The Quilombola community of Santa Rosa dos Pretos has resisted racial oppression for over 300 years. Today, it is home to nearly 5,000 people.
These Quilombola families are not just facing one, but a series of mega-projects that pose a grave threat to their existence. These include the duplication of highway BR 135, the impacts of the Carajás Railroad and the Transnordestina Railroad, and the expansion of electric power lines. Each of these projects, in its own way, is eroding their way of life and endangering their customs and traditions.
Moreover, the Quilombola community of Santa Rosa dos Pretos has faced systematic denial of fundamental rights, including education, healthcare, and land regularization, constituting severe violations of international human rights standards. Despite their ancestral ties to the land spanning over 300 years, the community has been deprived of formal land titles, impeding their ability to secure tenure and perpetuating insecurity and vulnerability.
The leaders of Santa Rosa dos Pretos persistently face threats, causing ongoing unrest and sleepless nights for the community. A recent example involves the obstruction of residents’ access to dams and fishing areas, along with baseless complaints lodged at police stations aimed at criminalizing and intimidating these leaders.
Show Your Solidarity
Our strength lies in our solidarity. By signing this letter, you are helping us demand the Brazilian government to fulfill its international human rights law obligations. Join the dozens of other ESCR-Net members who have already signed on, showing their support for our comrades in Santa Rosa dos Pretos. Your signature can make a difference.
What are we asking?
Please sign this letter now to demand that Paulo Teixeira, Minister of Agrarian Development; Silvio Almeida, Minister of Human Rights; and Anielle Francisco da Silva, Minister of Racial Equality, convene a public hearing to listen to the community.
You can download the letter in English, Spanish, French, and Arabic here.
