OAB-AM repudiates verbal aggression jurist lawyer in audio on WhatsApp: ‘Unacceptable’

Marcela Leiros – From CENARIUM MAGAZINE

MANAUS – The Standing Committee of Women Lawyers of the Brazilian Bar Association in Amazonas (OAB-AM) repudiated on Wednesday, 9, the attacks committed by a lawyer, whose identity was not informed, against the lawyer Rosanila Maria de Britto Feitoza Pantoja in a group on WhatsApp. The verbal offenses, according to the institution, were uttered in audio on the message application.

The document was signed by the president of the commission of the order in the state, Marlene Parisotto, and mentions that the jurist made offenses to the professional and private life of the lawyer. The episode, according to the OAB-AM, was another case of gender violence, which must be fought by institutions and cannot be ignored.

“It is unacceptable that, still in our days, women suffer moral censorship and verbal aggression, of a discriminatory nature”, says the note.

The OAB-AM expressed solidarity with the professional and said it hoped that “shameful and disproportionate attitudes” such as these would not be repeated, especially against professional colleagues. The lawyer was welcomed by the commission and asked that the case not be ignored by the competent authorities.

“The assaulted lawyer was immediately welcomed by this commission upon becoming aware of the facts, and it gave orientation so that the case may be investigated, with the constitutional guarantees of ample defense and adversarial proceedings, so that such acts are not tolerated or ignored by any of the competent authorities”, the document further states.

Psychological and moral violence

The Maria da Penha Law, sanctioned on August 7, 2006, details that psychological violence is the act of embarrassing, humiliating, insulting, and ridiculing a woman, as well as making moral judgments about her conduct, demeaning her by cursing her about her character, and making untruthful criticisms, all of which are considered moral violence.

See the document in full:

The Brazilian Bar Association, Amazonas Section, through its Standing Committee of Women Lawyers, in accordance with Article 1, section III, of the Federal Constitution, publicly repudiates, vehemently, the statements of the lawyer author of serious offenses to the unblemished professional and private life of Dr. ROSANILA MARIA DE BRITTO FEITOZA PANTOJA, in a regrettable fact occurred this year, through audio messages, via WhatsApp.

The audio records show verbal aggression, practiced by a man against a woman, revealing that gender violence is the order of the day, to be vehemently fought by democratic institutions, and can not be in any way ignored by this committee. It is unacceptable that, still in our days, women suffer moral censorship and verbal aggression, of a discriminatory gender nature.

The episode, which was perpetrated by a lawyer, reveals the difficulties women face in the performance of their professional duties and in social interaction, in the full right of their citizenship and freedom.

For this reason, besides repudiating the fact that it happened, we express our solidarity to this professional woman, hoping that shameful and disproportionate attitudes will never be repeated, especially against professional colleagues.

The assaulted lawyer was taken in, immediately after the facts were known, by this commission, which gave the orientation for the case to be investigated, with the constitutional guarantees to the ample defense and the adversary, so that such acts will not be tolerated or ignored by any of the competent authorities.

Every woman, regardless of class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, income, culture, age, and religion, enjoys the fundamental rights inherent to the human person, and should be assured institutional protection to live without violence, physical or mental, in her professional and private life.

The construction of an egalitarian society, free of any form of discrimination and violence, is everyone’s duty and will always be the guiding objective of the Permanent Commission of Women Lawyers of the Amazonas Bar Association.

MARLENE DE SOUZA PARISOTTO
President of the Commission of Women Lawyers of the OAB/AM