CGU's Lilac Guide to Combating Moral Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination in the Public Service

April 8, 2024

The ongoing battle waged by companies and governments to address moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination among employees, whether in the private or public sector, is nothing new. A poignant illustration of this perpetual struggle was the resignation of the president of the Brazilian Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal – CEF) on June 29, 2022, following allegations of sexual harassment made by CEF employees.

When delving into the latest research on the nature of internal complaints regarding conduct violations, over 80% of them are linked to sexual harassment and bullying within organizations.

In 2023, the Brazilian Office of the Comptroller General (Controladoria Geral da União – CGU) launched the Lilac Guide offering guidelines for preventing and addressing moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination within the Brazilian Government. This initiative by the CGU is commendable, aiming to equip public agents with essential information to firstly comprehend what constitutes moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination, and subsequently, how to handle such situations when they arise, whether the public agent is a victim or a witness.

Now, let's delve into the definitions provided by the Lilac Guide for moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination:

TYPE OF INFRINGEMENT

DESCRIPTION

Moral Harassment

Moral harassment entails the violation of another person's dignity or psychological and physical integrity through abusive conduct, which may occur within or outside of working hours, including in virtual environments. It manifests through gestures, words (whether spoken or written), behaviors, or attitudes that subject the server, employee, intern, or outsourced worker, either individually or as part of a group, to humiliating and embarrassing situations, thereby degrading the work environment and often has a detrimental impact on the emotional and physical well-being of the victim. The harassed individual is often a member of a group that already faces social discrimination, such as women, people with disabilities, the elderly, black individuals, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQIAP+ community, among others.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unequivocally a crime and should never be tolerated. Legally defined as the act of subjecting someone to embarrassment with the aim of gaining sexual advantage or favoritism, it occurs when the perpetrator exploits their hierarchical superiority or inherent authority derived from their employment, position, or function (Penal Code, Article 216-A). Sexual harassment can take many forms, including written messages, gestures, songs, jokes, insinuations, blackmail, or threats, either subtly or explicitly. Furthermore, physical contact is not a prerequisite for sexual harassment; unwanted advances or pursuit alone suffice.

Discrimination

Discrimination encompasses any form of distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on various factors such as sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, philosophical or political conviction, race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, having the objective to nullify or curtail the acknowledgment, enjoyment, or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms under equal conditions, across political, economic, social, cultural, or any other spheres of public or private life (Article 1, I, of Law #12,288/2010). Moreover, Convention #111 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) defines discrimination as any differentiation, exclusion, or preference based on race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national descent, or social origin, which has the effect of undermining or altering equality of opportunity or treatment in matters concerning employment or profession.

EXAMPLES OF MORAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, AND DISCRIMINATION

The Lilac Guide provides a wealth of examples illustrating behaviors that constitute moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination, as outlined in the table below:

TYPE OF INFRINGEMENT

EXAMPLES

Moral Harassment

– Denying access to necessary tools for performing work duties;

– Withholding essential information required for completing tasks or providing misleading information leading to errors;

– Failing to assign tasks to an individual, leaving them idle, which can foster feelings of uselessness, incompetence, or humiliation in front of colleagues;

– Systematically challenging all decisions made by the individual and unfairly criticizing their work, particularly in public settings;

– Consistently burdening the individual with a greater workload compared to their colleagues;

– Requiring the individual to perform urgent tasks unnecessarily and consistently;

– Deliberately assigning tasks that are either inferior or superior to their assigned duties on a frequent basis;

– Controlling the individual's bathroom breaks, monitoring their frequency and duration;

– Pressuring the individual not to exercise their statutory or labor rights;

– Creating obstacles or preventing the individual from receiving promotions or undertaking different roles within the organization;

– Segregating the harassed individual in the workplace, either physically or through refusal of communication;

– Verbally attacking, shouting, making gestures of contempt, or issuing threats of physical and/or emotional violence;

– Criticizing the individual's private life, preferences, or personal and political convictions;

– Spreading rumors or gossip about the harassed individual, or making jokes aimed at belittling or embarrassing them in front of their superiors, colleagues, or subordinates;

– Disregarding health problems or medical recommendations when assigning tasks;

– Exercising excessive and disproportionate control solely over the harassed individual;

– Avoiding direct communication with the harassed individual, typically occurring when communication is limited to email, messages, or intermediaries and other indirect forms of communication;

– Isolating the harassed individual from gatherings, lunches, and shared activities with other colleagues;

– Making indiscreet comments about the individual when they are absent from work;

– Threatening the individual with physical violence or physically attacking them, even in mild forms;

– Invading an individual's privacy by listening to telephone calls, reading correspondence, messages on applications, or emails;

– Ignoring the individual's presence;

– Assigning embarrassing or humiliating tasks to the individual;

– Making insinuations or statements about the individual’s incompetence or incapacity based on their gender, particularly if they are a woman;

– Questioning the individual’s mental health solely because they are a woman;

– Appropriating women’s ideas without giving them due credit and recognition;

– Constantly interrupting women in the workplace and/or during work-related activities;

– Treating women in a patronizing or condescending manner, offering unsolicited explanations and/or opinions;

– Creating obstacles or preventing pregnant women from attending medical appointments outside the work environment;

– Interfering with women’s family planning by suggesting they avoid pregnancy;

– Criticizing a woman for becoming pregnant;

– Disregarding medical recommendations for pregnant women when assigning tasks;

– Routinely and repeatedly disregarding a woman’s technical expertise in her field of knowledge; and

– Making sexist jokes.

Sexual harassment

– Unwanted conversations about sex;

– Telling jokes or using expressions related to sexual content;

– Unwanted physical contact;

– Requesting sexual favors;

– Naughty invitations;

– Pressuring the individual to participate in “dates” and outings;

– Exhibitionism;

– Creating a pornographic environment;

– Innuendos, whether explicit or veiled, of a sexual nature;

– Gestures or words, whether written or spoken, of a sexual nature;

– Promises of differentiated treatment;

– Blackmailing for job retention or promotion;

– Threats, whether veiled or explicit, of reprisals, such as losing one's job;

– Disturbance and offenses;

– Innuendo and compromising comments and observations about the physical appearance or personality of the harassed individual;

– Unsolicited physical contact beyond the formal, involving uninvited intimacy, such as touching, kissing, caressing, slapping, and hugging; and

– Insistence on any of the aforementioned behaviors, particularly if there exists a hierarchical or gender difference.

Discrimination

– Pay a lower salary to a woman who performs the same functions as a man;

– Refusing to hire or to promote individuals based on their race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender;

– Insulting or attacking individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity (homophobia and transphobia);

– Isolating or excluding individuals with disabilities from spaces lacking accessibility;

– Refusing to hire, promote, or dismiss women from managerial positions due to pregnancy or maternity leave; and

– Overlooking qualified individuals for job opportunities based on their age.

TYPES OF MORAL HARASSMENT

The Lilac Guide delineates the various forms of moral harassment as follows:

TYPES OF MORAL HARASSMENT

DESCRIPTION

Vertical Moral Harassment

Occurs within a hierarchical structure, whether in a descending or ascending manner, when the aggressor holds a superior or subordinate position relative to the harassed individual.

Horizontal Moral Harassment

Transpires between individuals occupying the same hierarchical level.

Descending Moral Harassment

transpires when harassment is perpetrated by an individual occupying a higher hierarchical position.

Ascending Moral Harassment

Occurs when harassment is inflicted by an individual in a lower hierarchical position.

Mixed Moral Harassment or “Mixed Bullying”

Transpires when an individual is subjected to harassment by both hierarchical superiors and coworkers, irrespective of their hierarchical relationship.

Organizational Moral Harassment

Transpires when an organization either fosters or tolerates harassment. It involves employing organizational constraints, whether explicit or subtle, to target workers with the objective of enhancing productivity, strengthening control, or asserting power. This type of harassment also entails a sustained pattern of hostility, often structured through organizational or managerial policies, aimed at increasing productivity, reducing costs, strengthening control, or excluding undesirable employees. It may target the entire workforce or specific groups based on certain characteristics (for instance, pregnant women).

THE ROLE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN CURBING MORAL HARASSMENT

The Lilac Guide outlines clear strategies for curbing moral harassment in the public sector as follows:

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

DETAILS

Demand commitment and engagement from senior management

– Distributing the information contained in this Guide to all civil servants, employees, interns, and outsourced workers, and propose awareness-raising, training, prevention, and intervention actions against harassment, ensuring the necessary resources for these activities; and

– Promptly investigating reports of harassment.

Foster positive working relationships in organizations

– Cultivating a supportive and collaborative work environment;

– Establishing mechanisms for evaluating the organizational climate and social interactions within the institution; and

– Seek ways to provide support to civil servants, employees, interns, and outsourced workers who exhibit changes in behavior.

Promote education and training

– Providing constant training to employees and managers on gender-based violence, racism, and other forms of discrimination;

– Conducting systematic awareness campaigns addressing stereotypes, microaggressions, everyday sexist attitudes, racist and LGBTphobic behaviors, offensive language, and other related issues;

– Training human resources teams on the empathetic and confidential handling of individuals who are victims of harassment and discrimination; and

– Training ombudsman teams on the protocol for receiving complaints and appropriate referrals.

PREVENTION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Lilac Guide offers comprehensive preventive measures that the Federal Government can implement to mitigate instances of sexual harassment, as outlined in the table below:

PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT

1. Disseminating information regarding what constitutes sexual harassment and the procedures to be followed in case of harassment;

2. Incorporating measures to prevent sexual harassment into the civil servants' code of ethics, contracts with outsourcing companies, and service providers' employment contracts;

3. Conducting awareness campaigns to promote respectful relationships in the workplace;

4. Establishing committees to prevent and combat moral harassment and sexual harassment within the government's executive branch;

5. Ensuring confidentiality, privacy, protection, and support for whistleblowers;

6. Ensuring the smoothness and confidentiality of procedures;

7. Offering changes in work assignments, if desired by the victim, until the conclusion of the investigation;

8. Continuously assessing interpersonal dynamics in the work environment, monitoring changes in behavior;

9. Promoting training actions for managers and employees;

10. Facilitating voluntary discussion spaces to foster shared commitments and objectives for cultivating a healthy and sustainable work environment;

11. Conducting diagnoses and reports on the quality of life and well-being of employees and outsourced workers;

12. Deploying qualified personnel in human resources and health units to provide confidential support to victims;

13. Establishing an ombudsman capable of empathetically and objectively receiving complaints, with a victim-centered approach; and

14. Investigating and imposing sanctions for reported violations.

WHAT TO DO IN CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

The Lilac Guide also provides clear guidance on the actions to be taken by a harassment victim:

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE SEXUALLY HARASSED

1. Break the cycle of silence!

2. Document EVERYTHING: record the details of harassment incidents, including dates, locations, names of the individuals involved, any witnesses, alleged reasons, and the content of conversations;

3. Reach out to potential witnesses who may have observed the harassment;

4. Avoid being alone with the harasser. Always try to have others present;

5. Collect all available evidence, such as recordings, photographs, emails, notes, gifts, and witness statements;

6. It's crucial to confide in someone you trust. Don't isolate yourself. Seek out a support network to help you cope with the situation;

7. Report the harassment to the Ombudsman's Office of the organization or entity, and file a police report at the Special Assistance to Women Police Station (Delegacia de Atendimento Especial à Mulher – DEAM) or any regular police station;

8. Call the Brazilian women’s helpline (180) report the case;

9. If you are an outsourced or public employee, file a complaint with the Regional Labor Office (Delegacia Regional do Trabalho – DRT) and the Public Ministry of Labor (Ministério Público do Trabalho – MPT).

HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD ACT WHEN FACED WITH REPORTS OF MORAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, OR DISCRIMINATION

The Lilac Guide recommends how assistance should be provided to victims of such acts or to whistleblowers who have witnessed them. This service must prioritize privacy, maintain confidentiality of the information disclosed, and allow ample time for active listening – which entails demonstrating interest, understanding, and appreciation for what the whistleblower is sharing. Furthermore, it's crucial to document the disclosure and establish a trusting relationship that emphasizes empathy, as well as providing a welcoming and private environment for listening.

Ideally, assistance should be provided in pairs to facilitate information recording without compromising the support given to the whistleblower. Whenever feasible, a female presence should be ensured to enhance solidarity, acknowledging structural and circumstantial factors and situations of vulnerability identified by gender, class, race, age, disability, religion, and ethnicity.

The services provided will be recorded and documented on the Fala.BR platform to systematize both quantitative and qualitative data. This enables proper monitoring of each case and facilitates the periodic generation of statistics and reports regarding instances of moral and sexual harassment, as well as discrimination within the Federal Government.

It's crucial to emphasize that when filing a report as outlined here, whistleblowers now benefit from a range of protections and guarantees. These include having their complaint handled by the Ombudsman with confidentiality, ensuring the protection of their identity, and ultimately safeguarding them against any form of retaliation.

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CGU's Lilac Guide to Combating Moral Harassment, Sexual Harassment, and Discrimination in the Public Service

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The ongoing battle waged by companies and governments to address moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination among employees, whether in the private or public sector, is nothing new. A poignant illustration of this perpetual struggle was the resignation of the president of the Brazilian Savings Bank (Caixa Econômica Federal – CEF) on June 29, 2022, following allegations of sexual harassment made by CEF employees.

When delving into the latest research on the nature of internal complaints regarding conduct violations, over 80% of them are linked to sexual harassment and bullying within organizations.

In 2023, the Brazilian Office of the Comptroller General (Controladoria Geral da União – CGU) launched the Lilac Guide offering guidelines for preventing and addressing moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination within the Brazilian Government. This initiative by the CGU is commendable, aiming to equip public agents with essential information to firstly comprehend what constitutes moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination, and subsequently, how to handle such situations when they arise, whether the public agent is a victim or a witness.

Now, let's delve into the definitions provided by the Lilac Guide for moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination:

TYPE OF INFRINGEMENT

DESCRIPTION

Moral Harassment

Moral harassment entails the violation of another person's dignity or psychological and physical integrity through abusive conduct, which may occur within or outside of working hours, including in virtual environments. It manifests through gestures, words (whether spoken or written), behaviors, or attitudes that subject the server, employee, intern, or outsourced worker, either individually or as part of a group, to humiliating and embarrassing situations, thereby degrading the work environment and often has a detrimental impact on the emotional and physical well-being of the victim. The harassed individual is often a member of a group that already faces social discrimination, such as women, people with disabilities, the elderly, black individuals, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBTQIAP+ community, among others.

Sexual harassment

Sexual harassment is unequivocally a crime and should never be tolerated. Legally defined as the act of subjecting someone to embarrassment with the aim of gaining sexual advantage or favoritism, it occurs when the perpetrator exploits their hierarchical superiority or inherent authority derived from their employment, position, or function (Penal Code, Article 216-A). Sexual harassment can take many forms, including written messages, gestures, songs, jokes, insinuations, blackmail, or threats, either subtly or explicitly. Furthermore, physical contact is not a prerequisite for sexual harassment; unwanted advances or pursuit alone suffice.

Discrimination

Discrimination encompasses any form of distinction, exclusion, restriction, or preference based on various factors such as sex, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, philosophical or political conviction, race, color, descent, national or ethnic origin, having the objective to nullify or curtail the acknowledgment, enjoyment, or exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms under equal conditions, across political, economic, social, cultural, or any other spheres of public or private life (Article 1, I, of Law #12,288/2010). Moreover, Convention #111 of the International Labour Organization (ILO) defines discrimination as any differentiation, exclusion, or preference based on race, color, sex, religion, political opinion, national descent, or social origin, which has the effect of undermining or altering equality of opportunity or treatment in matters concerning employment or profession.

EXAMPLES OF MORAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, AND DISCRIMINATION

The Lilac Guide provides a wealth of examples illustrating behaviors that constitute moral harassment, sexual harassment, and discrimination, as outlined in the table below:

TYPE OF INFRINGEMENT

EXAMPLES

Moral Harassment

– Denying access to necessary tools for performing work duties;

– Withholding essential information required for completing tasks or providing misleading information leading to errors;

– Failing to assign tasks to an individual, leaving them idle, which can foster feelings of uselessness, incompetence, or humiliation in front of colleagues;

– Systematically challenging all decisions made by the individual and unfairly criticizing their work, particularly in public settings;

– Consistently burdening the individual with a greater workload compared to their colleagues;

– Requiring the individual to perform urgent tasks unnecessarily and consistently;

– Deliberately assigning tasks that are either inferior or superior to their assigned duties on a frequent basis;

– Controlling the individual's bathroom breaks, monitoring their frequency and duration;

– Pressuring the individual not to exercise their statutory or labor rights;

– Creating obstacles or preventing the individual from receiving promotions or undertaking different roles within the organization;

– Segregating the harassed individual in the workplace, either physically or through refusal of communication;

– Verbally attacking, shouting, making gestures of contempt, or issuing threats of physical and/or emotional violence;

– Criticizing the individual's private life, preferences, or personal and political convictions;

– Spreading rumors or gossip about the harassed individual, or making jokes aimed at belittling or embarrassing them in front of their superiors, colleagues, or subordinates;

– Disregarding health problems or medical recommendations when assigning tasks;

– Exercising excessive and disproportionate control solely over the harassed individual;

– Avoiding direct communication with the harassed individual, typically occurring when communication is limited to email, messages, or intermediaries and other indirect forms of communication;

– Isolating the harassed individual from gatherings, lunches, and shared activities with other colleagues;

– Making indiscreet comments about the individual when they are absent from work;

– Threatening the individual with physical violence or physically attacking them, even in mild forms;

– Invading an individual's privacy by listening to telephone calls, reading correspondence, messages on applications, or emails;

– Ignoring the individual's presence;

– Assigning embarrassing or humiliating tasks to the individual;

– Making insinuations or statements about the individual’s incompetence or incapacity based on their gender, particularly if they are a woman;

– Questioning the individual’s mental health solely because they are a woman;

– Appropriating women’s ideas without giving them due credit and recognition;

– Constantly interrupting women in the workplace and/or during work-related activities;

– Treating women in a patronizing or condescending manner, offering unsolicited explanations and/or opinions;

– Creating obstacles or preventing pregnant women from attending medical appointments outside the work environment;

– Interfering with women’s family planning by suggesting they avoid pregnancy;

– Criticizing a woman for becoming pregnant;

– Disregarding medical recommendations for pregnant women when assigning tasks;

– Routinely and repeatedly disregarding a woman’s technical expertise in her field of knowledge; and

– Making sexist jokes.

Sexual harassment

– Unwanted conversations about sex;

– Telling jokes or using expressions related to sexual content;

– Unwanted physical contact;

– Requesting sexual favors;

– Naughty invitations;

– Pressuring the individual to participate in “dates” and outings;

– Exhibitionism;

– Creating a pornographic environment;

– Innuendos, whether explicit or veiled, of a sexual nature;

– Gestures or words, whether written or spoken, of a sexual nature;

– Promises of differentiated treatment;

– Blackmailing for job retention or promotion;

– Threats, whether veiled or explicit, of reprisals, such as losing one's job;

– Disturbance and offenses;

– Innuendo and compromising comments and observations about the physical appearance or personality of the harassed individual;

– Unsolicited physical contact beyond the formal, involving uninvited intimacy, such as touching, kissing, caressing, slapping, and hugging; and

– Insistence on any of the aforementioned behaviors, particularly if there exists a hierarchical or gender difference.

Discrimination

– Pay a lower salary to a woman who performs the same functions as a man;

– Refusing to hire or to promote individuals based on their race, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender;

– Insulting or attacking individuals based on their sexual orientation or gender identity (homophobia and transphobia);

– Isolating or excluding individuals with disabilities from spaces lacking accessibility;

– Refusing to hire, promote, or dismiss women from managerial positions due to pregnancy or maternity leave; and

– Overlooking qualified individuals for job opportunities based on their age.

TYPES OF MORAL HARASSMENT

The Lilac Guide delineates the various forms of moral harassment as follows:

TYPES OF MORAL HARASSMENT

DESCRIPTION

Vertical Moral Harassment

Occurs within a hierarchical structure, whether in a descending or ascending manner, when the aggressor holds a superior or subordinate position relative to the harassed individual.

Horizontal Moral Harassment

Transpires between individuals occupying the same hierarchical level.

Descending Moral Harassment

transpires when harassment is perpetrated by an individual occupying a higher hierarchical position.

Ascending Moral Harassment

Occurs when harassment is inflicted by an individual in a lower hierarchical position.

Mixed Moral Harassment or “Mixed Bullying”

Transpires when an individual is subjected to harassment by both hierarchical superiors and coworkers, irrespective of their hierarchical relationship.

Organizational Moral Harassment

Transpires when an organization either fosters or tolerates harassment. It involves employing organizational constraints, whether explicit or subtle, to target workers with the objective of enhancing productivity, strengthening control, or asserting power. This type of harassment also entails a sustained pattern of hostility, often structured through organizational or managerial policies, aimed at increasing productivity, reducing costs, strengthening control, or excluding undesirable employees. It may target the entire workforce or specific groups based on certain characteristics (for instance, pregnant women).

THE ROLE OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN CURBING MORAL HARASSMENT

The Lilac Guide outlines clear strategies for curbing moral harassment in the public sector as follows:

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES

DETAILS

Demand commitment and engagement from senior management

– Distributing the information contained in this Guide to all civil servants, employees, interns, and outsourced workers, and propose awareness-raising, training, prevention, and intervention actions against harassment, ensuring the necessary resources for these activities; and

– Promptly investigating reports of harassment.

Foster positive working relationships in organizations

– Cultivating a supportive and collaborative work environment;

– Establishing mechanisms for evaluating the organizational climate and social interactions within the institution; and

– Seek ways to provide support to civil servants, employees, interns, and outsourced workers who exhibit changes in behavior.

Promote education and training

– Providing constant training to employees and managers on gender-based violence, racism, and other forms of discrimination;

– Conducting systematic awareness campaigns addressing stereotypes, microaggressions, everyday sexist attitudes, racist and LGBTphobic behaviors, offensive language, and other related issues;

– Training human resources teams on the empathetic and confidential handling of individuals who are victims of harassment and discrimination; and

– Training ombudsman teams on the protocol for receiving complaints and appropriate referrals.

PREVENTION OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

The Lilac Guide offers comprehensive preventive measures that the Federal Government can implement to mitigate instances of sexual harassment, as outlined in the table below:

PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT

1. Disseminating information regarding what constitutes sexual harassment and the procedures to be followed in case of harassment;

2. Incorporating measures to prevent sexual harassment into the civil servants' code of ethics, contracts with outsourcing companies, and service providers' employment contracts;

3. Conducting awareness campaigns to promote respectful relationships in the workplace;

4. Establishing committees to prevent and combat moral harassment and sexual harassment within the government's executive branch;

5. Ensuring confidentiality, privacy, protection, and support for whistleblowers;

6. Ensuring the smoothness and confidentiality of procedures;

7. Offering changes in work assignments, if desired by the victim, until the conclusion of the investigation;

8. Continuously assessing interpersonal dynamics in the work environment, monitoring changes in behavior;

9. Promoting training actions for managers and employees;

10. Facilitating voluntary discussion spaces to foster shared commitments and objectives for cultivating a healthy and sustainable work environment;

11. Conducting diagnoses and reports on the quality of life and well-being of employees and outsourced workers;

12. Deploying qualified personnel in human resources and health units to provide confidential support to victims;

13. Establishing an ombudsman capable of empathetically and objectively receiving complaints, with a victim-centered approach; and

14. Investigating and imposing sanctions for reported violations.

WHAT TO DO IN CASES OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT?

The Lilac Guide also provides clear guidance on the actions to be taken by a harassment victim:

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY THE SEXUALLY HARASSED

1. Break the cycle of silence!

2. Document EVERYTHING: record the details of harassment incidents, including dates, locations, names of the individuals involved, any witnesses, alleged reasons, and the content of conversations;

3. Reach out to potential witnesses who may have observed the harassment;

4. Avoid being alone with the harasser. Always try to have others present;

5. Collect all available evidence, such as recordings, photographs, emails, notes, gifts, and witness statements;

6. It's crucial to confide in someone you trust. Don't isolate yourself. Seek out a support network to help you cope with the situation;

7. Report the harassment to the Ombudsman's Office of the organization or entity, and file a police report at the Special Assistance to Women Police Station (Delegacia de Atendimento Especial à Mulher – DEAM) or any regular police station;

8. Call the Brazilian women’s helpline (180) report the case;

9. If you are an outsourced or public employee, file a complaint with the Regional Labor Office (Delegacia Regional do Trabalho – DRT) and the Public Ministry of Labor (Ministério Público do Trabalho – MPT).

HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD ACT WHEN FACED WITH REPORTS OF MORAL HARASSMENT, SEXUAL HARASSMENT, OR DISCRIMINATION

The Lilac Guide recommends how assistance should be provided to victims of such acts or to whistleblowers who have witnessed them. This service must prioritize privacy, maintain confidentiality of the information disclosed, and allow ample time for active listening – which entails demonstrating interest, understanding, and appreciation for what the whistleblower is sharing. Furthermore, it's crucial to document the disclosure and establish a trusting relationship that emphasizes empathy, as well as providing a welcoming and private environment for listening.

Ideally, assistance should be provided in pairs to facilitate information recording without compromising the support given to the whistleblower. Whenever feasible, a female presence should be ensured to enhance solidarity, acknowledging structural and circumstantial factors and situations of vulnerability identified by gender, class, race, age, disability, religion, and ethnicity.

The services provided will be recorded and documented on the Fala.BR platform to systematize both quantitative and qualitative data. This enables proper monitoring of each case and facilitates the periodic generation of statistics and reports regarding instances of moral and sexual harassment, as well as discrimination within the Federal Government.

It's crucial to emphasize that when filing a report as outlined here, whistleblowers now benefit from a range of protections and guarantees. These include having their complaint handled by the Ombudsman with confidentiality, ensuring the protection of their identity, and ultimately safeguarding them against any form of retaliation.

No items found.