit a section of the population and help maintain white privilege. In other words, they allow a part of the population to have access to land, and education, and contribute to consolidating economic and political differences within a nation.

“When you’re a Black and trans person, all your knowledge and work history is still considered inferior to that of a white, cisgender person with the same knowledge, or even less education. That is why it is always necessary to offer training opportunities specifically aimed at black and trans people, to contribute to the theoretical arsenal of minority groups,” says Brazilian activist Lins Robalo.

For Chilean activist Milene Molina Arancibia, as long as people of African descent do not occupy decision-making spaces, there will continue to be a lack of public policies aimed at improving the lives of the population and, therefore, inequality and racial discrimination will continue to be present in societies.

It should be recognized that in some Latin American countries, there have been efforts to move towards the political representation of people of African descent; however, in many cases, these systems are not proportional to the black population or do not transcend the discursive level.

In Uruguay, for example, despite being considered one of the most advanced democracies in Latin America, the inclusion of people of African descent in public office remains limited. Although the country passed a quota law more than a decade ago, black women’s representation in parliament and executive positions remains low. This reflects the structural challenges that black women face in accessing positions of power.

In Colombia, the situation is similar. The centralization of power and structural barriers have left many black women, especially those in rural regions, out of the political system. The representation of black women in elected offices is minimal, constituting less than 1%. It was not until the election of Francia Márquez that the issues of black communities, and in particular black women, began to be recognized and addressed on the political agenda.

Finally, we echo international standards on the right of all people to participate in public affairs without discrimination. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has stressed that States should:

– Protect political candidates, especially women, people of African descent, indigenous people, and LGBTI people, from violence, harassment, and intimidation. This includes investigating and prosecuting cases, ensuring that those responsible are held accountable, as in the case of Marielle Franco, and providing adequate remedies to victims.

– Intensify efforts to achieve the full and equal participation of these groups in political and public life, especially in decision-making positions.

Meanwhile, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) also recommends that States adopt measures to combat illiteracy and ensure that all citizens enjoy their political rights, including the right to be elected to public office.

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